Text

Course topics

Course objectives

How your grade will be calculated

Types of assignments and grading criteria

This section of MATH 5003 are part of the Writing Intensive Program

Class work and attendance policies

Materials needed

This document describes a general plan for the course. Changes may be necessary.

Text: Mathematics for Elementary Teachers , volumes I and II, preliminary edition, and the accompanying Class Activities manuals by Sybilla Beckmann, published by Addison-Wesley. These can be purchased from the UGA bookstore -- we are hoping they will be in the bookstore by Tuesday, August 20. For now, please bring the volume I activity manual to class. I will let you know when to bring the volume II activity manual to class.

Course topics: The course topics will be chosen to address students' needs based on a survey to be filled out by students on the first day of class. Topics will be studied with attention to how they develop from the very simplest and most basic ideas that can be grasped even in early elementary school, to more advanced ideas and concepts. Topics may include the following. Descriptive statistics. Probability: understanding and calculating probability, including conditional probability. Combinations and Pascal's triangle. Expected value. Number Theory: greatest common divisor and least common multiple. Prime numbers. Divisibility tests. Incommensurability as it occurs in simple hands-on activities. Algebra as it is found in hands-on activities. Interpreting functions. Ratio and proportion, and applications, such as adjusting for inflation with the Consumer Price Index. The course will emphasize solving a wide range of problems as well as posing and modifying problems. Computer technology will be used. Day by day list of course topics

Course objectives: To strengthen and deepen knowledge and understanding of statistics, probability, elementary number theory, and algebra, or other topics in mathematics, and how these topics are used to solve a wide variety of problems. In particular, to strengthen the understanding of and the ability to explain why various procedures and formulas in mathematics work. To strengthen the ability to communicate clearly about mathematics, both orally and in writing. To promote the exploration and explanation of mathematical phenomena. To show that many problems can be solved in a variety of ways. To learn to pose and modify mathematical problems.

How your grade will be calculated:

We will grade all your work on a 5 point scale, and we will assign points as follows:

# of points	description	characteristics
5.5 points	exemplary	work that could serve as a model for other students
5 points	very good	correct work that is careful and thorough
4 points	competent	good, solid work that is largely correct
3 points	basic	work that has merit but also has significant shortcomings
2 points	emerging	work that shows effort but is seriously flawed
0 points	no credit	no work submitted, or no serious effort shown

Please also see the more detailed grading criteria below.

Your grade will be based on tests, homework, and a comprehensive final exam. I expect to give 1 test during the semester, right before the field experience. I will calculate your course score using the following percentages.

test	25%
homework	20%
field experience assignment	25%
final exam	30%

I expect to assign letter grades as follows.

for scores from	up to	letter grade
4.7	5 or above	A
4	4.7	B
3.5	4	C
2.5	3.5	D
below 2.5		F

Types of assignments and grading criteria:

You will work on several different types of assignments throughout the semester: don't hand in assignments, checked assignments, scored assignments, and your field experience assignment.

I encourage you to work on assignments with your classmates. Of course, you should adhere to UGA's Academic Honesty Policy, as described in http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/main.html. Therefore, always write your homework up on your own, using your own words to express the ideas you have discussed with others. Do not allow anyone to copy your work. When you discuss assignments with others, all partners should "give and take" ideas.

Late homework will not be accepted. Please consult with me as soon as possible if you are unable to hand in an assignment due to an illness or emergency.

The Field experience assignment is due (date to be announced).

Don't hand in assignments: Most sections in the text include a number of exercises that have detailed solutions. The exercises will be assigned for you to solve without handing in your work. Read the solutions only after you have seriously attempted to solve the exercises: by grappling with the exercises you will learn much more than if you simply read the solution right away. The exercises will help prepare you to solve the problems, so do not skip them. The solutions to the exercises provide you with many examples of good mathematical explanations: use them as models for your own writing of mathematical explanations. In many cases, there is more than one way to solve an exercise. Therefore your solution need not be identical to the given solution in order to be correct. If in doubt, please check with me or with the teaching assistant.

Checked assignments will give you an opportunity to develop ideas and deepen your thinking without holding you to the polished level of performance that is expected on the scored assignments. Some checked assignments may ask you to solve a problem in the book and some may ask for exploratory writing. A checked assignment will receive a grade of check, of check-minus, or of 0 as follows.

A score of check, which counts as 5 points, will be given to work with the following characteristics:

• The work addresses the problem that was posed and makes significant progress.
• The work was done with care and effort: it is neatly written and is understandable.

A score of check-minus, which counts as 3 points, will be given to work that represents a serious attempt but that fails to meet the standards set for a check.

A score of 0 will be given to work that was not handed in or that does not represent a serious attempt.

A checked assignment may be re-assigned as a scored assignment, or there may be a test question related to the checked assignment. Therefore, you should make your best effort on these assignments, and you should follow class discussions on them closely.

Scored assignments will ask you to produce polished writing. Usually, a scored assignment will either ask for an explanation of a fact or phenomenon in elementary mathematics or it will ask you to produce an example of a problem or activity that could help children learn a mathematical concept, and a discussion of how and why that problem or activity would be useful for teaching the concept in question. We will determine your score on such an assignment by the extent to which your work meets the following criteria:

• The work is factually correct, or nearly so, with only minor flaws (for example, a minor mistake in a calculation).
• The work addresses the specific question or problem that was posed. It is focused, detailed, and precise. There are no irrelevant or distracting points.
• The work is clear, convincing, and logical. In the case of an explanation, the explanation should have the following characteristics:
  • The explanation could be used to teach another (college) student, possibly even one who is not in the class.
  • The explanation could be used to convince a skeptic.
  • The explanation does not require the reader to make a leap of faith.
  • Key points are emphasized.
  • If applicable, supporting pictures, diagrams, and/or equations are used appropriately and as needed.
  • The explanation is coherent.
  • Clear, complete sentences are used.

Writing Intensive Program: This section of MATH 5003 is part of the Writing Intensive Program. All sections of MATH 5003 will stress the writing of mathematical explanations. The Writing Intensive Program is designed to help courses teach the writing process within various disciplines. Although you have taken English courses on writing, and although these courses will help you with all your writing, mathematical writing has its own special features. In mathematics, we seek coherent, logical explanations, in which the desired conclusion is deduced from starting assumptions. Our graduate assistant, Tawanda Gwena, has been trained by the Writing Intensive Program to help you with your mathematical writing. By participating in the Writing Intensive Program we have also learned about ways to use writing to deepen your understanding of the course concepts.

Class work: We will frequently work in small groups during class. When you work in a group, please make sure that everyone in your group has a chance to think about the question and has an opportunity to discuss and debate it. At times, this may mean that you should "hold back" a little, at other times you may need to ask your group to wait a moment for you to think about something. Although it can be tempting to listen to someone else's solution before thinking deeply about a problem, the process of grappling actually helps us learn and understand. Therefore please be sensitive to each other and allow everyone time to think.

Attendance is required. Unexcused absences will result in a lowering your course score by .25 for each unexcused absence beyond 1. After 3 or more unexcused absences, your grade may be lowered even further, or you may be dropped from the course. You are responsible for all information and announcements given in class, even if your absence is excused. Please make every effort to arrive in class on time. Late arrivals can be disruptive, and can cause you to miss important material or announcements. Two tardy arrivals will count as one absence.

Materials needed: Please have a calculator available for your use.