Math Theory

Teaching to solve problems is education of the will. Solving problems which are not too easy for him (or her), the student learns to persevere through unsuccess, to appreciate small advances, to wait for the essential idea, to concentrate with all of his (or her) might when it appears. If the student had no opportunity in school to familiarize himself (herself) with the varying emotions of the struggle for the solution, then his (her) mathematical education failed in the most vital point. (Polya, How to Solve It. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1957

Prerequisites	Successful completion of Seq. Math 3H (aka Math B). Ownership and a basic knowledge of either the TI-84, TI-86 or TI-89 Graphing Calculators.
Expectations	A desire to learn all of the intricate and exciting aspects of Precalculus. A willingness to work hard and to strive to understand as well as manipulate the conceptual aspects of the material presented. A yearning to bond and become one with your calculator.
Requirements	Spiral notebook, pen/pencil, and covered textbook or current problem set brought to class daily.
Responsibilities	Homework is an extension of the classroom experience. Complete all daily homework assignments to the best of your ability. If this drops below the 85% mark you should get help from your friends or your teacher. I am available for extra help every morning from 7 to 7:30 as well as many times throughout the day. Group homework sessions are strongly advised on a weekly basis. The ideal group size is 3 to 4 students. Any more and there is too much wasted time and any fewer may not provide enough brain power for the task at hand. In all cases, pre-exam study groups are a requirement for success and should take place a day or two before the exam.
Assessments	Generally there will be three or four major tests per marking period. Along with these you might have one or two small quizzes. These will all be announced in advance. You are expected to make up missed exams the day you return from your absence (exceptions will be made for extended absence). Each exam assesses five qualities: knowledge, cleverness, diligence, context, and luck. knowledge: memorized formulas, algebraic skills, algorithms cleverness: creative applications of knowledge base - creative solutions diligence: read text to find alternative approaches to classwork context: neatness, clarity of expression, and elegance of proof luck: did I ask the question you expected? do you feel well? Every exam should be corrected and returned to me within one week after you received the graded paper (staple corrections on top of the original exam). The corrected exams are expected to be perfect. Each student should keep these corrected exams in a portfolio in order to prepare for both the midterm and final exams.
Attendance	Cutting class, excessive absence, and lateness are signs that you do not have a desire to learn nor a willingness to work hard. This is not good and problems, if they exist, will be handled on a personal basis.
Quarter Grades	About 80% of the quarter grade is based on exams and 20% on class involvement, projects, portfolio, and homework. Just total all your grades (numerators) and divide by the total number of possible points (denominators). This gives you a percentage that is converted into a letter grade. Grades will be scaled after quarterly averages are determined.