MT190 Fundamentals of Mathematics I

Spring Semester 2007

Section 01

Course Instructors:  Professor Solomon Friedberg
and
Teaching Fellow Alison Wood (alison.wood.2@bc.edu)

Enrollment in this course is restricted to Lynch School of Education students only.


Reading and Homework Assignments

Special Project Assignment

Syllabus

Information about Office Hours, Tutoring, and other help (see above for finals week office hours)




Welcome to the MT190 course website.  This website is the primary way for you to get information about our course, including the homework assignments. It also contains the course syllabus. 


This course meets in Carney Hall Room 204, Tu/Thur 3-4:15 p.m.  Attendance at all class meeetings is required.

Note: Many of the documents contained herein require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print. If you open a document and are asked to find Acrobat Reader, there is a copy in the Eaglenet Resources folder. If you need to install a copy on your computer, you may download a free copy from the Adobe web site.


First some information about MT190. Here is the course description as given on the Mathematics Department web site.

MT 190-191 is a course sequence designed for those who plan to teach mathematics in grades K-9. The emphasis is on the content of mathematics in the emerging K-9 curriculum and its interface with current major issues in mathematics education -- problem solving and technology. Topics to be covered include the real number system -- with motivational activities and applications, functions and their graphs, problem solving with calculators and computers, and elements of probability and statistics.

Following the common Boston College practice for many years now, MT190 will focus on mathematics at the elementary school level.  Our goal will be to develop the pedagogical content knowledge necessary to succeed in teaching mathematics in elementary school.  Again following standard practice, our course will focus on numbers and arithmetic.  Please note that pedagogical content knowledge related to geometry is also necessary to be well-prepared to teach.  This is covered in MT191, and students are strongly advised to include that class in their schedules for the coming year.

Second, here are the dates of the exams.  Please note that full information about the grading policy for this course may be found in the syllabus (see link above).

Hour Exam Dates: Tentatively scheduled for Thursday February 22 and Tuesday April 17.

Important change:  Second hour exam date moved to Thursday April 19.

The Final Examination for MT190, Section 01 is on Friday, May 11, 2007 at 12:30 p.m. 

Important: The date and time of the final examination is fixed by the Registrar and may not be changed.
 

SOME USEFUL LINKS

1.  Here is the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) preK-8 Mathematics Focal Points (2006) (50 pages, but a very large file, not suitable for telephone download).  This represents the views of an influential group of mathematics educators concerning the main focus of preK-8 math education.

2.  Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework:  Here is the framework (2000) (137 pages) and a supplement (2004) (21 pages).  There is also a web version that includes problems for each topic by grade level, as well as an extensive set of Internet Resources.

3.  California Mathematics Curriculum Framework (2005 version).  On this site you can download the entire framework (394 pp.) or the content standards for K-3 (28 pp.) and 4-7 (36 pp.).  Because of California's size, this framework is quite important in shaping the curriculum materials that are available nationwide.  It is also a well-written document and sets clear grade-level learning goals.

4.  The Association for Women in Mathematics supports women in mathematics and promotes gender equity at all levels of study. The entire website has material of interest, including various teacher-support programs, and the Education link connects you to many other sites with useful information.

5.  There are a number of  websites related to math and math history that might be of use to you.  These can be found on the mathematics department's website: math links.

6.  Here is a review of the book by Liping Ma that is required for our course.  The review is by Prof. Richard Askey, a very distinguished mathematics professor who has also been active in mathematics education for many years.

7.  The Boston College Teachers for a New Era (TNE) program is working to improve teacher preparation and P-12 pupil learning through continued collaboration among Education and Arts & Sciences faculty and Boston-area school-based professionals.   Their website lists lectures and programs that may be of interest to you. 

We have two co-teachers in MT190 thanks to support from the TNE program and we sincerely thank them for this support.


Last revised:  May 16, 2007.  Copyright 2007 by Dr. Solomon Friedberg.  All rights reserved.