Grades for this course will be based on 5 categories, each described below with the approximate percentage weight listed.

Attendance and Participation--10%

In a four-week summer course, a lot happens very quickly. We cover a lot of ground each day--new topics for discussion, assignments, readings in the book, activities in class, "lab-time" to work on technology skills, projects, etc. It is impossible to learn about "teaching" mathematics (or any other subject) simply from reading a text and completing written assignments. It is a major premise of this course that participation in learning mathematics, and reflection on mathematical activity helps us understand the teaching and learning process. We learn from each other's perspectives and perceptions about mathematics, about teaching, about learning. To accomplish these goals requires that we become a community--which means that attendance and participation are not an option for this type of course.

There is quite a bit of reading assigned in this course. We will try to discuss certain aspects of the reading each day. Be prepared by completing assigned readings by the day of class it is due.

Please notify the instructor to have any absences excused in advance whenever possible. It is the responsibility of the student to pickup and complete missed assignments.

Electronic Notebooks

We do expect that you maintain a "notebook" for this course, but not the traditional hard-copy notebook. On the course website, there is a folder established for each person enrolled in the course. It is expected that you submit all of your assignments and other coursework by dropping them into this folder. In class, on the first day, we will walk you through the procedure to do so. Throughout the course, the instructors will peruse the folders periodically to see that you are maintaining its contents regularly--keeping your assignments up-to-date and keeping it organized.

In order for ease of reading and opening all such assignments, it is expected that all assignments will be submitted in HTML. If you are not an HTML-savvy person, do not fret. From the beginning of the course, we will learn how to use popular HTML editors such as Netscape composer and Claris HomePage. These editors allow you to create HTML documents in WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) mode and will assist you in learning the "innerworkings" of HTML gradually.

One of the expectations for the course will be to develop a personal website. You may house it in this folder if you wish. If this is new to you, then, the website perhaps will be quite basic. If you already have experience with HTML or have a website developed, then the expectation is that you will refine it.

Meta-lessons and Written Assignments--30%

Metalessons

"Meta-lesson" is a term I (Tim Hendrix) coined several years ago when trying to describe what would be an appropriate entry for a class reflective journal. Literally, it means "lesson behind the lesson." In this course, we ask that you complete a reflective journal of meta-lessons with an entry for each day. Usually, one healthy paragraph or approximately 1/2 page is sufficient. It is difficult to prescribe someone's reflection!

Maybe your day's entry might be directly on the discussion or activities from that day's class. Perhaps, it was something more "behind the scenes." An example? Suppose we were doing a math activity in class one day in groups, and something about the way we formed groups or the dynamic of your group interaction struck you as important information about teaching/learning. That would be an appropriate "meta-lesson"--we probably didn't discuss those issues in class explicitly, but the reflections we have about the "background" issues are often what we remember and employ in our own teaching.

We will expect to see that regular attention to maintaining these metalessons will evident in your folders. Name them transparently, i.e., "metalesson7_9.html" would be the metalesson for July 9.

Assignments

There are two types of basic assignments in this course: (1) written assignments and (2) activities or projects. Activities or projects will often involve a written product that you place in your folder as well. Written assignments are made in accordance with the topics and activities discussed in class and are usually due the following day. Quite often, we will discuss the assignments in class the day they are due.

Your assignments should be submitted in your folders and labeled clearly. E.g., Assignment 2.3 should probably be a file named "assignment2_3.htm" or some other name equally transparent, such as "tennisballs.htm" (which will make sense once we've done the tennis ball activity!).

For each day, assignments are listed on the syllabus. The entire syllabus of assignments, readings, projects, etc. will be online by the end of the first week of class.

Teaching and Lesson Plans--40% (5% X 3 Plus 25%)

Each week during the first 3 weeks of the course, you will be asked to create a "mini-lesson"--a very short teaching/learning activity that takes no more than 10-12 minutes. In small groups, each Thursday, you will have a few minutes to teach the mini-lesson to that small group and to evaluate/give feedback to each other. More details about each week's lesson will be given in class each week.

A major project of the class is to develop a large-group lesson that you will teach the last week of the course. That lesson should be a fully developed lesson as you would envision teaching a school period. The lesson should be an interactive lesson that engages the students in doing, exploring, and/or discovering mathematics. Moreover, the lesson should involve both a hands-on (manipulative) aspect as well as a technology component. This final project should be archived entirely online with both a student component and a teacher component.

Final Exam--20%

There will be a final exam in this course, and it will be a take-home final exam. It will be given to you the final week of the course and a due date will be established. It will offer you the opportunity to synthesize the topics, activities, and methods discussed in the course. More details will come as the course progresses.