Fall, 2004
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR M 396C Students
Course description and requirements for M 396C (Mathematics
as Problem Solving) are the same as for M 360M, with the following alterations:
1. Please sit toward the back of the room.
2. Please give 360M students the opportunity to contribute to class discussion
and present problems before you volunteer.
3. When we do group activities, M396C students should form groups with other
396C students. If for some reason it is necessary to put 396C and 360M students
in the same group, be especially sensitive to any differences in background
and make careful decisions as to when to participate on equal terms and when
to hold back.
4. You are expected to write in your journal at least three times
a week.
5. Devote part of your attention in class to how M 360M students go about
problem solving and how they respond to class activities. In other words,
take advantage of this rare opportunity to observe students learning (as
a teacher needs to do) without having the additional responsibilities of
a teacher. Write about your observations frequently in your journal.
6. For each problem assigned, think of possible scaffolding questions or
suggestions that might be appropriate for that problem. Write about these
in your journal.
7. Sometimes you may be given a different assignment of a problem to hand
in.
8. Your exams will usually be slightly different from those of 360M students.
Typically, their easiest problem will be replaced by one a little more challenging
than most of theirs.