Hesston College MaSc 116
Introduction to Mathematics--Fall 2005
M W F 2:00 - 2:50 Charles Hall Room 28
| Instructor: | Jeff Baumgartner |
| Office: | Charles Hall 17 ext. 8131 |
| Hours: | M - F 10:00 - 10:50 M - F 4:00 - 5:00 and by appointment |
| E-mail: | JeffB@hesston.edu |
Catalog Description: MaSc 116 Introduction to Mathematics - 3 credit hours
Designed to acquaint the student with the philosophy, nature, significance and uses of mathematics from early times to present. Emphasizes the concept of mathematical systems. Required by four-year elementary education transfer programs and satisfies most four-year liberal arts transfer requirements. Prerequisites: Basic algebra and geometry skills.
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
This course serves two purposes,
as a part of the general education program and as a required course
for elementary education majors. All students should have an understanding
of the role and importance of mathematics in the intellectual development
of our human experience.
Goals for the course are those
of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) as follows:
Each student:
- learns to value mathematics
- becomes confident in her or his own ability
- becomes a mathematical problem solver
- learns to communicate mathematically and 5) learns to reason mathematically.
My hope is that each of you comes to value mathematics as both a
"science" and an "art."
The Hesston College outcomes that will
receive major emphasis in this course are to help each student become
a competent communicator, a critical thinker, and an integrative thinker.
The list of topics covered in the course
can be found in the tentative schedule.
Required Text
Smith, Karl J. The Nature of Mathematics. 10th ed. Pacific
Grove: Brooks/Cole, 2004.
It is assumed that you also have some
type of calculator for use on homework assignments and exams.
Understandings
- You are expected to attend class and participate in discussions; which may include presenting problems in class.
- If you need to be away from class for any reason, contact me, in writing, prior to your absence and arrange to hand in material or take any exam before your absence. Any homework or project that is turned in after the beginning of class the day the work is due is considered late. Late work will receive, at most, half credit. Any work that is more than one day late will not be accepted. Exams will not be rescheduled after your absence.
- If you are not able to attend class due to an unexpected illness:
A. Send homework to class with another student, late work will not be accepted except as described above. Also, you should ask a class member about any new homework assignments as you will be expected to turn in the next homework assignment with the rest of the class.
B. Exams may be re-scheduled provided you bring a note signed by a physician.
Evaluation
- Exams 150 pts. (3 exams @ 50 pts.)
- Homework 100 pts.
- Project 100 pts.
- Final Exam 100 pts.
Grading Scale
- 90 - 100% A
- 80 - 89% B
- 70 - 79% C
- 60 - 69% D
- ≤ 59% NC
It is assumed that you will attend each class session. The format of this class includes lecture, videos, discussion, as well as group problem solving. At times credit may be given for work done in class. Students who miss class are expected to be responsible for any material covered that day.
Homework
Homework will generally be assigned
each class session. Assignments are due at the beginning of class
the following session unless otherwise stated. No late homework will
be accepted except as described above.
Homework assignments will be graded
as follows.
- At the beginning of class I will check your homework for completeness. You will receive a 2 if all work is complete, 1 if more than half but less than the entire assignment is complete and 0 if less than half of the assignment is complete. At the end of the semester your four lowest scores will not be considered for your grade. Math is not a spectator sport, you must practice in order to improve. Therefore, this initial grade is not for having correct work and a correct answer, but you must attempt each problem.
- Homework that is handed in will be graded by the instructor or a student assistant. In order to receive full credit for homework assignments each problem assigned must be attempted. However, each problem assigned may not be graded. Problems that are graded will be clearly marked. Answers alone are never sufficient to receive full credit. You may, of course, use appropriate technology for all assignments. Be sure, however, that a reader of your work can follow your work even if you used a calculator for calculation (in other words, always show your work).
- Finally, an example of how homework will be graded. If I make an assignment on Wednesday, the assignment is to be completed for me to check at the beginning of class on Friday (as in 1 above). We will take time in class for you to ask questions about problems you attempted but feel you did not completely understand. Hints to lead you to a solution may be given in class or you may discuss your attempts with me outside of class. The homework assignment will then be handed in at the beginning of class on Monday and graded as in 2 above.
Individual Research Project
As an individual research project you will choose from one of the following three categories:
- Choose an individual research problem from the problems listed at the end of each chapter (you may choose a problem from either the individual or group research problems). You may choose a problem from any section of the text, regardless of whether we cover topics from that chapter in class or not. Requires an in-class presentation or display.
- When will I use this? Research the mathematics that is used in your field of interest (perhaps in your major). How do people in careers in which you are interested use mathematics? What further math courses will you need to take? Your paper should give specific illustrations and source citations. This project includes a written paper of at least four pages as well as an in-class presentation or display.
- A) Explore Math sites on the Internet. Explore internet sites
that you find to be of interest or of help in your study of Math.
B) Read, summarize and review two articles from the magazine Teaching Children Mathematics published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). The magazine is available in our library. (I especially recommend, though do not require, the last option for prospective Education majors).
More details concerning how to fully
complete the individual research project will be given when you sign
up for your project.
Each of these projects is worth 100
points which is 20% of the grade for the course.
Important Deadlines:
- Mon. Sept 5 Project proposal: you will let me know which project you will be doing. If you will be doing option 1 or 2 you should tell me which problem or career area you will be working with.
- Fri. Sept. 23 Paragraph due. A quick report of your progress. Include sources you will be using.
- Mon. Oct. 31 Reports due. In class reporting.
Tentative Schedule (Actual exam dates will be announced at least one week before the exam time.)
Chapter 1.1,2 The Nature of Problem Solving;
Chapter 10.1,2 and Chapter 2.1,2,3,4 The Nature of Logic
(Exam on 9/21)
Chapter 3.1,2,3 The Nature of Calculation;
Chapter 4.1,2,3,4,5,6 The Nature of Numbers
(Exam on 10/28)
Chapter 11.1,2,3,4 The Nature of Probability;
Chapter 12.1,2,3, (4) The Nature of Statistics
(Exam on 12/2)
Chapter 6.1,2,3,4,5 The Nature of Geometry;
Chapter 7.1,2,3 The Nature of Measurement
Final exam: Thursday, Dec. 15, 1:00 - 2:50
The final exam will be conprehensive. Material covered after the third exam will be included on the final exam but will not receive special emphasis.
The above schedule, as noted, is subject to change. Not all sections from the text will be discussed in class, though you are responsible to read the material listed. In addition to the text, videos, web sites, and other materials will be used during the course.
Special Needs
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent her/him from fully demonstrating her/his abilities should contact the instructor personally as soon as possible to discuss any accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate equal educational opportunity.
Some study hints
- Math is not a spectator sport. You need to dig in and do the work.
- READ the textbook. By reading before you come to class you can have some idea as to what kind of questions you might have during class discussion. Read again after class to help answer any questions you might have after class.
- When you make mistakes on homework problems, do not simply erase your mistakes. Instead, use a red pen to cross out the error and write the correct work in red. By doing so you will be able to learn from your mistakes as well as be able to readily identify concepts you need to study before exams.
- Contrary to popular belief, Math can be studied. You should take a few minutes each day to review formulas and concepts. By so doing you should not need to cram for Exams the night before the Exam.
- Find a good learning partner. Get together to try and answer each other’s questions. If there are questions that you can not answer together, be sure to ask in class.