Math 390: Methods of Teaching Mathematics
Fall 2005
Announcement
Class will meet in Kerr 451 on Tuesday Nov 29
Instructor
John Hunter
e-mail: jkhunter@ucdavis.edu
Phone: (530) 752-3189
Office: 654 Kerr Hall
Office hours: TR 12:30–1:30 p.m.
Class Time: TR 1:40–3:00 p.m., PhyGeo 140
(Note room change)
Important dates:
- Last day to add: Oct 14
- Last day to drop: Oct 27
- Academic Holidays: Nov 11, Nov 24-25
- Last day of instruction: Dec 9
Course Grade
The course grading is S/U only. Satisfactory performance will
be based on class attendence and participation, and completion
of assigments. There will be no exams.
Recommended Text (Not required)
How to Teach Mathematics, 2nd Ed.,
Steven G. Kranz, American Mathematical Society, 1999.
Guest Speakers
- 9/29: Diana Coombe, Student Business Coordinator, Department of Mathematics: Basic information about
being a TA in the Math Department
- 10/11: Zach Johnson, Systems Administrator, Department of Mathematics:
Computer resources for teaching
- 10/18: Rick West, Learning Skills Center: The Socratic method of
teaching mathematics
- 10/20: Don Dudley, Student Judicial Affairs: Academic proceedures for
dealing with cheating
- 11/10: Emil Rodolfa, Director Counseling and Psychological Services:
Managing stress as a TA and graduate student. Dealing with distressed students.
- 11/17: Natacha Foo Kune, Counseling and Psychological Services:
Diversity and multi-cultural issues.
- 11/29: Ali Daddel: Computer laboratories: Using MATLAB in 22A
- 12/1: Panel session with experienced TAs.
Assignments
1. [Due in class, Tue Oct 25] Visit a lecture given by an instructor for whom you are a TA, or an instructor of your choice, and write
a short report (less than a page) on what you learned from observing the lecture. (Let the instructor
know you're planning to visit his/her class first.)
2. [Link to page due, Tue Nov 15] Prepare a home page for a class you might be teaching to be provided
to students on the first day of class. (You don't need to prepare a detailed course syllabus.)
For help in creating webpages, see the Galois Group
tutorial. The results are here.
3. [Due in class, Tue Dec 6] Pair up with another class member and visit a
discussion section/lecture (or give a discussion section/lecture with a visitor
attending). Write a brief joint report of your observations and what you
learned.
4. [Due, Th Dec 8] Prepare a sample exam front page and write one question for
it, using LaTeX. Put a link to a pdf file of your exam on your class webpage (from Assignment
2). You can use this shell file or your own format
for the exam. (If you're new to using LaTex, the
Galois Group LaTeX tutorial provides a quick introduction.)
Links
The MAA Handbook for Mathematics
Teaching Assistants by Tom Rishel
Rutgers guide for Teaching Assistants
Amherst guide for Teaching Assistants
Jerry Uhl's collection of teaching
quotes
Random mathematical quotes
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