Class Schedule:  MW 11:30 – 12:45, Edison 117
Instructor:  B. Gold; Office Location:  HH C-2;  Office Telephone:  571-4451
Office Hours:  Monday 3-4; Wednesday 1-2; Thursday 11:30-12:30; Friday 2-3; or by appointment or chance.
E-mail Address:  bgold@monmouth.edu
Required Texts:  Tom Bassarear, Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, 3rd edition, text and Explorations book
Course Requirements: On-line reading quizes, weekly homework assignments, classroom participation, reflective journal, major project,  two in-class examinations.
Methods of Evaluation and Grading Policy:
In-class group work 20%
Reading Quizes 15%
Homework 20%
Project 15%
Examinations 20%
Reflective mathematical journal 10%
On a scale of 0 to 100, grades of:
     A and A- will be assigned to scores of 90 and above
     B+, B and B- will be assigned to scores between 80 and 89
     C+, C and C- will be assigned to scores between 65 and 79
     D+, D and D- will be assigned to scores between 50 and 65
     F will be assigned to scores below 50.
If you are have to miss an examination, you must let me know prior to the exam or you receive an automatic 0.  You must make arrangements with me some time the day of the exam about when you will take a make-up exam.
Attendance Requirement:  As in-class group work is the largest component of the grade, attendance in mandatory.  All unexcused absences will result in grade penalties, and excused absences (for illness, family emergency, or participation in official college activities) must be promptly made up with additional work assigned by the instructor in consultation with the student.  If a student expects to miss more than 3 classes during the semester, she or he is advised to take the course during a different semester.
Last date to Withdraw with automatic assignment of “W” grade:  November 7, 2006.
Statement on Academic Honesty:  You are welcome to consult others, whether students in the class or tutors in the Mathematics Learning Center.  However, whenever you have had assistance with a problem, you are to state that at the beginning of the solution to the problem.  Unless it becomes excessive, there will be no reduction in credit for getting such assistance.  This policy applies to both individual and group work. (Of course groups need only acknowledge help from outside the group.)
Examination Rules:  No student is permitted to have at his or her desk any books or papers that are not given out by the instructor.  Possession of such material will be regarded as evidence of intent to use the information dishonestly.  No communication between students during the examination is permitted.  If there are questions, or if there is a need for additional material, the instructor should be asked.  Details of calculations should be written on the pages of the exam.  The following pledge must be signed and submitted with the examination:
“I, ____________________________, certify that I have read the above rules for examinations, and that I have abided by them. By signing, I affirm that I have neither given nor received aid during this examination, and I understand that violation of this affirmation may result in suspension or expulsion from Monmouth University.”
Statement on Special Accomodations:  Students with disabilities who need special accommodations for this class are encouraged to meet with me or the appropriate disability service provider on campus as soon as possible.  In order to receive accommodations, students must be registered with the appropriate disability service provider on campus as set forth in the student handbook and must follow the University procedure for self-disclosure, which is stated in the University Guide to Services and Accomodations for Students with Disabilities.  Students will not be afforded any special accommodations for academic work completed prior to the disclosure of the disability, nor will they be afforded any special accommodations prior to the completion of the documentation process with the appropriate disability office.

Success in mathematics:  All who can learn to speak their native language correctly can learn any undergraduate-level mathematics they choose to study, but not necessarily without effort.  Reading mathematics differs from reading a novel, and thinking about mathematics differs from thinking about other subjects.  We will work on these skills throughout the semester.  If you come to class regularly, having done the work assigned, you will have no problem succeeding in this course, and will, I hope, begin to see some of the fun and beauty of mathematics.

Reflective mathematical journals should document your mathematical development through the course, your questions and concerns, your inspirations and ideas.  If you couldn’t do a problem, this is where to share what you tried.  If something happened in class that you felt was important, write it here.  There should be at least one journal entry of at least 100 words per week.  These must be submitted via e-campus’s Dropbox feature by class time on Wednesdays.

Approximately once a week there will be a reading assignment from the text.  Once you have read the pages, go to your e-campus MA 103 page and complete the reading quiz for that section.  These MUST be completed before the following class; when that class starts, the quizes are no longer available, because I need you to have done the reading to be ready for class.  You are allowed to have the book with you when you take this quiz.  However, you are not allowed to copy another student’s answers:  if two answers are too much alike, both of you will receive a 0 on that quiz.

The days there are not reading assignments, there will be homework, due the following class.  You may work with other students on these problems, but you MUST say who you worked with:  otherwise, if two students’ papers are similar, both will receive a 0.

There will be one major project.  This will involve choosing an article from the journal Teaching Children Mathematics, summarizing and critiquing it, and then developing an elementary-school class activity, including appropriate manipulatives and presentation aids based on the article.  These will be presented on the last day of class and during our final examination period.  Detailed expectations for the project will be handed out later in the semester.