TIME ON COURSE: The three class hours time you spend on this course will require about eleven homework hours per week for high grades to around eight hours per week for passing grades. It is best to construct a time schedule for each week of the course and mark out the study time you plan. A plan gives you the needed eight to eleven hours indicated above. This commitment is a pledge you make for yourself to "DO ALL YOU CAN DO" each day for the personal obligation you have undertaken to learn this mathematics. Your instructor expects you to be prepared with homework done each day and able to present assigned problems to your class.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: graph paper and a scientific calculator with trig and
log, ln, and exp keys. A scientific calculator may be used on tests.
ADDITIONAL STUDY AIDS: Before the end of the first week take the
SKILLS TEST FOR BEGINNING INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA found
in the MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT'S SYLLABUS.
You should get 80% of the questions right. If you score less than 80% repeat Elementary
Algebra to master necessary skills for Intermediate Algebra.
The student answer key for our textbook has more than the answers.
After the first week our mathematics department tutors located in room SW 211 can
help you and some library materials are available. Tutoring is also offered at the South County Education Center and the West County Education Center. To obtain individual peer tutoring through the College Success Program. Instructional videotapes (VL#--) are available for use in the Library Learning Lab. A reserved set of tapes for use in the library and a seven day checkout set (512.9 I613 2001)
Please consider all the "HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MATH STUDENT" suggestions in the Mathematics
Department's Syllabus handout. Some of the same suggestions are in these links:
HAVING TROUBLE WITH MATHEMATICS, ideas and
SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO STUDY MATH, also part of our Mathematics
Department's hints for math students.
Please see me as soon as possible for any personal accommodations you require.
COURSE REQUIREMENT:
All students are required to pass two gateway algebra properties tests. The first gateway algebra properties tests includes those properties covered in elementary algebra and is given during the first week of classes. Know and apply fourteen basic algebra properties, click here. The second gateway algebra properties test covers exponent rules and is first given around midterm. You may take these ten plus exponent rules from this link.
These gateway tests are given in class once. If you miss anything, you may take a make up in my office area and again if needed to get 100% correct results before the end of a week of classes after the test is given. As long as you continue to take a test each week, you have unlimited chances to pass with 100% correct results up to the last week of the course, Friday, April 30, 2005. If not passed by midterm or this final date you will receive a D for your your course grade.
CHAUTAUQUA
TYPICAL CLASS PERIOD: The first part, about twenty minutes, of class is
open for answering questions about the previous assignment including
exercises, reading material, or classroom notes. You are encouraged to
answer other students assignment exercise questions for extra credit points
by presenting chalk board work. For each exercise presented and noted as
one point on the attendance sheet, one point will be added to your
unit test. While presenting exercises is expected, this communication
beyond the one point is not graded. Use this time to experiment with your
ability to understand an exercise and convey your understanding to others.
Don't worry about any mistakes you may make, that's part of learning.
In fact, the first student that finds and reports a given textbook, answer key or classroom mistake may also report a point on the attendance sheet
for that discovery.
The second part of class is used to introduce new material with examples
and an active discussion. I assume that prior to the date listed on
the Course Schedule, you took notes as you read from the new section(s).
You may wish to include the textbook examples in your class discussion of
new material and your instructor will cover these and other examples.
Some class time is spent with all students working at the chalk board.
Some class time is devoted to group problem solving.
TEAM ACTIVITIES: Some class time is devoted to team work aimed at a deeper
understanding of some course topics or their applications. Your instructor
will assign you to a team and assign team coordinators. Sometimes a grade
may result from this team work. When working on a team, students are to
think for themselves treating the instructor as a coach, guide, consultant, and
evaluator to the team. Always try to approach your team time with a
knowledgeable position based on your personal studies. During team activity,
you should display a willingness to generate discussion that leads to answers
or more refined questions that converge to solutions to your team assignment.
You may be in the dark on some points but being open to change and willing
to communicate your points even if mistaken at first helps the team move toward
the final goals while helping you understand with greater clarity. At times we need
team work to derive all the answers or computations in some assignments.
