MATH 175
Mathematical Explorations for Elementary Teachers, I
Section 151, Summer 2008
Class meeting time: W 1:30-4:30, MPS School Support Center,
Room 220.
Text: Sybilla Beckmann, Mathematics for Elementary Teachers,
(with Class Activities book).
We will cover essentially all of chapters 1-7 of the text.
Course description
This course aims to demonstrate that arithmetic makes sense,
and to prepare teachers to help children experience arithmetic
as making sense. Thus the course aims to prepare teachers
to lead children to be able both to do
arithmetic and arithmetic problems,
and to understand the procedures,
including the algebraic connections. Such an understanding is a necessary
preparation for algebra. Conveying such understanding, and being able to
help children correct misunderstandings in their work is a demanding task.
Thus the course is one of reconstructing your
understanding of arithmetic... it is not
simply a review of arithmetic procedures.
You will be expected to take an active role in class,
participating in activities and discussions. For this reason,
attendance is particularly important: you will not be able to
make up a missed class just by reading the textbook.
On the other hand, you must make sure that you do all the assigned
reading, since it will motivate much of the class discussion.
There is a class website at
http://www.uwm.edu/~kevinm/teaching/175/frames.htm.
Homework will be posted on the website after each class, and will be due at
the following class, so you will need to check the site regularly.
Any relevant information about the class, such as exam dates,
changes of location, or other announcements, will also be posted.
If I find useful and relevant links during the semester, I will post them
as well; if you find some yourself, please let me know.
You are responsible for any information posted on the website,
so please check it frequently.
Evaluation
An important part of MATH 175 in its usual undergraduate incarnation
is the Check Test of Procedural Skills. Since you are receiving credit
for 175, you will also need to take this test. You must pass the
Check Test with 75% correct (15 of 20 questions) in order to receive a
semester course grade of C or above. The test will be administered in
class on June 26. Retakes of up to 3 parallel forms can be taken to
achieve the minimum 75% level. Before any retake, you are strongly
advised to schedule an appointment with one of the instructors
in order to review your errors.
All retakes must be completed by July 24.
You can see the format of the test, and generate practice test forms at
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Math/175.
(The test form is generated as a PDF file, so you will need Acrobat Reader
to read it. If you have Acrobat and still have trouble generating
forms, you could try clearing the cache on your browser.)
Passing the Check Test does not guarantee a grade of C for the course.
Assuming you pass the Check Test, your grade for the course will be based on
the following factors:
- Homework Homework may be given out in class, but
will always be posted on the class website. It will be graded
on a 0-5 basis. Homework will be considered late if not handed
in by the due date, which will usually be the following class
period. The maximum credit for late work will be 3 of 5 points.
I will not review all of your work; I will ask
you to hand in a subset of the entire assignment and give you an
appropriate grade. You should, of course, do all assigned problems,
whether or not you are asked to hand them in. Many homework problems
ask for explanations; carefully written explanations are an
important part of your answer, and will be required for a good
homework grade.
20%
- Midterms There will be 2 in-class midterms during the
semester. You should plan for these exams to be given on July 10
and July 24, but I do reserve the right to change those dates
depending on how fast we are covering the material.
20% each.
- Final Exam The final exam will be comprehensive,
and will be given at the usual class time on July 31.
30%.
- Class participation 10%.
You can have a make-up for any one of the midterms, no questions
asked. The make-up must be taken within one week of the original
quiz, and will be an oral exam.
Students with disabilities
If you feel you are a student with a disability, please feel free
to contact me early in the semester for any help or accommodation
you may need.
University policies
The Secretary of the University has a
page dedicated
to university policies for religious observances,
grade appeal procedures, military service and other matters.
Please also be aware of
proper student conduct at the university.
Kevin Mcleod
06/23/2008