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EDEE 4350 – Teaching Mathematics in EC-8
Course Syllabus – Fall 2017
Instructor: Dr. Jamaal Young
Office Location: 218G Matthews Hall
Office Phone: (940) 565-4632
Cellphone: (940) 220-4050
Email: Via Blackboard Messages
Office Hours: Monday 3:00pm-6:00pm; Tuesday 9:00AM - 12:00PM
Course Description: Offers candidates a constructivist approach to helping students develop knowledge of mathematics in EC-8. Teaching strategies are presented with developmental activities that are used with middle grade students. Students reflect on what it means to teach mathematics and explore the factors that influence teaching.
Course Standards: TEXES for mathematics - http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter111/
Mathematics Standards:
· Standard I. Number Concepts: The mathematics teacher understands and uses numbers, number systems and their structure, operations and algorithms, quantitative reasoning, and technology appropriate to teach the statewide curriculum (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills [TEKS]) in order to prepare students to use mathematics.
· Standard II. Patterns and Algebra: The mathematics teacher understands and uses patterns, relations, functions, algebraic reasoning, analysis, and technology appropriate to teach the statewide curriculum (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills [TEKS]) in order to prepare students to use mathematics.
· Standard III. Geometry and Measurement: The mathematics teacher understands and uses geometry, spatial reasoning, measurement concepts and principles, and technology appropriate to teach the statewide curriculum (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills [TEKS]) in order to prepare students to use mathematics.
· Standard IV. Probability and Statistics: The mathematics teacher understands and uses probability and statistics, their applications, and technology appropriate to teach the statewide curriculum (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills [TEKS]) in order to prepare students to use mathematics.
· Standard V. Mathematical Processes: The mathematics teacher understands and uses mathematical processes to reason mathematically, to solve mathematical problems, to make mathematical connections within and outside of mathematics, and to communicate mathematically.
· Standard VI. Mathematical Perspectives: The mathematics teacher understands the historical development of mathematical ideas, the interrelationship between society and mathematics, the structure of mathematics, and the evolving nature of mathematics and mathematical knowledge.
· Standard VII. Mathematical Learning and Instruction: The mathematics teacher understands how children learn and develop mathematical skills, procedures, and concepts, knows typical errors students make, and uses this knowledge to plan, organize, and implement instruction; to meet curriculum goals; and to teach all students to understand and use mathematics.
· Standard VIII. Mathematical Assessment: The mathematics teacher understands assessment and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques appropriate to the learner on an ongoing basis to monitor and guide instruction and to evaluate and report student progress.
· Standard IX. Professional Development: The mathematics teacher understands mathematics teaching as a profession, knows the value and rewards of being a reflective practitioner, and realizes the importance of making a lifelong commitment to professional growth and development.
Required Materials:
This course includes key program assessments and requires internet access, TK20, Microsoft office, and
Adobe Reader, and other technology, in addition to the required text:
Van de Walle, J. (2016). Elementary and middle school mathematics: Teaching developmentally
(9th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Expectations for Students and Assignments:
1. Read all assigned readings.
2. Attend all class meetings and regularly participate in class discussions. Only registered students are permitted to come to class meetings (i.e. No children, friends, relatives, partners, etc.)
3. Complete all assignments, quizzes, and exams on their assigned days.
4. Late assignments ARE NOT accepted.
5. Although many sections of this course are offered, each section is presented, implemented, and evaluated as an individual and separate course.
6. Professional dispositions are important to the overall facilitation and determination of learning. Please see policy statements regarding student conduct.
Attendance policies
Attendance and participation in this course is expected and will be considered in assigning the course grade. Class will start and end on time, and you are expected to be present throughout. The instructors keep notes based on observations of participation just as you will in your classroom. If you are absent, arrange with a friend or group member to inform you of the missed material, or meet with Dr. Young during office hours.
Official documentation for excused absences must be provided electronically to the professor. Excused absences cannot be pre-planned/anticipated (ex. dentist appointment, planned surgery). No more than two (2) excused absences will accepted. An excused absence will only excuse you from the point deductions listed below, not for the work, activities, and participation of the class meeting.