And other times teams provide a natural background for discussion of the
material and presentation of solutions. You are expected to help your team
reach reasonable objectives on time and demonstrate to me that you are
participating on your team in a meaningful way. Also, teams may wish to
work as a study group covering daily assignments. This can be implemented
via telephone or computer networking.
Individual communication is not permitted in class. Please note that
individual communication is not very productive while another person is
speaking in a group or class room situation.
EXPECTATIONS: This syllabus including its Course Approximate Schedule (below), the
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT'S SYLLABUS including ASSIGNMENT SHEETS, INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA OBJECTIVES, and
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT POLICIES combined with the
St. Louis Community College Fall 2003 Fact Finder student handbook gives
you the relevant course, student academic rights and responsibilities, and
study guide information. All these items will give you a sense of the quality
that your instructor works to achieve in this course. Please see me as soon
as possible for any personal accommodations you require and please keep in
mind that: The quickest way to resolve any difficulty, no matter how small,
is to let your instructor know about it as soon as possible.
You are expected to read the textbook and take notes from the textbook
and from each class. Keep a pencil and learning journal, log or notebook and just plain
scratch paper next to you while you study math. Actively fill in the details of ideas that lack continuity.
You are expected to finish each assignment on time
except perhaps a few of the more difficult exercises that you should ask
about in class and then finish all homework that day. Definitely ask for individual help
when needed particularly if you can not work large portions of the
exercises. Review the processes you used to solve home work exercises
each day and quiz yourself at the end of each homework session. Remember that you want to stay on top of your work and be
able to adequately prepare for the unit test coming in a few days.
This generally means you need to develop a dogged attitude with more
than several hours per day, daily, spent on solving exercises, keeping good
notes from the text and class, and doing plenty of daily reviewing. Include daily memorization of the many properties and theorems covered during this course. You are expected to contribute to your class and
group's positive progress at all times. Use the enclosed course schedule
sheet to keep a record of finished work. Your instructor is located in
the math department or you may call the office or home telephone number
for extra help. Please call before 9:30 p.m. if you can.
It is OK to spend large amounts of time studying just a few ideas, pages, or problems and as a matter of fact this is YOUR MAGIC for learning mathematics. Also give yourself personal permission for making lots of mistakes. Use the criterion of "when time seems to flow" as your gauge for individual development to realize a sense of accomplishment then personal complexity may change as well. Help yourself to be an expressive engaged learner, that is, "do all you can do".
Around midterm an additional set of exponent rules will be needed.
ASSIGNMENTS and NOTES: Your journal, log or notebook and scratch paper with your assignments and notes will be checked for thoroughness at the end of each unit of material. Without exception all exercises worked, some notes from each section, and notes from lectures are strongly recommended. Seven extra credit points = 3 for completely worked homework exercises + 2 points for textbook notes + 2 points for class notes are given via a quick review of the thoroughness and spot checked for accuracy of your work. All material should be in sequential textbook order in your notebook.
Changes: Some additions, substitutions and/or corrections to this syllabus will be made during the course due to math department needs or time and activity adjustments.
WEEK // TEXTBOOK SECTIONS & UNIT TESTS // Schedule comments
Copyright © 2006 with all rights reserved by William V. Thayer, PedLog
Week // Textbook Sections // Schedule comments
Jan 18 // Handouts, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 // No Classes Monday
Jan 23 // , 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 //
Jan 30 // 2.7, Test #1, 3.1 //
Feb 6 // 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 //
Feb 13 // 3.6, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 //
Feb 22 // Test #2, 5.1, 5.2 // No Classes Monday
Feb 27// 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 //
Mar 6 // 5.8, Test #3, 6.1, 6.2 //
Mar 20 // 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 //
Mar 27 // 6.6, 6.7, Test #4 //
Apr 3 // 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 //
Apr 10 // 7.5, 7.6, 7.7 // No Classes Friday
Apr 17 // 7.7, Test #5, 8.1 //
Apr 24 // 8.2, 8.3, 8.5 //
May 1 // 8.6, 10.1 //
May 8 // Test #6 //
FINAL EXAM for 140.611 is on Friday, May 12, 1 - 2:50 p.m.