Mariani-Math 5 Schedule Template/page 4
This schedule is only a suggestion and choices are given to you, so you can design your own flow of the class. Please feel free to pick and choose what you are going to do and to add your own assignments. I look forward to your sharing your versions of these assignments as well as other assignments when we meet for our second workshop.
Week 1 / August 16-19In Class:
· Go over the course notebook. Provide the students with the printout of the Course Notebook description or direct them to the Math Gateways website to print it.
You may also choose to give the students the notebook checklist (or point out where it is on the Math Gateways site), so they know what you will look for when checking the notebook.
Assessment: There is very little time to check notebooks in a one-hour class. My suggestion is that the Math 20 instructor checks notebooks during test time in the Math 20 class. You may want to count the notebook as an activity in both courses and include the grade in both courses.
Suggested grading scheme:
· 5 points for setting up the notebook
o quick check of 3-ring binder and properly labeled dividers
· 20 points per check up to 2 checks per semester.
o I have always given students a chance to improve their grade on the notebook by making changes as suggested on the checklist by the instructor and bringing the notebook for a second check.
· Have students do the Self-Evaluation from Terry Teegarten’s Title V Workshop.
I put the scoring sheet as the 4th page (back), or I have it on a separate sheet.
Some semesters, I have students do the self-evaluation as a homework assignment - that's when I put the scoring sheet separately, and we do the scoring in class the next day. Then, I have the students discuss what they've learned from the self-evaluation in groups. When they're done, I have them highlight three things that they scored poorly on and that they will concentrate on improving throughout the semester.
Assessment: I check that the students include the assignment in the “Math 5” tab of their notebook, but I do not collect this assignment. We discuss general ideas from the Self –Evaluation in small groups and as a class and I grade the follow-up essay.
Accompanying Homework: Students’ assignment for the following day is to review the Habits of Mind (the Introduction on the iFalcon website, which we discuss briefly in class) and to write an essay on it. The description of the assignment is attached.
Textbook homework suggestions for next class:
· Nolting: Ch. 1
o Why Learning Math is Different from Learning Other Subjects p. 2
o The Difference between High School and College Math, p. 6
· Bass:
o Ch. 1: Introduction, p. 1 – I strongly suggest you assign this chapter, because it is an introduction to the book and its structure.
o Ch. 2: What Makes Math Different, p. 9 and Ch. 6: Your Class Notebook, p. 40
Week 2 / August 23-26
In Class:
· If students have their books - or if at least two students per group have books (you can only hope!) you can do the Getting to Know your Textbook assignment in groups. This can also be done as an individual homework assignment – and students can be directed to the Math Gateways site to print the assignment, then a group handout is given the next day, where the students consolidate their work on that sheet. If you give it as homework, it is an incentive to buy the book... I always have each group report one thing from their list, and with 10 groups, we then get 10 features of the book that we discuss. Every student must turn to the page that the group directs them to, so they actually see what is being described.
Suggested grading scheme:
I collect only the group handouts – so there are 10 papers to check, and each student who participates earns 5 points. If the group did not include enough characteristics of the book, I deduct points accordingly.
Note on returning group assignments:
You can return the assignment to any one member of the group and have that member be responsible to report the number of points earned to the rest of the group. Each student should know how many points they earned, especially if they are keeping a grade sheet for the class.
· Visit to the ASC Math Tutoring – this is important because many students are anxious about going to math tutoring. If you take them, they cannot tell you that they can’t find it! I usually do this during the last 10-15 minutes of class. As a courtesy, you should let Michelle Rodriguez know you’re bringing the class: , x. 2407
· Time Management – This can be done as a one-time or multi-tiered assignment. Please see the accompany assignment packet. Please note that students will not know how to create a weekly time management schedule. It is very helpful for them to simply write down how they spend each day for a week, analyze it and then create an ideal weekly schedule as a follow-up assignment.
o Most of the work for the assignment is done at home, but the students need to go over the assignment when it is passed out, so you need to allow 5-10 minutes of class time. It is good to bring highlighters to class the day the students need to have the assignments completed. Many times, they have not color-coded their activities. If they do, it is easier for both them and you to see how they spend their day.
o I often have the students share what they have learned from doing the assignment in their groups and we have a class discussion, if there is time.
Textbook homework suggestions for next class:
· Nolting: Ch. 2
o Variables Contributing to Student Academic Achievement, p. 14
o Your “Learning Diagnostic” for Math Class, p. 17
· Bass: Ch. 3 Learning Styles, p. 19
Ch. 5: Managing Your Time, p. 32
Week 3 / August 30 – September 2
In Class:
· It is beneficial to discuss the Memory Dump strategy before the first exam, if time allows, so I am including it here. As part of the review for the first exam, the class can create a memory dump. Learning how to do it is a multi - step process for our students.
