Office: 244 Tyler Hall

Phone: 874-4448 Department Office: 874-2709

Textbook: Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, (Fifth Edition) by Musser, Burger, and Peterson. Bring the text and a calculator to every class.

Accommodations: Students who require accommodations and who have documentation from Disability Services ((874-2098) should make arrangements with me as soon as possible.

Course Description:

This course helps prospective teachers gain an understanding of the theory behind the mathematics taught in elementary school. We will use a higher level of precision than you might use in your classroom so that you can acquire a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts. We will also present the material from a wide variety of perspectives so that you will be more able to address the broad range of learning styuleds of your future students.

An important part of your mathematical education is acquiring the knack of learning mathematics on your own, from books. You may not be used to reading mathematics texts, but you will be actively encouraged to read this one. By reading the text before class, even if you don’t understand everything the first time, you will have a better chance of making good use of your time in class. Reading the text after class is a good way of reinforcing the material in the lecture, nailing down what questions you need to ask in the next class, and learning material that was not gone over during class time

Tentative Schedule:

Week 1 Chapters 1 and 2

Week 2 Chapters 3 and 4

Week 3 Chapters 5 and 6

Week 4 Chapters 7 and 8

Week 5 Chapter 9

FINAL EXAM—Last day of class

Homework, Quizzes, and Classwork: You are responsible for mastering all the homework problems assigned at the end of each class. Homework plays a central role in the class and in your understanding of the material. It is fair to say that most of the learning that you achieve during any math course is from your homework. Quizzes based on homework problems will be given every Tuesday. Homework will not be collected, but I will answer questions on these problems during the class after they are due. I will assign various open book problems and projects during class for you to work on, alone or in groups. These will also be graded. No makeups on quizzes or classwork.

Grading:

Your grade will be based on 300 points: 100 points for classwork, 100 points for quizzes, and 100 points for the final exam. A rough guideline for grading is as follows:

A is approximately 93%, A- : 90%, B+ :87%, B: 83%, B- : 80%, C+: 77%, C : 73%, C- : 70%, D+: 65%, D : 60%.