Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of College Mathematics

MATH 5902

Fall 2009

 

 

 

Instructor:                              Douglas B. Aichele

Office:                                         426 MS

Office Hours:                       2:30 MW or by appointment

Telephone:                              (405)  744-5688

e-mail:                                         aichele@math.okstate.edu

My Web Page:                    Course information is available through my home page at:

                                                               http://www.math.okstate.edu/~aichele

 

 

Course Description from OSU Catalog. Foundations of college mathematics teaching, including lecturing, grading, and exam preparation. Adapting classroom activities to better serve different types of learners. Current trends in mathematics education such as calculus reform, cooperative learning, and technology in the classroom.

 

 

Course Prerequisites. Graduate standing in mathematics or consent of instructor.

Note. To be effective in achieving its goal of preparing college mathematics teachers for assignments during the Spring 2009 semester, members of the class must be able to communicate in English (written and oral) well enough to participate in all discussions and written assignments. Students who have inadequate English communication skills or who are taking, or who have recently taken, English 0003 should carefully consider their readiness for this course.

 

 

Course Objectives. For most of you this is your first semester of graduate study in mathematics at OSU and you are supported by the department with a Teaching Assistantship (TA). As the name TA implies, you will soon be responsible for teaching mathematics to college students. We regard your role as mathematics instructor very seriously and we want to help you prepare for this responsibility. Through your enthusiastic participation in activities such as regular seminar meetings, mentored classroom observations, preparation of course materials (e.g., syllabus, lessons, exams), appropriate use of technology, and instructional decision making (e.g., classroom management), we believe you will be ready to assume full responsibility for instruction during the 2009 Spring semester.

 

 

Course Structure. The principal elements of this seminar/practicum are the following

         1.     Classroom Practicum. Placement with an experienced instructor who will serve as your                                                   mentor. You will be expected to attend/participate in all assigned activities prescribed by                                         your mentor. You will be expected to maintain a log of your practicum experiences in                                            your course portfolio; following each class meeting, you should write down your                                                                         observations, questions, and reflections on the class session in your practicum log - these                                           will be discussed in our regular seminar meeting each week. Your mentor will submit an                                       evaluation of your performance at the end of the                semester.

         2.     Out of class assignments such as written assignments (syllabi, lessons, exams, papers,                                                       etc.) that are part of your course portfolio.

         3.     Enthusiastic participation in regularly scheduled meetings of the seminar.

 

 

Required Textbook Package and Supplies.

 

                  1. Teaching American Students - A Guide for International Faculty and Teaching                                            Assistants in Colleges and Universities by Ellen Sarkisian. Derek Bok Center for                                       Teaching and Learning, Harvard University, 2006. ISBN: 0-674-02141-X.

                  2. First Day to Final Grade - A Graduate Student's Guide to Teaching (2nd edition)  by                                                                   Anne Curzan and Lisa Damour. The University of Michigan Press. 2006.                                                                          ISBN: 0-472-03188-0.

 

 

Course Evaluation. Your course grade will be determined by (1) attendance/participation in assigned practicum (40%); (2) completion and discussion of written assignments (40%); and, (3) participation in seminars and discussions (20%).

 

 

Course Portfolio. Each of you is required to maintain a course portfolio (3-ring binder) which will contain your practicum logs and associated classroom materials, written assignments you will complete outside of the seminar class (syllabi, lessons, tests, etc), and materials related to the weekly seminar. Periodically, your portfolio will be submitted and assessed.

 

 

Meeting the OSU policy on Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Recently OSU has put in place a policy requiring all graduate students to complete training in the ethical and responsible conduct of research (RCR). The training involves completion of an on-line module. Those who are new Teaching Assistants in the Department of Mathematics will be expected to complete the RCR module during Math 5902. The OSU policy states that graduate students will not be allowed to enroll for the spring 2010 semester until they complete this training. For information about completing the module, go to

                  http://compliance.vpr.okstate.edu/Ethical/CITI_RCR.aspx

Once you have completed the module you should print the completion report and return it me; I will then forward it to one of the graduate coordinators.

 

 

Syllabus Attachment. OSU has compiled useful information that applies to all classes at

                  http://osu.okstate.edu/acadaffr/aa/syllabusattachment-Fall.htm

This website includes add/drop/withdrawal dates, university holidays, accommodations for students with disabilities, academic resources, and much more. You are responsible for reading this information now and having any questions answered.

 

 

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 you are and 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).

 

 

Office Hours. I encourage you to come talk to me during my office hours (or email for an appointment if you canÕt make any of those times) when you have questions or concerns.

 

 

Final Note. Any changes in this syllabus will be communicated to you by the instructor in class or on our MyMathLab site.