MATHEMATICS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS MATH 170 SYLLABUS AUTUMN, 2004

Instructor: Dr. Virginia M. Warfield (a.k.a. Ginger Warfield)

Office: Padelford C-437

Phone: 543-7445 (office);

329-0376 (home—call anytime between 9 AM and 11 PM)

e-mail address: warfield@math.washington.edu

Office Hours: Mondays, 2:15 - 3:15; Thursdays 3:15 – 4:15. I will also generally be available after class in the classroom. If none of these times works for you, phone or e-mail me, or see me briefly after class, and we will set up another time.

TA: Dylan Helliwell

Office: Padelford C-404

e-mail address: helliwel@math.washington.edu

Office hours: to be announced

Text: Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers (second edition), by Tom Bassarear, both the basic text and the Explorations.

Basic text is now available from the University Bookstore. We are having some problems getting the Explorations – I'll keep you tuned.

You also need a packet of notes(“Sundry Items which you will need Now and Then”) from Professional Copy at 4200 University Way.

NOTE: The Exploration book and the Packet are both three-hole punched. I suggest that you get a notebook for those two, because one or the other will be needed almost every class period.

Course goals: I operate on the hypothesis that if you enrolled for this course, you are either definitely or potentially interested in becoming an Elementary School teacher. If that is the case, then you are heading out into a world where a tremendous amount of change is in the process of occurring. To me, the most exciting aspect of the change is that elementary mathematics is no longer being regarded as a collection of computational skills, but rather as a rich body of intellectual content which includes computation as a tool, but focuses far more on understanding and communication and reasoning. Obviously, such a change has deep implications for all present and future teachers. Essentially everything we do in this course—the content, the format and the assessment—is designed to help you get your bearings in this new scene.

Note: What we do in class is an essential constituent of what you are learning, since communication and understanding each other's reasoning can only happen here. Regular attendance is an indispensable element of classroom participation. Please do not take this constituent lightly.

Homework: There will be homework to be turned in most days. If you have taken it seriously and written it up neatly and turned it in on time or at most one class day late, you will receive full credit. Otherwise you will receive at most half credit.

Exams: There will be a midterm on Monday, October 25, and an final exam from 4:30 to 6:20 on Monday, December 13.

Projects: There will also be two projects. Descriptions are in the Sundry Items packet and will also be on the web.

Grade distribution: The constituent parts of your grade are

A)Homework B) Class work and/or attendance C) Midterm D) Projects E) Final exam

Credit: THIS IS A CREDIT/NO CREDIT COURSE. To receive credit you must have credit for each of the parts above. For A and B, that means receiving at least 80% of the possible credits according to the policy described above in "Homework". For C and D, if you do not receive credit, you will be given instructions for doing extra work in order to receive it.

Website note: In an effort to reduce profligacy in paper use, I have set up a course web site, on which all assignments and various notes will appear. I will generally show them on the overhead projector and/or discuss them in class, but I will usually not make hard copies. If this is a hardship for you – if, for instance, do not have easy internet access – talk to me and we will figure out a system to make it work for you.

The web page URL is http://faculty.washington.edu/warfield/Math_170/index.html

ASSIGNMENTS FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 4:

Turn in a brief (up to one page) mathematical autobiography. It needn't be particularly thorough or detailed—what I would like to know is roughly your current level and roughly your current feelings about mathematics and, insofar as you can trace them, how you arrived at those feelings.

You will also have a problem-solving assignment. Note that the two should be on separate papers.

SUMMARY OF TIMELINE FOR THE QUARTER:

Wednesday, October 6 Last chance to sign up for the Pipeline Project (Option A of Project 1)

Monday, October 25 Midterm in class

Thursday, November 4 Math Fair at Leschi School (5:45 – 8:00)

Monday, November 29 Project 2 due

Monday, December 6 Journals due if you are doing Option A for Project 1

Monday, December 13 Final Examination at 4:30 in the regular classroom