MAT 101                             Fall 17
Concepts of Elementary School Mathematics I

Instructor: Isa S. Jubran, PhD
Office: Moffett 121C, Phone: Ext. 2968
WebPage: http://web.cortland.edu/jubrani
e-mail: isa.jubran@cortland.edu
Office Hours: Please see my web page.
Text: Bassarear and Moss, "Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers", 6th Edition.

Course Information: This course focuses on logical reasoning and problem solving. Topics include problems solving, sets, logical reasoning, numeration systems, whole numbers, algorithms of arithmetic, number theory, rational numbers, decimal numbers, and proportional reasoning. The focus of the course is on mathematics, not teaching methods. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Service Learning: This course is part of a learning community in which you will have the opportunity to work with and tutor students in local elementary schools. Periodically in class, we may discuss content/challenges you encounter in the field that are not part of the course syllabus.

Attendance and Classroom Etiquette: Students are expected to attend and participate in each class. If you are unable to attend class due to an emergency, please notify me as soon as possible, preferably before the class meets. You are responsible for the material covered in your absence. All cell phones must be turned off or silenced during class. If you must take an emergency call, please leave the room to minimize distracting others. It is not appropriate or acceptable to text during class. Cell phones may not be used as calculators in class. Please plan on bringing a calculator if needed.

Assignments: You learn mathematics by doing mathematics. Therefore, Homework problems intended to test and deepen your understanding of the concepts presented in class will be assigned. These will be collected, and a few problems from each homework will be chosen at random for grading. It is important to note that the solutions to the problems will be graded for accuracy in full, and just an answer will not earn any credit. Sorry, no late homework will be accepted.

Journal Responses: Students will be expected to complete (roughly) biweekly journal responses to a variety of prompts. The prompts will cover a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, mathematics discussed in class, reflecting on student learning, and reflecting on the service learning component of the learning community.

Exams: There will be two in-class exams and a cumulative final exam. The exact dates for the tests will be announced in class at least one week in advance, but for now these are tentatively scheduled during the weeks of October 2 and November 14. Students are expected to take all exams when they are scheduled. Make-up exams require serious extenuating circumstances of which the instructor should be made aware prior to the scheduled exam time and official documentation.

Grading:Your grade will be determined as follows:

Homework 25%
Journals 15%
Participation 5%
2 In-class Exams 30% (15% each)
Final Exam 25%
Total 100%


Honor Code: You are encouraged to discuss the homework with others but be an active participant and do not let others think for you. On the other hand, exams are to be strictly your own work.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated and will be dealt with harshly. Please read and understand SUNY Cortland's Academic Integrity Statement.

SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Disability Service located in B-40 Van Hoesen or call 753-2066 for an appointment. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be made as early as possible.

Ask Questions - Work Hard - Have Fun
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