Lecturer		TA
	Professor Joel Roberts		Mr. Michalis Kontovourkis
	Vincent Hall 351		Lind Hall 255.
	625-1076		624-6363
	roberts@math.umn.edu		kontovou@math.umn.edu
	Office Hours: MW 1:25 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. TuTh 11:15 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.		Office Hours:MW 10:10 a.m. to 12 noon

Office hours can be modified during the first week of classes, if necessary.
If you need to meet with us at a time other than a regular office hour, please call or send an e-mail.

Class location and time: Vincent Hall 2, 1:25 p.m. - 3:20 p.m. TuTh

Text: Mathematical Problem Solving for Elementary School Teachers [August 8, 2000 version], by Dennis White,
available at Alpha Print, 1407 4th St. SE in Dinkytown, 379-8535

Mathematical Prerequisites: Math 3113 Topics in Elementary Mathematics I,
    and by implication: Math 1031, College Algebra and Probability.

Topics: Math 3118 is the second semester of a two semester sequence for elementary education majors.
The material covered will be Chapters 7 - 11 of the text.
Math 3116: In the short course, chapters 7, 8, and 9 will be covered.

Class structure : Our schedule for a typical class will be a variation of the following:

1. We will collect previously assigned homework and group projects.
2. I may say a few things at the board, presenting the new material. (10 to 20 minutes)
3. The class breaks up into groups of size 4, and cooperatively works on exercises. (45 minutes to 1 hour)

During this process Mr. Kontovourkis and I will observe and offer suggestions for your group.
4. We have a break of 10 minutes.
5. Members of various groups present their groups' solutions to selected exercises at the board.

Members of the class, and the instructors may ask questions and offer comments.
Using these questions and comments as additional input, the presented problems are to be written up as group projects
and handed in at the beginning of the next class.
6. I may say a few more things at the board  or there may be some time to start working on the group writeups.

You should keep a "math notebook" to record your group work and other notes relating to your work in the class.
This is very important, since a lot of basic information will be developed during the group work.
You will need this information for the tests.

We will establish new groups after each test.
 

Class philosophy (a few comments):

• Some of the subject matter has been selected because it will be useful in later courses and in your profession.
• Other subjects have been chosen because they are accessible without knowledge of a lot of advanced theory: That is the technical meaning of the word "elementary" in the course title (Topics in elementary mathematics).
• The problem solving skills that you will develop are of equal or greater importance than the actual subject matter.
• The use of cooperative learning groups is an important part of our design for helping you to develop those skills.

Your grade will be decided by the following weights:

• Exams:                                          40%
• In-class work and presentations:   30%
• Written individual homework:       30%.

 
Other requirements and recommendations:

• All students must contribute to the class discussion, in particular at the board. Therefore, regular attendance is required.

 
• You should read the material to be discussed in each class before coming to class.

 
• Homework will be collected at each class. You may hand in no more than 5 late assignments - by the beginning of the next class. We will not accept late homework beyond this quota.

 
• Absence from exams: Missing a mid-term exam is permitted only for the most compelling reasons. You should obtain my permission in advance to miss an exam. Otherwise you will be given a 0. If you miss an exam, you must make it up promptly. Except in extraordinary situations, all students missing the final exam will fail the course.

 
• Incompletes, Withdrawal, S/N: The grade I is assigned only when a student has satisfactorily (a C- grade or better) completed all but a small portion of the work for the course, and has made prior arrangements to complete the work. This means, for example, if you quit attending class after the first exam, and then request an I at the end of the term, your request will be denied.

 
• If you drop a class by the end of the eighth week of the Semester (Friday, March 10), you will receive a W; that grade does not count against your GPA. I cannot assign a W grade unless you have taken the necessary action.
  Note: The corresponding deadline for Math 3116 obviously must be much earlier.

 
• If you are registered for the S/N grade option: To get an S for this course you must obtain a grade of at least C-.

 
• Scholastic Conduct: Each student should read his/her college bulletin for the definitions and possible penalties for cheating. During the exams you must do your own work. You are encouraged to discuss assigned homework problems informally with other members of the class, but you must hand in your own final versions of the assignments and must not copy someone else's final version.

Students suspected of cheating will be reported to the Scholastic Conduct Committee for appropriate action.
 
• I will adhere to the University Senate policy on Grade Definitions and Undergraduate Academic Workload Expectations.
  For details, see:http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/policies/grades&acadwork.html
   
  A copy of this material will be handed out with the syllabus on the first day of class.
Messages: You can send e-mail about any matter relating to this class to roberts@math.umn.edu,
or you can leave a message on my voice mail at (612) 625-1076.   Please note that I usually check my e-mail more regularly than my voice mail ...

Class webpage: An updated version of this syllabus will be maintained at the following URL: http://www.math.umn.edu/~roberts/math3118
Other materials will be posted there, including a grade report, homework solutions, and exam solutions - at least to the extent that this activity remains feasible.


Exercises and reading assignments are linked here.
 

Back to the class homepage.