EDUC 5323/4305: Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary and Middle School

 

Syllabus

 

 

UNIVERSITY MISSION: The University has both an academic and a service mission. Its academic mission is to prepare, in a Christian environment, broadly educated individuals who can move productively into a variety of professions or into further academic pursuits. The Wayland experience is guided by a dedicated, well-qualified, accessible faculty who value teaching and learning and exhibit both reverence and enthusiasm for that truth which has its ultimate source in God.

 

CLASS MEETINGS: Friday(WBU): 6:00–10:10 p.m.

 

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Alan McNear, Office, Room 162, Phone: 826-7595, ext. 244; (H) 647-8785; email: mcneara@wbu.edu;  or asmcnear@sbcglobal.net (H)

       

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School emphasizes approaches to teaching mathematics that encourage active engagement of students, problem solving, thinking, collaboration, constructing reasonable solutions, and relating mathematics to life experiences. The use of manipulatives, problem-solving  and collaboration between students will be emphasized.

 

TEXTBOOK: Kennedy, Leonard, Tipps, Steve and Johnson, Art. Guiding Children’s Learning of Mathematics (11th Edition). Belmont, California: and Van De Walle, John, Karp, Karen, and Bay-Williams, Jennifer. Elementary and Middle School Mathematics(7th Edition). Allyn and Bacon, Boston, MA.

 

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES: During this course, students will consider the nature of the elementary mathematics curriculum with an emphasis on the National Council of Teachers of mathematics (NCTM) five general standards; problem solving as the foundation of all mathematics learning; communication, including discussions, writing, and modeling of math ideas; reasoning to draw logical conclusions; and connections between mathematical concepts and procedures. These standards are also supported by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) principles. Students will participate in activities which build a foundation of basic understanding in the areas of number concepts, operations, quantitative reasoning, patterns, algebraic thinking, geometry, spatial reasoning, measurement, and probability/statistics.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

 

1. Six “POP” Quizzes will be given over announced chapter material. Each Quiz will be worth 10 points: Total 60 points. The Quizzes will contain 3- 5 questions over important concepts from the chapter.

2. A Journal/Portfolio will be maintained and submitted at the end of the term. It will include articles, homework, lesson plan, midterm, take-home activities, and the final assessment.

 

3. The 5th grade TAKS test, Mathematics portion, will be taken by each student in order to make the class aware of math content that is expected of elementary students.

 

4.  Midterm and Final Assessments

 

4. Attendance and participation in class

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Any student who misses 3 of the regularly scheduled classes will receive an “F” for the course. Class work missed because of an excused absence must be made up before the next class. If it appears that you may miss 3 sessions, please drop the class before that occurs. Please call me if you have an emergency and can not make it to class. When a student reaches the number of absences considered by instructor to be excessive, the instructor will so advise the student and file an unsatisfactory progress report with the Dean of the campus. A student may petition the Academic Council for exceptions to the above policies by filing a written request for an appeal to the campus Dean.

 

EVALUATION RUBRIC: (Differentiation and adaptation will take place in the evaluation of EDUC 4305 students)

 

6 Quizzes.........60                                            A: 287–320                                       

                                                                     

Journal/Portfolio.......50                                 B: 255–286 

 

Taking TAKS Math test.....30                       C: 224-254                            

 

Midterm..........50                                            D: 191–222                                        

 

Final................80                                             F: Less than 191

 

Homework......50

_____________________

Total...............320

 

ACADEMIC HONESTY: Wayland students are expected to conduct themselves according to the highest standards of academic honesty. Academic misconduct for which a student is subject to penalty includes all forms of cheating, forgery, or plagiarism. Disciplinary action for academic misconduct is the responsibility of the faculty member assigned to the course. The faculty member involved will file a record of the offense and the consequences imposed with the Dean of the division, campus Dean, and the Provost/Academic Vice President. Any student who has been penalized for academic dishonesty has the right to appeal the judgment or the penalty assessed.

PLAGIARISM: The attempt to represent the work of another, as it may relate to written or oral works, computer-based work, creative expression such as music, media, or the visual arts, as the product of one’s own thought, whether the other’s work is published or unpublished, or simply the work of a fellow student. When a student submits oral or written work for credit that includes the words, ideas, or data of others, the source of that information must be acknowledged through complete, accurate, and specific references, and, if verbatim statements are included, through the use of quotation marks as well.

 

DISABLED PERSONS: It is WBU policy that no otherwise qualified person with disabilities be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity in the University. Students should inform the instructor of existing disabilities the first class meeting.

 

 

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

 

Date                 Textbook Reading                     Activities

                              5323       4305

8-28                    Ch. 1,2  /     1                  Discussion, activities, syllabus                          

 

9-4                      Ch. 3,4 /     2,6                Hands-on activities, Discussion, Assign HW #1;

                                                                    QUIZ 1.

 

9-11                    Ch. 5   /      4                    Hands-on activities, Discussion,  assign

                                                                    HW# 2; QUIZ 2.

 

9-18                    Ch. 7,8 /     3,5                 Discussion, Hands-on activities                                                                   

 

9-25                    Ch. 9,10 / 8,11                  Discussion, activities, assign HW#’s 3-4; QUIZ 3;                                                                         Midterm Study Guide; pass out MIDTERM                  

                                                               

10-2                                                                WORK SESSION—MIDTERM and Homework                                                                         

10-9                   Ch. 13,14 / 15,16                Discussion, activities, assign HW#5                                                               

 

 10-16                Ch. 15,16 / 14,17,18            Discussion, activities, assign HW#6; QUIZ 4                                                       

 

10-23                  Ch. 17,18 / 19,20                Discussion, activities,  assign HW#7; QUIZ 5;

                                                                        Receive FINAL ASSESSMENT; take 5th grade

TAKS test (immediate feedback)

 

10-30                  Ch. 19,20 / 21,22                 Discussion; QUIZ#6; turn in FINAL;                                                                                                Portfolio/journal

                                                         

 God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. I hope our time together has been meaningful and somewhat calm.