Instructor: Douglas
B. Aichele
Office: 426
MS
Office Hours: WF,
2:30–3:20 p.m.; (426 MSCS); If you have a conflict with these times,
please make an appointment (after class, by telephone or email) to see me at
another time.
Telephone: (405) 744-5688
e-mail: aichele@math.okstate.edu
Web
Pages: Information is also
available through my home page at:
http://www.math.okstate.edu/~aichele
The URL for the OSU
Syllabus Attachment for 2009 Fall semester is http://osu.okstate.edu/acadaffr/aa/syllabusattachment-Fall.htm
OSU
Catalog Description. Prerequisite(s): 1483, 1493 or 1513.
Foundations of numbers (set theory, numeration, and the real number system),
number theory, algebraic systems, functions and applications and probability.
Important Note to Students. This course is no longer
an A-designated General Education course; it will NOT satisfy the General
Education Analytic and Quantitative Thought (A) upper division requirement.
Some
Initial Comments.
The content and instructional delivery of this course models the current
professional thinking and standards endorsed by the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics (NCTM). Please be aware that
1. MATH 3603 is specifically
designed for prospective elementary/ early childhood/ middle level teachers; if
you are pursuing a major different from one of these, your advisor will work
with you to select a course more appropriate and valuable to your studies.
2. MATH 3603 is a content mathematics
class much like other MATH-prefixed courses you
have taken; the pedagogical issues related teaching this content in the school setting
is addressed in detail in one of the methods courses that you will be taking as
part of your program.
3. The value of this course will
depend mostly on you - your involvement, effort, and creativity.
Required
Textbook.
Mathematics
For Elementary School Teachers (Fourth edition) by OÓDaffer, Charles,
Cooney, Dossey and Schielack, 2008.
MLRC: Mathematics Learning Resource
Center. The
MLRC can be an invaluable resource to support your mathematical learning. Location: 4th Floor Classroom Building.
Daily
Routine.
Almost
every class meeting will consist of a combination of lectures, individual
and/or group activities, and discussion.
In addition, there will be assignments and homework, which must be
completed outside of class.
Examination
Grades.
There will
be three (3) fifty-minute in-class examinations with a maximum possible score
of 100 points each and a 100 point comprehensive Final Examination during
FinalÕs Week which will be recorded TWICE. The Final Examination is scheduled for
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 2:00 – 3:50 pm. The time for the Final is
not negotiable (except when the OSU Final Exam Overload Policy applies). You
should note this on your calendar now; Plan ahead.
There
will be NO MAKE-UP EXAMS in this course. If one exam is missed, the score on the final
will replace the missed exam score only if you request and obtain approval from
the instructor in advance of the exam and only for very serious and
unavoidable conflicts.
If this condition is not satisfied, it is understood that a grade of 0 will be
recorded for the missed exam. If a second exam is missed, it will receive an
automatic 0.
Quizzes. There will be twelve (12)
unannounced quizzes in class; you must be present for the entire class session to
present a quiz. Each quiz will cover material over the homework and/or notes
and will be worth 10 points. At the end of the semester, the lowest two (2)
quizzes will be dropped. Because the lowest two (2) quizzes will be dropped at
the end of the semester, there are NO Make-Ups for Quizzes.
Class Attendance/Participation. Class attendance
involving active participation is a very important element in your success. YOU
ARE EXPECTED TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN EACH CLASS SESSION. Because of the
value I place on our class sessions as active learning opportunities, I ask
that you assume responsibility for being physically present no later than 1:30
pm. If you are late for whatever reason, please respect your classmates and
do not interrupt the class session already in progress. If the door to the
classroom is closed, this is the signal that class has begun. I also realize that you
may have a class that follows this one; I will dismiss each class session
promptly at 2:20 pm. Even though I believe that your active participation in
this class is important to your success in it, there is no course attendance
requirement.
You will have an
opportunity to earn course credit, however, through regular active
participation in the class meetings that can contribute to improving your final
course grade. Here's how it works. You will be assigned an
Attendance/Participation Score at the end of the semester. Attendance will be
recorded during each class session. Your attendance/participation score is
based on 50 points maximum and will be determined by your total days absent
from class. As a prospective teacher, professionalism is expected; therefore,
attendance/participation in this course is important. You must be fully
participating in class to be considered present and determining Òfull
participationÓ will be left to the discretion of the instructor. Here are some
helpful things to remember about the attendance/participation score.
