Spring 2021 - EDUC 211 D100
Mathematical Experience I: Numbers and Beyond (3)
Class Number: 1132
Delivery Method: Remote
Overview
-
Course Times + Location:
Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Apr 20, 2021
Tue, 11:59–11:59 p.m.
Burnaby
-
Instructor:
Robert Sidley
rbsidley@sfu.ca
-
Prerequisites:
Students who have credit for MATH 150, MATH 151, MATH 154, MATH 157 need permission of the instructor to participate in EDUC 211 and EDUC 212.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Utility and aesthetics of mathematical experience is presented through the exploration of selected topics. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
COURSE DETAILS:
This course will be delivered through approximately an hour of synchronous and two hours of asynchronous engagement per week. The approximate hour of synchronous engagement will occur during the first hour of scheduled class time. The asynchronous portion can be completed at any time before the next scheduled class.
This course explores a variety of mathematical topics in order to increase the mathematical literacy of Liberal Arts students in general, and to increase their capabilities for quantitative reasoning and deductive argumentation in particular. Our focus is on the issues of aesthetics and utility of mathematical experience, emphasizing the human experience in learning and doing mathematics.
The approach of this course is a pedagogical one, which draws on the knowledge and practices from education rather than applying the lecture/tutorial format most commonly seen in undergraduate mathematics courses. Students will engage in problem solving, investigate conjectures, and develop connections among mathematical topics.
The mathematical content will include:
- Fibonacci Numbers and Patterns of Nature
- Pascal’s Triangle Focus on Integers: Divisibility, casting out nines, prime numbers as building blocks
- Modular (clock) arithmetic
- Exploring the infinite
- Mathematics of chance; topics in probability
Grading
NOTES:
Two guiding principles were used in the development and coordination of the assessment tools through which you will show that you have met the objectives: First, there are multiple ways for you to demonstrate your competence – timed (exams); untimed (homework, problem sets); individual work (exams); collaborative work (project, homework, and, to an extent, problem sets); analytical problem-solving (problem sets, exams). Portfolio (includes Homework, Reflective Journals, and Problem Solving Log): 50; Number Devil Chapter: 20 or 30; Final: 20 or 30.
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
The Heart of Mathematics, An invitation to effective thinking, 4th Edition, by Burger and Starbird. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
NOTE: Previous editions of the text can also be used.
ISBN: 9781118156599
-----
The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure, by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. Henry Holt and Company.
NOTE: Previous editions of the text can be used, hardcover or paperback.
ISBN: 9780805062991
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021
Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.
Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).