Spring 2010 Course Syllabus
Course: 1015.001.
Course Title: Introduction to numbers and figures.
Time: MW 2-3:50 pm.
Place: BA 140.
Instructor: Hamid, Mohammed.
Instructor Office: Wachman 536.
Instructor Email: mohammed.hamid@temple.edu
Instructor Phone: 215-204-7850; email: naderham@temple.edu.
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-1:50.
Prerequisites: Mathematics Placement, a grade of C- in Math 0701 (0045), or transfer credit for Math 0701(0045).
Textbook: Reys,Lindquiat,Lambdin,Smith, Helping Children Learn Mathematics,9th edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley &Sons, Inc. 2009.
Course Goals: This is a course intended for Elementary Education majors. Its objective is to familiarize students with basic arithmetic and geometric concepts that they will need to know and to be able to explain to their students if they become elementary school teachers. While these concepts are familiar to all of us, they are far from trivial or understood by the general public. For example, very few people know the rigorous definition of real numbers, and quite a few have trouble with negative numbers and fractions (also non-trivial concepts; one of the topics covered in upper level modern algebra courses is field of fractions). The geometry of motion and change is one of the foundational topics of modern geometry ( part of Felix Kleins program of classifying geometric figures in terms of transformations that preserve their properties). So overall this is quite modern and surprisingly sophisticated set of topics.
Topics Covered: Helping children with problem-solving(chap. 6); Counting and number sense and computation fluency(chap. 7); Extending number sense: place value(chap.8); Operations: meanings and basic facts (chap.9);Computation methods: calculators, mental computation, and estimation (chap.10); Standard and alternative computational algorithm (chap. 11); fractions and decimals(chap. 12); Ratio, proprtion, and percent (chap. 13), Algebraic thinking (chap. 14); Geometry (chap. 15); Measurement (chap. 16); Data analysis, statistics, and probability (chap. 17); Number theory (chap. 18).
Course Grading: The grading policy is composed of two parts: Test Weights and Letter Grade. Test Weight: 2 Tests (20% each) 25% Mid-Term Test: 25% Final Test 10% Quizzes,attendance, homework, attitude, etc. Letter Grade: 93-100 A 90-92 A- 87-89 B+ 83-86 B 80-82 B- 77-79 C+ 73-76 C 70-72 C_ 65-69 D+ 55-64 D 50-54 D_ 0-49 F.
Exam Dates: Exam dates: Exams dates will be announced by the professor, depending upon the progress in class. However, as mentioned earlier, each of the tests will span 3 chapters. However, the final exam date is specified by the University Final Exam Schedule that appears on the university website (Dec 14, 1-3pm, room BE 162). However,in general, at the beginning of each meeting, students need to take a quiz and this quiz reflects the material covered in class;material covered in each quiz reflects the homework and the material covered in the previous meeting.
Attendance Policy: Attendance Policy: Attendance Policy: Attendance is mandatory. Three or more unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. Every absence requires documentation. Some absences are excused such as illness or death in family, given that documentation (with a contact phone number) is provided. If there is another reason for absence, the situation will be evaluated by the professor on a case-by-case basis.
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.
Students will be charged for a course unless a withdrawal form is processed by a registration office of the University by the Drop/Add deadline date given below. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows:
- The first day of classes is Tuesday, January 19.
- The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Monday, February 1.
- Spring recess is the week of Monday, March 8.
- The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Monday, March 29.
- The last day of classes is Monday, May 3.
During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.
The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.