Author: Jonas Reitz (Page 4 of 5)

Week 5 Assignments

Week 5 Assignments

NOTE 1: Exam #1 will take place on Thursday,  9/26 (first half of class).
NOTE 2: Next week Tuesday 10/1 there are no classes at City Tech.
NOTE 3: The following week Tuesday 10/8 there are no classes at City Tech.

Written work – none
WeBWorK – Assignment #4, due Thursday, October 3rd, at midnight. You are encouraged to start working on Assignment #5, which will be due one week later.
OpenLab – OpenLab #4: Bridges and Walking Tours due AT START OF CLASS on Thursday, 10/10.

 

Exam #1 Review Sheet is posted

The first exam will take place on Thursday, September 26.  The review sheet is posted under “Classroom Resources/Exam Reviews” – it is the same as last year’s Exam #1 Review.  Please let me know if you have any questions, or to report an error.

Regards,
Prof. Reitz

Week 4 Assignments

Week 4 Assignments

UPDATE: WeBWorK Assignment #4 will be due next week, Thursday 10/3.

Written work – none
WeBWorK – Assignment #3 and Assignment #4, due Tuesday, September 24th, at midnight.
OpenLab – none

STUDY – for your first exam, taking place on Thursday, September 26th, during the first hour of class.  A review sheet will be posted at least 1 week prior to the exam.

OpenLab #3: “Sentences”

Due Thursday, 9/19/19.  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)?  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 – Sec 1.8 p.29: 3, 5, 6, 8, due Tuesday, 9/17 (in class)
WeBWorK – Start on WeBWorK 3, (it will not be due until Tuesday, 9/24 at midnight).
OpenLab – OpenLab #3, due Thursday, 9/19 (at start of class).

 

OpenLab #2: Mathography

This assignment is due Thursday, September 12, 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.

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 3rd, 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-F19-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 password is your Student ID (EmplID in CUNYFirst).

Step 2.   Update your email address if you wish.  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 assignment, titled Assignment1-Sec1.2-1.3. 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.”

OpenLab #1: Advice from the Past

For the past several years I have taught this same course in the Fall semester.   At the end of each course, I give my students the following assignment:

Imagine that you are invited to speak on the first day of MAT 2071, to give advice to entering students.  Write at least three sentences … describing what you would tell them.

To see the assignment and the students’ responses, follow this link for Fall 2018 and this link for Fall 2017.

Your assignment, due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, September 3th, is to:

  1. Read through ALL the responses (there are 25 of them altogether).
  2. Write a reply to this post (1 paragraph) responding to all of the following:
    1. What advice seemed most relevant to you personally? Why? (you can copy/paste a short statement, or put it in your own words)
    2. Based on this advice, what changes can you make right now to help you succeed in this course?

Extra Credit. For extra credit, write a response to one of your classmates’ comments.  Do you have any advice?  Be kind.

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