1. For Fri., Week 1:
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Read Byers pp. 23-79. In a brief (250-500 words) and informal essay,
summarize what you consider to be Byers's main points. Bring a
hardcopy of your essay to class, and be prepared to discuss your
insights and questions.
2. For Sun./Mon., Week 2:
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Read Lessons 1-2 in Williams, read Sunetra Gupta's article,
"Avoiding Ambiguity," and read Anne Lamott's article.
Then write a 500-750 word review of Gupta's article from what you might consider to be the perspective of someone who agrees with the views of Byers on the role of ambiguity in mathematics.
Your review may be appreciative, critical, or mixed. It must, however, consider the article as a whole. Explain and justify your evaluation carefully and with substantial references to the article itself. You may also want to reference Byers. Your goal is to persuade your audience that your review is fair and intelligent.
Your intended audience is a college-level reader unfamiliar with Gupta's article, so your review should contain a brief summary of the article. Also, think carefully about the title of your review as it is your first opportunity to telegraph the topic and drift of your review to your reader.
Submit your review (just the PDF file) by 5:00 PM on Sunday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your file should be named "[lastname]-review.pdf."
3. For Tue./Wed., Week 2:
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Read Lockhart
(pp. 1-14). For background for
the Lockhart paper, I would suggest reading this.
Also, read Lesson 3 in Williams. Then take your review of Gupta's article, and rewrite it to include at least five examples of nominalization. Do not highlight, italicize, or otherwise draw attention to your changes. Your classmates will try to find them in class on Friday.
Submit your "nominalized" review (just the PDF file) by 10:00 PM on Tuesday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your file should be named "[lastname]-lesson-3.pdf."
4. For Thu./Fri., Week 2:
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Read Lockhart (pp. 14-25) and Lesson 4 in Williams. Then revise your
review of Gupta's article so that (1) you feel the review is as
well written (with respect to form and content) as you can make it,
and (2) you demonstrate at least five examples of (not necessarily
unique) lessons learned from Lesson 4 in Williams.
Next, explain your examples. The explanation for each example might look something like, "p. 2, 2nd par, line 3 : I wrote _____ which demonstrates _____." Submit your explanations (in a single a PDF file) by 10:00 PM on Thursday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your file should be named "[lastname]-lesson-4.pdf."
Also, submit your revised review (just the PDF file) by 10:00 PM on Thursday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. The file for your revised review should be named "[lastname]-review-revision.pdf."
5. For Mon., Week 3:
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Write the "first draft" (see Lamott's article) of your first essay. Settle on a solid thesis for your essay,
and construct an outline (as we
described in class) of the "second draft" of your essay. Bring a
hardcopy of both your "first draft" and outline to
class.
Here is the assignment for your first essay:
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Write a 750-1250 word essay that expresses your view of some aspect of the
role of change of perspective in the teaching and/or learning of mathematics.
Strive to create a thesis that is clear and concise, and supporting arguments that are focused and compelling. Your essay should exhibit the lessons you have learned from Lessons 1-4 in Williams.
6. For Wed., Week 3:
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Write the "second draft" of your essay. Print out a copy of your
draft together with a copy of
this self-assessment
form. Fill out the form, staple it to your essay, and bring both to class.
7. For Thu./Fri., Week 3:
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Submit the final draft (just the PDF file) of your first essay
by 10:00 PM on Thursday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your
file should be named "[lastname]-essay-1.pdf."
8. For Sun./Mon., Week 4:
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Begin reading Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 in Byers. You'll want to be
finished with these chapters by Friday.
Read Babel and free write for at least 20 minutes about the story. Bring a hardcopy of your free write to class.
Read Lesson 5 in Williams. Then use your freewrite to (re)write two paragraphs in a way that demonstrates lessons learned in Lesson 5. Then explain why you wrote what you wrote. Submit your paragraphs and explanations (in a single PDF file) by 10:00 PM on Sunday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your file should be named "[lastname]-lesson-5.pdf."
9. For Tue./Wed., Week 4:
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Read Funes and free write for at least 20 minutes about
the story. Bring a hardcopy of your free write to
class.
Read Lesson 6 in Williams. Then use your freewrites to (re)write two paragraphs in a way that demonstrates lessons learned in Lesson 6. Then explain why you wrote what you wrote. Submit your paragraphs and explanations (in a single PDF file) by 10:00 PM on Tuesday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your file should be named "[lastname]-lesson-6.pdf."
10. For Thu./Fri., Week 4:
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Read Lottery and free write for at least 20 minutes about
the story. Bring a hardcopy of your free write to
class.
Read Lesson 7 in Williams. From the list of nine items in the "Summing Up" section on pages 128 through 130, choose three items for which you can provide an example from your freewrites to revise.
Follow Williams' lead--list the number and item (e.g., "6. A phrase for a word"), quote your original sentence, and then offer a revision that makes the sentence more concise.
Submit your paragraphs and explanations (in a single PDF file) by 10:00 PM on Thursday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your file should be named "[lastname]-lesson-7.pdf."
11. For Mon., Week 5:
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Write the "first draft" (see Lamott's article) of your second essay.
Remember that you just want to get all of your ideas on paper so
that you can find those ideas you'll want to harness for your essay.
Then write a solid draft of the essay to be peer-edited in class. Print out a copy of your draft together with a copy of this self-assessment form. Fill out the form, staple it to your essay, and bring both to class.
Here is the assignment for your second essay:
-
Write a 750-1250 word essay about how a relatively deep understanding
of a particular mathematical idea might affect the way
someone encounters one of the three short stories by Borges that we
read.
Strive to create a thesis that is clear and concise, and supporting arguments that are focused and compelling. You should give some serious thought to the "motive" of your essay, and your essay should exhibit the lessons you have learned from Lessons 5-7 in Williams.
Finally, keep in mind that your audience is a college-level reader who is unfamiliar with all of the sources we have been reading. As such, you absolutely must provide summaries any of the works you will be referencing.
12. For Wed., Week 5:
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Revise your essay, and bring a hardcopy of it to class. You will use
it to discuss the current state of your essay with your classmates.
13. For Thu./Fri., Week 5:
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Submit the final draft (just the PDF file) of your second essay
by 10:00 PM on Thursday by uploading it to your Sakai drop box. Your
file should be named "[lastname]-essay-2.pdf." Note: If you visit
the Writing Center to discuss your essay, you may submit your essay by
4:00 PM on Friday.
14: For Wed., Week 6:
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Read Lesson 10 and Lesson 11 in Williams.
15: For Fri., Week 6:
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Be prepared to use your essay to demonstate some lessons learned
from Lessons 10 and 11.
16. For Mon., Week 7:
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Bring a hardcopy of your revised paper to class, and come with two
specific ideas on which you would like one of your classmates to focus
while peer editing your paper.
17. For Wed., Week 7:
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Bring a hardcopy of your reflective essay to class, and come with two
specific ideas on which you would like one of your classmates to focus
while peer editing your reflective essay.
18. For Fri., Week 7:
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Assemble and submit your final project by 10:00 PM by uploading your
files to the Sakai site called "Pilot Final Projects". Please name
your files "[lastname]-draft-[#]-2ndhalf.pdf" for drafts 1,2, and 3
of your essay, and "[lastname]-reflective-essay-2ndhalf.pdf" for
your reflective essay.