This is what I did last semester:
o After Test 1: We used the test and the students' experience to come up with an "ideal memory dump" after the fact. We can do this in class or as a homework assignment. I have students come to the board and write one thing they would have liked to see on a memory dump for the exam. In my class they work in groups, so we get at least 10 different things on the board, one per group. Oftentimes, they put things like "order of op" instead of actually the hierarchy itself, so we discuss what exactly goes on the memory dump.
o Assignment 2: Before Exam 2, they create a memory dump (a week before, at least, in an 18-week class) as a homework assignment. One of the things they need to learn is that this is something they need to create ahead of time, even though they're not using that exact paper on the exam.
o Assignment 3: At each subsequent test in Math 20, you have students do a memory dump and grade it as both part of the test (did they do it or not - not for content, necessarily – 5 points, on a 150 pt. test) and as part of Math 5 - for content [10 points], and I comment on what needs to be improved.
Assessment:
After Assignment 2, you can give a quiz, which is simply dumping their memory dump on a piece of paper. You collect their home-made memory dump beforehand, and the quiz is both graded for content - did they come up with a good memory dump? - and for how closely it resembles their original memory dump.
· Test-Taking Strategies: I believe all of us have an overabundance of strategies that we can share with our students. Here are some suggestions:
o How to review for the exam:
Ø Do you give an exam review?
Ø Do they know where the Chapter Reviews and Tests are in the textbook?
Ø Have they put themselves in an actual test-taking situation at home: timed problem-solving with no help?
Ø Have they created their own review for the exam?
o Discuss how to prepare the day before and day of an exam
Ø Getting enough sleep
Ø No new topics being studied the night before the exam
Ø Eating (or not eating) before the exam, based on student preference
Ø Stop all review at the latest ***** before the exam and clear your head
Ø Extra pencils and erasers, calculator and/or batteries
o Revisit the Self-Evaluation, part C: Math Test Preparation Habits
o The Study Skills textbooks are a good source of information, too. Please see below.
Textbook homework suggestions for next class:
· Nolting: Ch. 3: How to Reduce Math Test Anxiety, p. 31
and Ch. 7: How to Improve Your Math Test-Taking Skills, p. 105
· Bass: Ch. 4 Math Anxiety, p. 25
· Ch. 10: Test Taking, p. 75
Week 4 / September 6-9 / Labor Day Holiday - Sept. 6th – Campus Closed
· When you are scheduling an exam in Math 20 please note these lessons learned:
· Having a Mtah 5 class session immediately following a Math 20 exam usually means you will have poor attendance. Students finish early, and they do not want to wait for the Math 5 class. If possible, schedule the exam on the day of the week when students do not have the Math 5 class.
· If the Math 5 class session is immediately before the test, then review, number sense, etc. is probably a good idea. Students are too anxious about the exam to concentrate on anything else.
· After-Exam Debriefing – This assignment can be given to students in the Math 20 class, at the end of the exam, or at the first Math 5 class session after the exam. It is best for students to do this assignment before they get their test back.
Our students tend to think that the time between an exam taken and the next class is math-free time, unless we give them an assignment dealing with material for the next exam. However, this is a great opportunity to learn what they failed to learn for the exam and revisit the material with a fresh perspective. Especially in mathematics, there is a lot to learn from an exam that you just took!
Textbook homework suggestions for next class:
· Nolting: Ch. 4: How to Improve Your Listening and Note-Taking Ski8lls, p. 51
and Ch. 5: How to Improve Your Reading, Homework, and Study Techniques, p. 65
· Bass: Ch. 7: Your Textbook and Homework, p.47
Ch. 8: Class Time and Note Taking, p. 54
Week 5+: / September 13+
Some suggestions:
· Note taking (Some may prefer to do this earlier).
· Keeping a Gradesheet – I usually give it to the students with the second returned assignment. This way, students learn to calculate their cumulative point total.
· Bloom’s Taxonomy Assignment
· Revisiting Time Management
Please visit the Math Gateways website’s Faculty Resources for the complete 18-week schedule. It is accessible through the Mathematics Department website: http://cms.cerritos.edu/mathematics
or directly at:
http://cms.cerritos.edu/math-gateways/home
Also, there is a website attached to the Alan Bass book: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/alanbass/index.html