<< Subj: [MATHEDCC] liberal arts math courses suggestions WANTED
Date: 97-08-16 14:27:41 EDT
From: FilKambel@AOL.COM
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Reply-to: FilKambel@AOL.COM
To: mathedcc@archives.math.utk.edu
I am the latest in a string of teachers to direct our local CC's Liberal
Arts
Mathematics course, and I've been searching through the MATHEDCC website for
ideas to support/expand my current subject matter plans.
The course description: "This course is... for the non-science liberal arts
major." Beyond that, an Intermediate Algebra pre-requisite and a suggested
list of topics that MAY be included, i.e., a blank slate for the instructor
to make his mark upon.
My personal bent is probability/statistics, but if any former/current
liberal
arts math teachers out there would be willing to share ideas and/or
cautions,
I'd be happy to hear them.
Thank you!
Phillip Campbell
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, CA >>
I agree with you that course should at least begin with the study of
statistics. Probability should be introduced after students study statistics
so that they understand the difference between experimental probability and
theoretical probability. I generally suggest starting the course by
gathering statistical data from the newspaper (ads, sports stats, etc.) and
then leading the class into a discussion of how stats is used in the world
around us (census data, insurance companies, election results, marketing
research, product analysis, etc.). We discuss the three components required
for data analysis (a term I prefer over statistics) - collection,
organization and interpretation in detail and how poor
collection/organization methods affect the analysis. I then assign a project
in which students are responsible for collecting, organizing and interpreting
data in an area of interest to them (possibly their intended major). I have
found that this works very well and students understand WHY they need to
learn math. This approach is very simialr to the philosophy of the AP
Statistics Course Description. Students often ask me why most teachers wait
until the end of the course to inroduce statistics and thank me for making
the course relevant to their lives.
Other topics to explore while students are working on their projects: how
math is used in art (brings in geometry) and music (some trig and function
material)
I also like to introduce some consumer math topics and projects - planning a
budget based on the starting salary for a career of interest to them (they
get this from Occupational Outlook Handbook - and they also get to see how
many fileds require some mathematical knowledege), understanding gross
salary, net salary and how to fill out a tax return (we looked at the
relationship between tax owed for married couples and singles), getting a
loan and paying it off, interest rates, credit cards, etc, etc, etc.
Students then ASK me to teach algebra and other topics because they now see
WHY they need to learn it. This approach has been a lot of fun for the class
and myself. It is never the same each year and it allows each teacher to be
themselves.
Hope this helps.
I am trying to get info regarding each state's high school mathematics
assessments - test speicfications, content specifications, item format,
scoring guidelines, etc. Would anyone on this list be able to provide me
with the names, phone numbers, and/or email addresses of the people I need to
contact for this info? Does anyone know what the California Dept of
education has decided to do in terms of using "off the shelf assessments" or
developing a custom designed test that everyone would be required to pass?
Any info would be very much appreciated.
Deanna M. De'Liberto
Assessment Specialist in Mathematics
D SQUARED ASSESSMENTS, INC.
(Specialists in Test Development / Validation and Test Administration)
9 Bedle Road, Suite 250
Hazlet, NJ 07730-1209
Phone: (732) 888-9339
Email: Ddeliberto@aol.com
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