Attendance will be considered in assigning the final course grade:
2 absences = 4 point deduction from final grade;
3 absences = drop one letter grade;
4 or more absences = F in the course
NOTE: Late arrival and early voluntary dismissal counts as a ½ absence.
There is really no way to make up this learning, and many students depend on the interaction of our meetings for motivation and direction, in addition to the in class participation, which is part of your grade.
Grading Policies:
Grades for each assignment/test are generally, but not always, reported to the students within two weeks of the submitted work. An ongoing, calculated method of reporting grades to students is established and followed throughout the semester. All grade inquiries should be made via Blackboard email within one week of the posting of the assignment grade. If a student is failing the course due to failures on assignments/tests, the student will be required to attend a conference with the instructor to discuss the situation and reasoning. *Extra work for extra credit will not be given as a solution. If, following the conference, the student continues to fail, the instructor will report the failure to the PDS office and office of the associate chair for undergraduate programs in TE&A. Any course grade below 70 will result in failure to continue as a student teacher in the semester following this course.
Grading Scale:
University grades range in 10-point increments: Grades will not be rounded at the end of the semester
A = 90-100
B = 80-89.99
C = 70-79.99
D = 60-69.99
F = 59.99-0
Participation:
Students are expected to attend all classes, on time, and to stay for the duration of all classes. Make up work will not be given for any (University unexcused) absence. Students are expected to participate in all activities presented during class, whether in the classroom, outside the room, or off campus. The student is responsible for reading the required chapter(s) before class, and reviewing the lectures after class for clarification. Students are expected to work with all other students in the class.
Submission of Work:
All assignments must be submitted in Blackboard electronically. Each assignment submission title should follow this format FIRSTNAMELASTNAME_ASSIGNMENT TITLE. For example, if I submitted the plagiarism certificate the link should be in this format:
JAMAALYOUNG_ PLAGIARISM CERTIFICATE.pdf
Late assignments are NOT accepted. Furthermore, LATE IS LATE. If an assignment is due at midnight, then at 12:01 the assignment is late. Please do not procrastinate. Additionally, Academic dishonesty in any capacity, to include plagiarism of any sort, will result in a failing overall grade in this course (Letter grade of “F”), in addition to disciplinary action.
Electronic Submissions
You are responsible for your own technology. Thus, I recommend that you take the quizzes on a campus approved device. Because you have unlimited attempts to complete the quiz, it will not be reset for any reason.
Communication:
ALL Communication for this course should be transmitted through the Blackboard course management system. Please refrain from using my UNT email for course related communication. Students, who have questions about assignments, submissions, class situations, and/or personal issues, should communicate electronically and/or set up a meeting, during the instructor’s office hours, to discuss concerns. All communication should be handled in a positive, professional manner, whether with the instructor, other students, and/or administrators.
Description of Major and Minor Assignments:
Name / DescriptionSyllabus Scavenger Hunt (SSH), 5% / The syllabus scavenger hunt is an online assessment of your comprehension of the procedures, policies, and assignments for this course. You have unlimited attempts on this assignment up until the assignment due presented in Blackboard.
Lesson Critiques (LC), 10% / Each student will be responsible for critiquing several lessons this semester. The critiques will be based on a standardized rubric that is provided by the instructor.
Lesson Plans (LP) 10% / Each student will create three independent lesson plans for this course. One lesson plan will be used as part of the Child interaction project. While the other two will be taught in class as part of our daily micro-teach exercises.
Quizzes, 10% / Each week before class you will receive a quiz of the chapter readings for the week. Each quiz is worth 5 points.
Reflective Responses, 15% / At the end of each class meeting the pre-service teacher will reflect on the content presented.
Child Interaction Project (CIP), 25% / The CIP is designed to assess the pre-service teacher’s ability to deliver instruction to school age children. The pre-service teacher will create a single lesson that will be delivered in four connected activities. The pre-service will interact with one student 4 times. After each interaction the pre-service teacher will complete a reflection on the activity. A summary paper is then completed according to an outline provided in the CIP handout.
Final Exam, 25% / The final exam is a multiple choice summative assessment of pre-service teacher mathematics pedagogical knowledge.
