Meeting Time: Monday/Wednesday
1:45 – 3:00 pm Place: Bosshart 222 (Robinson 103)

Professor: Dr. Janet Caldwell E-mail: caldwell@rowan.edu
Phone: 856-256-4500, x 3871 (Math Dept) or x 3924 (Bosshart) or 610-565-1391 (home)
Office Hours: At Robinson MW 9 – 10 am, at Bosshart MW 3:15 – 4:30 or by appointment

Prerequisites: Senior standing in mathematics
Texts:
New Jersey Mathematics Standards (NJ) – download at www.nj.gov/njded/cccs/s4_math.htm
Mathematics for High School Teachers: An Advanced Perspective (MHST) by Usiskin, Peressini, Marchisotto, & Stanley (Prentice Hall, 2003)
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM) – available at www.nctm.org

Course Goals:
1. To help students assess their knowledge of mathematics and their ability to apply that knowledge to solve problems.
2. To encourage students to integrate the mathematical knowledge they have acquired in the solution of theoretical and applied problems.
3. To provide an opportunity for students to develop an ability for self-activated study through researching a mathematical topic and writing a paper.
4. To help students develop their ability to communicate mathematical ideas.
5. To ensure thorough understanding of the content of K-12 mathematics as exemplified in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

ASSIGNMENTS

Journals: To be submitted electronically to the WebCT discussion forum for that week by noon every Friday – late material will not be tolerated. Two entries are required. The first entry should include responses to readings assigned at the previous class and issues brought up in class. The entries should identify anything you did not understand and give your personal comments about the readings and about class discussions based on your own mathematical background. The second entry should be a response to a classmate. (5% of grade)

My Math Experiences: One of the goals of this course is to assess your progress in the mathematics program. To begin this assessment, please write a summary and evaluation of your coursework in mathematics. Devote at least a paragraph to a description of each course you have taken and be sure to give the main ideas of the course, a personal discussion of how you liked the course, how it relates to other courses in the curriculum, and where you think it may be useful in furthering career goals. You may also wish to discuss your K-12 experiences. A final paragraph should be devoted to your general opinion of the value of the Mathematics major to you. No names of teachers or professors, please!
Due 1/30 (5% of grade)

Article Reviews
1) Go to Course Content on WebCT and select two articles. Write a critique on each article (two pages minimum for each critique). Due Feb. 8 (5% of grade)
2) Select, review, and summarize a mathematical article from a mathematical journal, such a The College Mathematics Journal or The Mathematics Teacher. The audience for your review should be your classmates; minimum length is two pages. The article should be chosen in hopes that it will help you with your final project. Articles must be approved by 2/13! Due 2/27 (5% of grade)

Problem Sets: Three to five problems will be assigned each class, to be handed in as a homework assignment. You may work with each other in solving these problems, but written explanations should be completed independently. Points will be assigned for each problem, as follows:
5 – problem is done correctly with a complete explanation, using a mathematically sophisticated approach
4 – problem is done correctly with a complete explanation
3 – problem is done correctly but explanation is missing or incomplete or there are minor errors and explanation is good
2 – minor errors in solution with minimal explanation or major errors in solution with good explanation
1 – there is some evidence of mathematical understanding related to the problem
0 – no work shown
One student will be randomly selected to present the solution to each problem. Presentations will be graded using a 5-point rubric similar to the one for written work. Problem sets will not be accepted after the class at which they are discussed. (25% of grade)

Exams: Mid-Term & Final
There will be two one-hour exams given. The content for each exam will be based on topics discussed in class and on the reading assignments. The second exam will cover content from all prior mathematics courses. Think of each of these as practice for the Praxis. (25% of grade)

Final Project: Paper + Presentation
Your final paper will be developed throughout the semester and must be an expository paper (10-15 double-spaced pages) on a topic beyond anything that you have studied at Rowan. The paper will be based on library research that you have done, with appropriate mathematical prose, adequate mathematical content, and a short list of references. The grade will be based on these as well as evidence of independent learning and the quality of an oral presentation (15 minutes) on the topic. The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you can learn new mathematics on your own and to allow you to perfect your ability to make formal presentations. Since most of the work in your career will require both the ability to learn something new independently and to make formal presentations on this newly-learned material, this is perhaps the most important assignment in your mathematics major and as such is worth 30% of this course’s grade.

The following timeline must be followed in developing your project:
2/20 The topic for your paper must be identified and submitted for approval.
3/6 Preliminary outline for paper is due.
3/29 First draft of paper is due (3 copies).
4/10 Peer reviews of papers due – You will review two other students’ papers.
4/19 Oral presentations begin. Powerpoints may be used in these presentations.
Final version of paper is due.
Please number the pages in your paper and include references.