1. You
must be present for the entire class session in order to be counted as
present.
2.
Because there is no class
attendance requirement, there is no reason for ÒexcusedÓ absences for any
reason, including university-sponsored activities and illness.
3.
The instructor has complete
discretion in awarding attendance points.
If you are sleeping during class, or are otherwise not participating in
class (including texting, reading a paper, etc.), you may be counted as absent.
4. The
attendance score/participation score is optional and is meant to reward students
for good attendance. A low class attendance score (due to excessive absences)
will not lower your overall grade.
5. You will be given 50
attendance/participation points at the beginning of the semester. You will
receive one "free" absence, with no points deducted. For each absence
after that, you will have 3 points deducted from your attendance/participation
score.
6.
If a person has no absences
at all during the semester (present at every class meeting), 3 additional bonus
points will be added to the attendance/participation score (in this instance,
the total is 53).
Replacing an
Exam. At
the end of the semester, you may replace the lowest of the first three exam
scores or
one of
the two final exam scores (if it is your lowest score), provided it improves
your letter grade, with points awarded to you as follows.
|
One-half of your lowest exam score |
+ |
Your Attendance/
participation score |
= |
The grade that replaces your lowest exam
score |
Example: Gumbie's lowest exam score
is 59 and he has 2 absences. Gumbie's points are calculated as follows:
Half
of Gumbie's lowest test score 30 (half of 59 is 29.5, rounded up to 30)
Attendance/participation
score 47 (first absence is "free", so
50 - 3 á 1= 47)
Replacement
Grade 77
Gumbie's lowest exam score of 59 will be
replaced with a score of 77.
Course
Evaluation. Course grades will be
determined according to the following distribution.
Examination
1 100
points
Examination
2 100
points
Examination
3 100
points
Quizzes
(10) 100
points
Final
Examination 100
points
Final
Examination 100
points
-----------
TOTAL 600
points
Letter grades will
be assigned according to the following scale.
540
- 600 points A
480
- 539 points B
420
- 479 points C
360
- 419 points D
below
360 points F Note. Final grades will not be
curved.
Drop and Withdrawal Policy. "Dropping" means
you are withdrawing from a specific course but you are still enrolled in at
least one other OSU course; the last day to drop a course with an automatic
grade of ÒWÓ is November 6, 2009. "Withdrawal" means you are dropping
all courses
and you are no longer enrolled for the current semester; the last day to
withdraw completely from OSU classes with an assigned grade of ÒWÓ or ÒFÓ is
November 20, 2009. Additional information about ÒdroppingÓ and ÒwithdrawingÓ is
available on the Fall 2009 Syllabus Attachment. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO
KNOW AND COMPLY WITH ALL DEADLINES.
Incomplete
Grade. The grade of
"I" is given to students who satisfactorily completed the majority of
the course work and whose work averages "D" or better, but who have
been unavoidably prevented from completing the remaining work of the course.
Academic
Integrity.
The university has explicit rules governing academic integrity. Please consult
the OSU Fall 2009 Syllabus Attachment mentioned above on the web. Working with
another person or in study groups on problems can be helpful in learning the
material. I encourage you to work together if you find it helpful. However, all
written work submitted must be your own. Copying someone else's problem solution or
showing your written solution to someone else are prohibited; such behaviors
are regarded as violations of academic integrity and will be treated according
to the UniversityÕs policy. In order to be successful in learning the material
and doing well on the examinations you must think very hard about the problems
themselves before
discussing them with anyone else.
Special
Accommodations for Students. "If you think you have a qualified
disability and need special accommodations, you should notify the instructor
and request verification of eligibility for accommodations from the Office of
Student Disability Services (315 Student Union). Please advise your instructor
of your disability as soon as possible, and contact Student Disability
Services, to ensure timely implementation of appropriate accommodations.
Faculty have an obligation to respond when they receive official notice of a
disability but are under no obligation to provide retroactive accommodations.
To receive services, you must submit appropriate documentation and complete an
intake process during which the existence of a qualified disability is verified
and reasonable accommodations are identified" (OSU Fall 2009 Syllabus
Attachment).
A final note. I am genuinely committed
to your success this semester and care about your general welfare as a student.
I hope you will take advantage of my open invitation to see me whenever I can
be of help to you. Do Well!
Any changes in this syllabus will be
communicated to you in class by the instructor.