Course Information

Course Number: MEDU 3000

Course Title: Mathematics of the Secondary School Curriculum

Course Description: The course examines the content of the secondary school mathematics curriculum from an advanced perspective. Pedagogical content knowledge is examined in discussions of mathematical concept representations, student errors, and the design of activities.

Credits / Hours: 4

Section Number: D020

Pre/Co-requisites: MAT 2571

Textbook (required): None.

Textbook (recommended): The text listed on the syllabus (Wu, Mathematics of the Secondary School Curriculum) is a set of unpublished course notes by Prof Wu at Berkeley. These notes are not widely available, but were later published as a three-volume series:

  1. Wu, Rational Numbers to Linear Equations (RLE)
  2. Wu, Algebra and Geometry (A&G)
  3. Wu, Pre-calculus, Calculus, and Beyond (PCC)

This series is a great reference for (almost all of) the course material – if you’re struggling, I recommend you take a look.

Certain topics (combinatorics, probability) will be based on problems in the following Math Circles book, a great source for interesting math problems:

  • Fomin, D., Genkin, S., Itenberg, I. (1996). Mathematical Circles: Russian Experience (Mathematical World, Vol. 7) American Mathematical Society.

Class Meetings

Online Space(s):

  • OpenLab. This website will be the online home for our class. The site contains important information about the course, and will be used in various ways throughout the semester.

In-person Meetings: Mon/Wed, 4-5:40pm, Namm N-1007

Faculty Information

Professor: Jonas Reitz

Office Hours: Mon/Wed, 3:00-4:00pm, N707

Contact Information:

  • Email: jreitz@citytech.cuny.edu
  • Phone: 718-260-5380

Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

  • Students know, understand, and apply the processes of mathematical problem solving
  • Students demonstrate a deep understanding of concepts and topics within the secondary mathematics curriculum.
  • Students reason, construct, and evaluate mathematical arguments and develop appreciation for mathematical inquiry and rigor.
  • Students communicate their mathematical ideas orally and in writing to peers, faculty, and others.
  • Students recognize, use and make connections among mathematical ideas
  • Students utilize various representations of mathematical concepts in order to develop and communicate mathematical understanding
  • Students select and use appropriate mathematics-specific technological tools: TI-85, GeoGebra, Desmos, etc.

General Education Learning Outcomes

  • Gather, interpret, evaluate, and apply information discerningly from a variety of sources.
  • Acquire inquiry skills, dialogical skills, skills for facilitation of group discussions.

Teaching/Learning Methods

  • Guided whole-class discussions
  • Problem solving
  • Group Work (including hands-on activities)

Technology Requirements

Fluency with various technological tools including GeoGebra, Desmos and TI-86 is required.

Schedule

A detailed schedule of topics can be found on the Schedule page.

Grading Policy

Your grade in the course will be based on the following:

  • Homework Assignments: 25%
  • Class Participation/Work: 10%
  • Exam 1: 10%
  • Midterm Exam: 25%
  • Final Exam: 30%

Exam 1 will consist of problems selected from the New York State Regents exam. It will tentatively be scheduled for the third week of classes. Students who do not achieve at least 85% on the exam will have two opportunities to pass a make-up exam. A student who does not pass exam #1 with a minimum score of 85% cannot receive a passing grade for the course.

Class Etiquette & Netiquette

Whether online or in the classroom, you are expected to behave like a good human. Bullying, talking down to others, and foul language will not be permitted. Be honest, be kind. 

Attendance/Participation

Attendance and participation are required in this class! As a student in this class, you are expected to:

  • Attend all synchronous class activities.
  • Complete all assignments and exams.
  • Participate in discussions, whether online or in person.

If you find you are unable to complete any of the above, please let me know *as soon as possible*!

Academic Integrity Policy

Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting and citation of sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the college recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension and expulsion. More information about the College’s policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the College Catalog. 

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