Author: Jonas Reitz (Page 4 of 5)

Week 5 Assignments

Week 5 Assignments

Exam #1 will take place on Thursday, 9/28

Written work – none
WeBWorK – Assignment #4, due Tuesday, October 3rd, at midnight. You are encouraged to start working on Assignment #5, which will be due one week later.
OpenLab – OpenLab #4, due Thursday, October 5th, at the start of class

 

Exam #1 UPDATE and WeBWorK #4 UPDATE

Hi everyone,

Because we did not cover all of the intended material in class today, I am making the following changes:

  1.  Your first exam will not include material on negation (Exam #1 review problem #16).
  2. The Due Date for Assignment #4 in WeBWorK is extended to Tuesday, October 3rd (the week after the exam).

Let me know if you have any questions.  Enjoy the long weekend!

Regards,
Prof. Reitz

Week 4 Assignments

Week 4 Assignments

Written work – none
WeBWorK – Assignment #4, due Tuesday, September 26th, at midnight. (UPDATE: Due Tuesday, October 3rd, at midnight)
OpenLab – none

STUDY – for your first exam, taking place next Thursday, 9/28, during the first hour of class.

OpenLab #3: “Sentences”

Due Tuesday, 9/19/17.  For this week’s writing assignment, take a look at the picture below called “Sentences.”  Read every sentence in the picture.  As you read, pay attention to your own stream of consciousness – what are the thoughts that pop into your head?  For full credit, respond to all 4 of the following items.

  1. Record two observations about the sentences in the picture – what do you notice / what’s something you find interesting / what popped into your head / what stood out.
  2. Choose one of the sentences in the picture (do NOT choose the same sentence as anyone else).  Type the sentence out “in quotes”, and then answer the following questions:
    a. Is it a statement (as discussed in class on Tuesday)?  Explain why or why not.
    b. Is it true or false? Explain in everyday English why or why not.
  3. Make up a sentence that you believe would fit into this picture.  Tell us the sentence, and then tell us whether it is a statement, and whether it is true or false.
  4. What connection (if any) does this assignment have to do with the work we are doing in class?

“Sentences” by Flickr user Eldeem

Week 3 Assignments

Week 3 Assignments

Written work – None
WeBWorK – WeBWorK 3, due Tuesday 9/19 at midnight.
OpenLab – OpenLab #3, due Tuesday, 9/19 (at start of class).

NOTE: Next week Tuesday 9/19 runs on a Thursday schedule.  Next week Wed-Thurs-Fri (9/20-9/22) there are no classes.

OpenLab #2: Mathography

This assignment is due Thursday, September 14, at the start of class.

Assignment.  Choose ONE of the following two topics.  Write a reply to this post, responding to the topic.  Begin by telling us which topic you chose. (1-2 paragraphs).

Topics.

  1. Sometimes people can recognize a time when their opinion of math dramatically changed either for the better or the worse. If such a time happened to you, tell us about it.
  2. Choose an experience you had in which you suddenly understood a math concept (it could be any kind of math, from elementary school up through college).  Describe what happened.  Do you think you could explain it to others in a way that they could have the same flash of understanding?

Extra Credit.  For extra credit, write a response to one of your classmates’ comments.  Do you feel the same, or different?  Did you learn anything?  Did you get any ideas about teaching, or about learning?

Why are we doing this, anyway?  We are following two ideas that have come up already in class — things that may not seem related to learning math, but research shows that engaging in these activities can dramatically increase the amount that you learn, and change the way you learn it.  The first is writing – something not typically associated with mathematics.  When you express your ideas in words, it forces you to think them through very carefully, detail by detail.  A great way to check and see if you really understand something is to try to explain it to someone else, either out loud or in writing.  Example: if you know how to add fractions, try teaching it someone who doesn’t know how.  The second is called metacognition, or “thinking about thinking.”  This happens when you think about what was going on in your head while you were working on a problem or trying to learn a new idea.  What train of thought did you follow?  Where did you get stuck, and what did you do next?  What were you feeling at the time? and so on.  Combining writing and metacognition can be a tremendously powerful tool in identifying the ways we learn best and the ways we make mistakes, and learning to improve.  However, like any skill, it takes practice.  That’s why we’re getting started by writing a little about our past experiences with mathematics.

Week 2 Assignments

Week 2 Assignments
Written work – Sec 1.8 p.28: 3, 5, 6, 8, Due Tuesday, September 12th, at the start of class.
NOTE: On this assignment, odd problems are worth 3 points, even problems worth 5 points.
WeBWorK – Assignment #2, due Tuesday, September 12th, at midnight.
OpenLab – OpenLab #2, due Thursday, September 14th, at the start of class.

Getting Started with WeBWorK

WeBWorK is accessible from on and off campus (anywhere you have access to the internet).  Your first WeBWorK assignment is due on Tuesday, September 5th, at midnight, and will cover the material from the second day of class.  Here’s what you have to do:

Assignment.  To get started , you must complete the following three steps.

Step 1.  Log in to WeBWorK here: http://mathww.citytech.cuny.edu/webwork2/MAT2071-F17-Reitz.  I have created Usernames and Passwords for each student registered for my class.

Username.  Your username for WeBWorK consists of your first initial plus your last name, all lowercase (for example, John Smith would have username ‘jsmith’).

Password.  Your temporary password is the same as your username (if your username is ‘jsmith’, your password is currently ‘jsmith’).

Step 2.  Change your password and update your email address.  To do this, select “Password/Email” from the main menu on the left.  Use whatever email address you like (I suggest using one that you check often).

Step 3.  Complete the first two assignments, titled Assignment1-Sec1.2-1.3 and Assignment2-Sec1.4-1.7. Click on an assignment on the main screen to get started.

If you have any trouble – either with logging in, or with completing the assignment, post a comment here or send me an email and I will get back to you.

WeBWorK Tips:

  1. Click on a problem to see the details (the list of problems appears in the menu on the left).  Enter an answer and hit “Submit Answers”.  Don’t worry, if you get it wrong you can try it again.
  2. You can work on the problems in any order you wish.  You can do some problems now, and come back and do the rest another day (your work will be saved, as long as you submit your answers).
  3. If you want to print out a copy of the assignment, click on the assignment name in the main menu on the left, and then click the link in the main screen area that reads “Download a hardcopy of this homework set.”
« Older posts Newer posts »