Total 100%
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# / Week / Chapter(s) / Topic / DueIn Class / Online
1 / 1/16 / No Class: MLK
2 / 1/23 / 1&2 / Course Introduction - Professionalism & Curriculum / LC1 Assigned / Quiz 1, Reflective Response 1, SSH
3 / 1/30 / 3&4 / Teaching & Learning / LP 1, LC2, & LP2 Assigned / Quiz 2, Reflective Response 2, LC1
4 / 2/6 / 5&6 / Assessment/Access & Equity / Quiz 3, Reflective Response 3
5 / 2/13 / 7 / Tools and Technology / CIP Assigned / Quiz 4, Reflective Response 4, LP1
6 / 2/20 / 8&9 / Understanding Number and Operation / Quiz 5, Reflective Response 5, LC2
7 / 2/27 / 10&11 / Fact Fluency and Place Value / Quiz 6, Reflective Response 6
8 / 3/6 / 12&13 / Computation Strategies / Quiz 7, Reflective Response 7, LP2
9 / 3/13 / NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK
10 / 3/20 / 14&23 / Algebraic Thinking / Quiz 8, Reflective Response 8, CIP-LC&LP
11 / 3/27 / 15&16 / Fractions: Concepts and Operations / Quiz 9, Reflective Response 9
12 / 4/3 / 17&18 / Proportional Reasoning/Decimals and Percent / Quiz 10, Reflective Response 10
13 / 4/10 / NO CLASS
14 / 4/17 / 19&20 / Geometry and Measurement / Quiz 11, Reflective Response 11
16 / 4/24 / 21 & 22 / Data Analysis and Probability / Quiz 12, Reflective Response 12
17 / 5/1 / NO CLASS: CIP DUE (VIA BB AND TK20)
18 / TBA / Final Exam / TBA
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College/University Policies
The Educator as Agent of Engaged Learning:
Improving the quality of education in Texas schools and elsewhere is the goal of programs for the education of educators at the University of North Texas. To achieve this goal, programs leading to teacher certification and advanced programs for educators at the University of North Texas 1) emphasize content, curricular, and pedagogical knowledge acquired through research and informed practice of the academic disciplines, 2) incorporate the Texas Teacher Proficiencies for learner centered education, 3) feature collaboration across the university and with schools and other agencies in the design and delivery of programs, and 4) respond to the rapid demographic, social, and technological change in the United States and the world.
The educator as agent of engaged learning summarizes the conceptual framework for UNT's basic and advanced programs. This phrase reflects the directed action that arises from simultaneous commitment to academic knowledge bases and to learner centered practice. "Engaged learning" signifies the deep interaction with worthwhile and appropriate content that occurs for each student in the classrooms of caring and competent educators. "Engaged learning" features the on-going interchange between teacher and student about knowledge and between school and community about what is worth knowing. This conceptual framework recognizes the relationship between UNT and the larger community in promoting the commitment of a diverse citizenry to life-long learning. In our work of developing educators as agents of engaged learning, we value the contributions of professional development schools and other partners and seek collaborations which advance active, meaningful, and continuous learning.
Seeing the engaged learner at the heart of a community that includes educators in various roles, we have chosen to describe each program of educator preparation at UNT with reference to the following key concepts, which are briefly defined below.
1. Content and curricular knowledge refer to the grounding of the educator in content knowledge and knowledge construction and in making meaningful to learners the content of the PreK-16 curriculum.
2. Knowledge of teaching and assessment refers to the ability of the educator to plan, implement, and assess instruction in ways that consistently engage learners or, in advanced programs, to provide leadership for development of programs that promote engagement of learners.
3. Promotion of equity for all learners refers to the skills and attitudes that enable the educator to advocate for all students within the framework of the school program.
4. Encouragement of diversity refers to the ability of the educator to appreciate and affirm formally and informally the various cultural heritages, unique endowments, learning styles, interests, and needs of learners.
5. Professional communication refers to effective interpersonal and professional oral and written communication that includes appropriate applications of information technology.
6. Engaged professional learning refers to the educator's commitment to ethical practice and to continued learning and professional development.