Monday 5-6p in South 309
Tuesday 1-2p in South 309
Wednesday 12:30-1:20p in South 309
Thursday 8-9p in South 336
Friday 2:30-3:30p in South 309
In this course we develop an adult-level perspective and insight into the nature of mathematics taught in elementary school. In 140 we focus on arithmetic. Our two themes for this course are the nature of mathematics and the practice of problem solving (the act of doing mathematics). Students often work together to develop and deepen their understanding of the mathematical concepts. Frequently this involves the use of manipulatives to incorporate a tangible explanation for the methods studied. This course is the next step toward a career of explaining concepts (here mathematics) that you have taken for granted before.
I will assume that university students do not need to be taught elementary school mathematics. We will not be reviewing, but rather justifying that material. For a reference on the content of elementary school mathematics, here are the New York State Standards for Mathematics.
For anyone who wants to continue exploring the mathematics for Elementary Education after completing 140 and 141, all activites, including bringing and directing your own.
It is often said that mathematics is a language. In this class you will begin to learn to speak this language. Just like in an introductory language course, we will start with the most fundamental concepts and grammar rules. After we have some familiarity with the language of formal mathematics, we will practice this language in the setting of counting problems of different types. More like an advanced language class, it will not suffice just memorizing the vocabulary (in fact, hopefully we can keep vocabulary to a minimum), but rather you will be required to understand and speak clearly in this language. The material learned here will help you understand the mathematics you read and clarify the mathematics you write. Because we are learning how to write mathematics, exposition will also be a component in your evaluation.
The
Casson-Walker-Lescop invariant and link invariants, Journal
of
Knot Theory and Its Ramifications, Vol. 14, No. 4 (2005) 425-433.
Bandpass
moves
and the Casson-Walker-Lescop invariant, New York
Journal of Mathematics, Vol. 10 (2004), 231-247.
Modern Geometry and the End of
Mathematics, in MAA notes #68 From Calculus to Computers: Using the Last 200 Years of
Mathematics History in the Classroom, 2005.
Conferences
AMS national meeting in New Orleans, January 10 - 13, 2001.
MAA national MathFest in Burlington, VT, July 31 - August 4, 2002
Return to: Mathematics Department, SUNY Geneseo.