Course Information
Geometry and Probability for Teachers, Math 257--Section 1
Spring, 2002

Office Hours: W, F 8-9:00am, M,W,F 11-11:30am, M 2-3:00pm, and by appointment or e-mail.

Objectives: In the near future you will be responsible for the mathematical preparation of students with widely varying abilities and interests.  The goals of this course all support my belief that your task is immensely important and must be carried out conscientiously.  The first goal is that you master sufficient mathematical background to support the mathematics you will be teaching.  The second goal is that you strengthen your ability to communicate mathematics enthusiastically and effectively, both verbally and in writing.  The final goal is that you appreciate how mathematics, mathematical reasoning, and problem solving techniques apply to situations that will affect all of your future students.

Prerequisites: The prerequisite for this course is Math 157, Arithmetic for Elementary School Teachers.

Materials: The text is Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, 2nd edition, by Krause, Chapters 9-14.  You should re-read and re-work Chapter 1 on Problem Solving as often as you find useful.  In particular, consult the list of strategies on page 2 and the steps on page 10 until they become second nature.  You will likely find it helpful to have a basic calculator, a compass and straightedge in Chapter 14, and perhaps a protractor and graph paper.

Format and Evaluation: This is a math content course, not a methods course.  However, I intend to use several different teaching methods in the hope that you will do the same in the future.  Before the first day on which we will discuss it in class, you should read the section, work as many homework problems as possible, and bring questions to discuss in class.  You should diligently write up careful, organized homework solutions, though these will not be collected.  Some of the Review Exercises for each chapter will be assigned, collected, and graded. The three exam dates below are somewhat tentative, the final date is firm, so please mark it down now.
 

Overall percentages of 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% will guarantee the letter grades A, B, C, D. Cutoffs for +/- will be determined at the end of the semester, but will be within 3 percentage points of these values.

Philosophy: I believe that all of you can succeed and that hard work counts for a great deal.  I expect you to attend each class session and to be responsible for material covered in any sessions you are forced to miss.  Studying together and discussing problems are encouraged,after you have worked hard yourself to understand the material or solve a problem, since this can be a very effective and rewarding way to learn mathematics.  However, you should write up solutions on your own in order to guarantee your own understanding of the material.  Sharing or obtaining complete solutions is not allowed.

Accommodations: If you have a diagnosed disability or believe you have a disability that may require reasonable accommodation on the part of ISU, please call 282-3599 to make an appointment with Dian Jenkins, director of the ADA and Disabilities Resource Center.

Expectations: In this class you will be expected to become largely responsible for your own learning.

You should strive to learn actively, both within and outside of class, by

• attending every class session;
• reading the material for the first time before the class in which it will be covered;
• participating in group work and lectures during class;
• taking thorough notes;
• formulating questions;
• recording and asking questions on material and problems you do not understand;
• working at least 2-3 hours (on average) outside of class for every hour in class;
• learning from mistakes of your own and others (including me);
• being organized, clear, and accurate;
• developing efficient and effective study, work, and problem-solving skills;
• learning to read the textbook effectively, which may involve rereading maybe many times;
• seeking out additional resources for help on material or additional skills;
• taking responsibility for learning material not explicitly covered in class, or which you did not understand or missed.

I plan to be prepared, patient, available, approachable, and fair.

I look forward to a successful and rewarding semester of learning together.

Suggestions: Reading a mathematics text effectively requires effort and practice.  You should:

• Read productively.  Have a pen or pencil and paper ready to use.  As you read, write down all questions you have, observations you make, and examples or computations you work out.  This should help you understand and retain the material better.  It may also help to make outlines, summaries, concept diagrams, or lists of results in your own words.  Read when you are alert.
• Read before the class in which we discuss the topic.  Do not expect to understand everything you read the first time, but spend at least 1/2 hour with the material ahead of time in order to

(1) familiarize yourself with the basic ideas so you can participate and understand more in class,
(2) identify what you do not understand and formulate questions to ask in class or office hours.
• Re-read.  Almost everyone (including me) finds it necessary to read mathematics several times to fully understand it.  You will understand the material more deeply when you re-read it.
• Focus on definitions, conclusions, and methods. Mathematics is a language and it is absolutely necessary to understand the precise definitions of key terms.  The results and how they were obtained are also crucial.
• Reflect on what you read.  Consider connections of what you have read to previous material and to other courses.  Anticipate possible future material.
• Discuss what you read.  Talking to someone inside or outside the class about the material will strengthen your knowledge.