Math 597T Course Homepage - Spring 2012

Instructors:

Robert Indik, Math 302, indik@math.arizona.edu

Tina Deemer, Math 209, deemer@math.arizona.edu

Michelle Woodward, Math 213, woodward@math.arizona.edu

 

Course Information

Answers to "Card" Questions

Texts, Resources, and References

Links to content from TA Training

Links to Department Pages and Resources

Links to University Pages and Resources

Calculator Information

A handy Mac/PC emulator for the TI graphing calculators can be found at WabbitStudio

Here are some good examples that you can use in class to help students learn that their calculators are NOT as smart as they might think!

  • Pixels.doc - This one uses trig functions to show how the pixels on a calculator screen really limit their picture of the graph of a function.
  • Equations.doc - This one has a variety of functions from trig and algebra. It's written from an instructor to other instructors (so it's not really meant as a handout for your students).

Assignments:

For all written assignments in this class, present your ideas in essay form (paragraphs). Your work should be typed (electronic or paper) and turned in no later than 3pm on the date due, unless specified otherwise.

Assignment #1 ~ Due Monday, January 23, 3:00 pm

  1. Read the section entitled "The First Days of Class" in Tools for Teaching (posted here, if you do not yet have the book). Please read pages 37-45 and bear in mind the questions:
    • How can I set the tone of the class for the coming term?
    • How can I make the time worthwhile?
    • What is the balance of administrative discussion versus math?
    We will be discussing your experiences during the first week of class on Monday.
  2. Read through the course policy and syllabus posted on the course's web page.
  3. Login to MyMathLab, and look through the assignments relating to all the material in the course through Test 1.
  4. Using these problems, the Final Exam Study Aid, and old exams as a guide, write 2-3 questions for Test 1. Include front matter (directions for test, headers, etc.). Typeset (word process in some way) the problems, and create a pdf document. Post in the dropbox on D2L, and bring 2 copies of your questions to class on January 23.

Assignment #2 ~ Due Monday, January 30, 3:00 pm

  1. Finish your test, and be sure to give it to your supervisor for approval. Ideally, this should happen by Friday, January 27.
  2. In D2L, post at least one comment in the discussion topic "Preparing for Exams - Review Day" to let us know how you are planning to use your "review day" to help students prepare for their first exam.

Assignment #3 ~ Due Wednesday, February 1, 3:00 pm

  1. Post a final, approved copy of your first exam in the dropbox on D2L.
  2. Write up your test solutions and grading criteria, and post a final copy in the dropbox on D2L.

Assignment #4 ~ Due Monday, February 13, 3:00 pm

  1. Read Chapter 4 "Classroom Conduct and Decorum", sections on General Strategies and Handling Incivilities in the Tools for Teaching text.
  2. Read Chapter 7 "Managing Difficult Students", from Taking Back the Classroom by D. Kirk (linked through the D2L page)
  3. Write a one-page reflection on a classroom management situation that you have encountered this semester. Describe what happened, how you dealt with it, and based on your reading, what you might have changed in how you handled it. Convert this write-up to a pdf file and post it in the Math 597T D2L dropbox for Assignment 4 by Monday, February 13 at 3:00 pm.

Assignment #5 ~ Due Monday, February 20, 3:00 pm

Create a worksheet that can be used in your class to have students explore a particular concept using a graphing calculator. You should include all graphing calculator directions (your text has many examples of this), and at least one worked out example that includes a graphic. You should create something relevant to linear, quadratic, or polynomial functions, at the level of Math 112. Worksheets should be converted to a pdf file and post it in the Math 597T D2L dropbox for Assignment 5 by Monday, February 20 at 3:00 pm.

Assignment #6 ~ Due Monday, February 27, 3:00 pm

Complete your peer observation. (Find out who you are observing.) You will need to set up a day to observe your partner's class, carry out the observation, meet with him or her to provide feedback, and write up a one-page reflection on your experience. Some questions to consider in your write-up are: What did you learn from this experience? Did you observe any particular techniques or strategies that you would like to incorporate in your own class? Was there anything that you observed that has caused you to rethink something that you have been doing in your own teaching? What kind of useful feedback were you able to provide to your partner? What did you learn from the feedback you received on your teaching? Post your writeup in the dropbox on D2L.

Assignment #7 ~ Due Monday, March 19, 3:00 pm

Give a mid-semester feedback form to your students by next Wednesday, March 7, and review the results with your teaching supervisor. Please use the sample provided. You may make some edits to this, but we ask that you run those edits by one of the instructors before giving the questionnaire to your students. Write a one-page reflection on the experience of getting mid-semester feedback from your students, and the subsequent meeting with your supervisor. Your reflection should be converted to a pdf file and posted on the Math 597T D2L dropbox for Assignment 7 by Monday, March 19 at 3:00 pm.

Assignment #8 ~ Due Monday, March 26, 3:00 pm

Read sections 4.1 and 4.2 in the Math 112 text, and look at the associated workbook pages and MyMathLab homework. Come to class prepared to discuss how you will approach this content with your students.

Assignment #9 ~ Due Monday, April 9, 3:00 pm

Read the section entitled "Check for Understanding" from Teach Like a Champion text (posted in D2L). Answer this question and be prepared to discuss: How often and in what ways are you currently checking for understanding in your class?

Assignment #10 ~ Due Monday, April 16, 3:00 pm

Based on your reading and our in-class discussion, develop a strategy for checking understanding in your class. Implement the strategy in class. Write a one-page paper on this experience, which includes the following:
  • A description of the strategy you decided to implement, and why you thought it would be effective.
  • A description of how you implemented the strategy.
  • A discussion of how it worked - were you able to ascertain whether the students understood the material that was just covered in class?
  • What did your check reveal about students' understanding of the material? How did you respond to this information?
  • If you were to try this strategy again, what would you change in order to improve your ability to check for understanding?
This paper should be converted to a pdf document and submitted to the D2L dropbox for Assignment #10 by Monday, April 16 at 3:00 pm.

Assignment #11 ~ Due Monday, April 30, 3:00 pm

Write a few sentences in response to each of the following questions. This paper should be converted to a pdf document and submitted to the D2L dropbox for Assignment #11 by Monday, April 30 at 3:00 pm.
  1. What motivates you as a teacher? What do you like about teaching?
  2. How do you get students to engage with mathematics?
  3. What is your overall goal as an instructor?
  4. What strategies do you use to motivate your students?
  5. In your teaching, how do you address the balance between teaching skills versus problem-solving?
  6. What have you struggled with in your teaching, and what have you learned from that?
  7. What are you most proud of in your teaching?