MATH-211 Fundamentals of Geometry and Measurement:
Fall 2006
Section 4
Eric Kuennen
3 credits
Instructor: Dr. Eric Kuennen
Email: kuennene<at>uwosh.edu
Office: 201 Swart Hall
Web: http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/kuennene/
Phone: 424-1017
Class Time/Place: M,W, F: 12:40-1:40 in Swart Hall 4
Office Hours: My officically designated office hours are:
Mon, Wed, Fri: 9:10-10:10, 10:20-11:20 and 1:50-2:50
When I am not teaching a class, I am usually in my office and available. My class schedule is posted on my door. Feel free to stop by at any time, or make an appointment.
Course Webpage: (D2L) https://uwosh.courses.wisconsin.edu/
Course Description
Intuitive geometry and topology. Introduction to motion geometry. Measurement of length, area, volume and angle size. Includes a content foundation for teaching the geometry and measurement concepts recommended in the DPI K-8 guidelines. Open only to students in Elementary and Special Education.
Prerequisites: Mathematics 110 with a grade of C or better.
Textbooks: Mathematics for Elementary Teachers , by Bennett and Nelson, Chapters 9, 10 and 11.
Fundamentals of Geometry and Measurement, by Szydlik and Seaman , at the UWO Bookstore.
Equipment/Supplies: You will need a straight-edge, compass, protractor and scissors, tracing paper and graph/grid paper.
Calculators: Calculators will not be allowed on any quizzes or exams.
Course Objectives
This course is a mathematics content course that is designed for elementary teachers. The mathematics content includes material that you may someday teach in your own classes, and also material that will deepen your understanding of the mathematics you may teach. Specifically we will learn about contructions, polygons, polyhedra, tessellations, symmetry, motions, patterns, and measurement.
Tis course is designed to give you experience in thinking mathematically. This means that you will solve problems, make conjectures, make arguments, learn to listen and evaluate the claims of others, and communicate your findings and ideas. In this course you will develop written and oral communication skills and explain mathematical ideas using appropriate language, notation, arguments and models.
Our approach will be investigative and center on problem-solving. Another goal of this course is for students to become more confident in tackling difficult problems and in assessing the quality of their mathematical arguments independently from the instructor. The problems you work on in this class will not be just like the examples you’ve seen, and will not be immediately solvable. You will need to spend more time that you might expect simply understanding what the problem is asking for! Most problems will require you to collect data from several examples that you choose yourself, or investigate definitions word by word.
Course Format
Class time will be spent in working on interesting problems in small groups and discussing problem solving ideas and solutions as a class. Sometimes you will be asked to write up those ideas and solutions for me outside of class. We will also spend time in class discussing assigned reading and exercises, and short lectures on new topics. Students will be expected to present solutions to problems, make conjectures and arguments, and participlate in class discussions. This format will give you the opportunity to practice skills that you will need to be a teacher: listening and making sense of other people’s mathematical ideas, explaining your ideas to others, and helping others understand mathematics. “What is good education? Systematically giving opportunity to the student to discover things by himself.” - George Polya
Expectations/attendance
You are expected to attend every class session, and to read the text and work on problems outside of class on a regular basis. Expect to spend 6 to 9 hours per week outside of class engaged in geometry. It is very important that you are in class to participate in the problems and contribute to the class discussion. If you must miss a class session, I expect you to notify me in advance. If you are absent from class, you are responsible for the material covered. Arrange to copy another student's notes and be informed of any announcements made during class. Quizzes, graded group work or other in-class assignments may not be made up if you are absent from class.
Homework/Quizzes
Problems for you to practice outside of class will be assigned at each class. Success in the course requires that you do the homework. Actually “doing” mathematics is the only way to understand mathematics. The assigned homework problems are the primary model I use to write the exams. I urge you to work in groups outside of class. If your group is having difficulty with the homework, come to me for help.
In addition, there will be out-of-class assignments and in-class quizzes based on the homework given periodically as announced in class. No late assignments or make-up quizzes will be allowed.
Writing Assignments
You will be asked to submit a writing assignment on average every two weeks. This will typically be a Problem Description of a problem solved individually or in group work. Problem Descriptions should be typed or printed in ink and include: (1) a explanation of the problem showing that you understand what is being asked, defining terms and notation, and stating any assumptions being made, (2) a description of the problem-solving strategies you tried, including methods that were not successful and comments on why they did not work, and showing data, tables, sketches as appropriate, (3) your solution to the problem, and (4) an explanation of the solution including why your solution makes sense, why there are no other solutions and, and proving it is correct.
You are encouraged to work together on written assignments. Learn from each other, discuss the problems and concepts, and investigate proposed solutions with your classmates. However, you then must be able to write up the solutions on your own and in your own words.
Exams
There will be 3 exams given in class, on Friday Oct 13, Friday Nov 17, and Friday Dec 15. Coverage will be announced in class prior to the exam. Except for illness documented with a written medical report or extreme emergencies with prior or timely notification, there are no provisions for taking exams at any but these regularly scheduled times.
Grading: Your grade in this course will be based on:
15% homework, problem sets and quizzes
25% writing assignments (individual and group projects).
60% exams, 3 at 20% each
To calculate your grade at any point in the term, use the following scale. I reserve the right to lower these percentages, but they will not be raised.
| A | 93-100 |
| AB | 88-92 |
| B | 83-87 |
| BC | 78-82 |
| C | 73-77 |
| CD | 68-72 |
| D | 60-67 |
| F | 0-59 |
Grades are based on performance, not need. No “extra” credit will be offered.
Incompletes
According to the Student Bulletin, an Incomplete grade can be assigned only when a student is unable to complete the course work because of illness, injury, or other extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control.
Dropping the course
According to the Student Bulletin, the primary responsibility of dropping a class resides with the student. February 10th is the last day to drop with a full refund. March 20th is the last day to withdraw from the course. A student wanting to drop a course after that deadline may appeal with a REQUEST FOR LATE DROP FORM describing relevant extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control.
Academic Misconduct
Any form of academic misconduct including cheating on a quiz or exam, or in any way seeking to claim credit for the work or efforts of another person will be dealt with in accordance with system policy UWS 14, as referred to in the UW Oshkosh Student Discipline code. (http://www.tts.uwosh.edu/dean/studentdisciplinecode.html ) Penalties that may be imposed include a failing grade for the course, disciplinary probation, and expulsion from the university.
Hints
Don’t misuse the answers in the back of the book. Do not cheat yourself by looking first at the answer to see how to do the problem. This will not help you practice doing problems on your own like you need to do on the exams and in the real world.
- You are encouraged to work in groups on your homework. Being able to communicate mathematically with others is a great way to understand mathematics.
- Don't wait until you have fallen behind to seek help from me. This course will contain new and difficult ideas and it is always worthwhile to discuss homework or issues you have with the course with me. I interpret such consultation as a sign of strength and interest.
- Merely showing up and completing the course is not sufficient to pass my classes; you must demonstrate on your exams that you have gained a basic understanding of the material.