There will be homework due at almost every class. Usually at the beginning of class, there will be a few minutes when you can discuss any remaining questions you have about the homework with classmates or instructors. At the beginning of the second class we will set up permanent groups. Each group will have a "Turn in" envelope for you to turn in your homework. The TA will pick up these envelopes shortly after class begins.
If you miss a class, you may turn in homework one class late for full credit (see also Homework grading below). If you miss more than one class, but are doing the homework, if possible arrange for someone to deliver your homework to class or to one of the instructors' offices or mailboxes in the Math Department. If that is not possible, you may turn in homework electronically through a Catalyst "Collect It" electronic dropbox (see below). If none of these methods work and you have multiple late homeworks, see Professor Arms to discuss your situation.
There will be one long (about three pages) reflection paper later in the quarter on the Boaler book, and one or more short reflection papers. These papers will be turned in electronically via a Catalyst "Collect It" electronic dropbox (see below).
The main goals of homework are to help you learn the material and to help us know what ideas need more work (in class, or by talking with you individually). Do not worry if you cannot solve all the problems, but do record what you tried, or why you feel you are stuck. In all problems, show your reasoning!! Don't copy answers from the back of the book (available for some problems) if you don't understand them. Note that most answers in the back are incomplete: you should show more work than is in the book.
Cris (the TA) will look over your whole homework paper, read parts of it in detail, write comments on it, and return it via your group's "Back" envelope. A check at the top of the paper means you have full credit for that homework (half credit if it is more than one class late), but there are probably comments you should pay attention to. (A particularly well done paper may be marked check-plus, but gets the same credit.) A check-minus indicates you get half credit because too little work was done. You need credit for 80% of the homework assignments to get credit for the course.
You should see the Math 170.10 Drop Box on your own Catalyst page, but can also reach it by clicking on the preceeding link. You will turn in all reflection papers electronically using the Drop Box, and also your project final report if you choose Option B. You may (but are not required to) use it to submit your tutoring journal (if you choose Project Option A), and homework under the conditions described above.
Your first reflection paper is due on Monday, October 4. (If you added the class late, turn it in as soon as you can.) You will turn it electronically via Catalyst (see above). This paper has two parts.
Part 1. In the textbook, read the Message to Prospective
and Practicing Teachers. Write answers to the following questions.
You may write a paragraph answering the questions together instead
of separately if you like.
(a) What (if anything) surprised you in the reading?
(b) What that they describe (if anything) do you particularly
look forward to working on?
(c) What that they describe (if anything) makes you a little uneasy?
Part 2. Write a brief mathematical autobiography. It needn't be particularly thorough or detailed: What I would like to know is roughly your current level and current feelings about mathematics and, insofar as you can trace them, how you arrived at those feelings.
This paper is due on Friday, November 12, at 9 AM. (If you will have trouble getting the paper in on time, email me (JMA) saying when you will turn it in.) You will turn it electronically via Catalyst.
The goal of this assignment is to convince me that you have read and thought about the book What's Math Got to Do with It? by Jo Boaler. Your paper should be a coherent essay (not a string of answers to separate questions), about two or three pages long, single spaced with an empty line between paragraphs. I believe this is about one or two thousand words, using a typical font. I would rather get a well-written paper that is a little short, but needs every paragraph in it to convey your ideas, than a paper that has been padded to meet the length requirement.
I have listed below some prompts to get your thinking about the book and the paper started. You do not have to use any of these prompts for your paper, but they should give you an idea of the kind of detail I am looking for. Please see me if you have questions about your plan for your paper.
Return to the
Math 170 Homepage.
Most recently updated on September 28, 2010.