My Math Methods Syllabus

Syllabus:   EED 784

Curriculum and Instruction in Mathematics (CLAD Emphasis)

This course covers methods and materials for teaching mathematics to linguistically and culturally diverse elementary school students. This includes a review of content of mathematics curriculum, classroom organization, assessment, and guided experiences in schools.

Course Objectives

         • Review the content of elementary education math curriculum

         • Learn new and interesting ways to approach arithmetic concepts and      skills

         • Consider central question: How does a mathematician think and act?

Course Materials

         Binder for Handouts

         Notebook or laptop computer for note taking

         Basic function calculator, ruler and protractor

         NO TEXTBOOK!

Grading Policy (or how to get a A in this class):

         Grading is based on the following criteria

Attendance and Participation	25%
Homework	25%
Math Observation Logs	25%
Final Exam of Math Skills and Concepts	25%

Attendance and Participation:

         The main learning in this course comes from participation in the activities in class, discussing them with peers and reflection. Since we will only be meeting 12 times, missing any class or even part of a class will be detrimental to you development as a teacher.

         Because emergencies occur, missing one class will not affect your final grade. Missing more will be problematic. Avoid this. Tardiness has the same impact. Two late arrivals will count as a absence.

Homework:

         There will be weekly homework. Expect it to take from 30-60 minutes. It will take several forms: reflection, investigation and/or review of materials or methods. Just like attendance, late work is problematic. Avoid it.

Math Observation Logs:

         I am assuming that most of you are working in school settings already. You will be required to keep a math observation log describing the math activities you observe in these classes. These logs need to be typed in a Word document and turned in at midterm and final term. Two entries per week are expected, more welcome.

         In addition to these logs, you will be responsible for typing up notes for the class once this semester. These will be shared with your colleagues and will also count as part of your grade. We will have a sign up sheet in class to determine when you will be responsible for these notes.

Final Exam:

         Since this class reviews general elementary math curriculum, there will be a final exam in which you will demonstrate understanding of the skills and concepts covered in class.

Note Taking:

         Since this course does not have a textbook, note taking becomes more important. Each class session will have one “official” note taker, but you should consider yourself the best single source of information. In addition, I place a high premium of neat and orderly work, so I expect the logs and homework to be typed and correctly formatted. For this reason (and many more) feel free to bring a laptop to class and use it. Hopefully you have access to the Internet for our math investigations and research.  Just resist the temptations of Facebook, emails and their likes.