These are the rules and procedures I give to students at the beginning of the year. An alternative approach to the typical syllabus.
Classroom Structures and Procedures (but not Grades) All structures and procedures are created with the following in mind: Is it helpful to learning? If yes, then do it. If not, then don’t do it. Part I: Redefining Success We’ve been trained to think that success in school means something to do with getting the right grade. Often times, people leave a school thinking they’ve been successful but haven’t learned anything! Even more confusing, this conversation is something I hear all the time: “Hey bro, I got an A in that class and I didn’t learn anything!” “Man, I’m jealous! I got a C” This is how brainwashed we’ve become about how grades are more important than learning. We need to re-evaluate our notions of success. We are human beings- we were meant to learn. If you are copying other people’s homework to get some points, this seems like a waste of time if your goal is to learn. Exams and quizzes are used as tools to check your learning. Have you learned what you intended to learn? If not, we need to fix that by learning the material. Cheating will serve you no purpose here (or in life), so why do it? Part II: Directing Your Learning You will have several opportunities in class to rate your own understanding on your assignments and quizzes so that you can recognize what you know and don’t know. Being able to assess your own understanding is really important for this course and for college. You will also have opportunities to choose different assignments depending on your need. Directing your own learning is what the steering committee is all about. The steering committee is comprised of two or three people per class and will meet once every two weeks in the first semester. They will provide input on the class pace, problems in the classroom, and any other important issues that arise. This will help both direct the class but also give the class another voice to direct learning in a way that is helpful. Part III: Being Responsible Adults For all of us to be gaining and learning, we need to be present both physically and mentally. We rely on the class and the class relies on us. Part of being responsible is being present in class and on time. Part of being an adult means that I believe you won’t abuse my trust. If you are late, grab a post-it note, explain why you are late. This is to communicate as adults and that you are taking responsibility that you are late. This year, we will have a bathroom pass. I don’t need to hear about how badly you need to go. If it is available, feel free to use the bathroom UNLESS it is during a lecture (this is so you don’t miss the notes). If you need to go to the bathroom frequently, then we will need to talk... This is not a talk EITHER of us want to have. Now let’s talk about cell phones. Being responsible means that you’re not on your cell phone during class, because you are actively participating and focusing. Being an adult means that I don’t check over your shoulder all the time. Maybe you need your cell phone as a calculator, or maybe you need to quickly respond with a text “k.” If you abuse this trust, we will need to talk about consequences. Part IV: Creating a Community Much of the learning of mathematics will happen through conversations with each other in groups of 3-5 so that we can build knowledge together. You will be working with random groups for the first semester so that you can decide who you work best with. You may think today that this will be your best friend, but you may find in a quarter that someone you had never met before is a better learning partner for you. You will be teaching, learning, and struggling with your group. You should be responsible to your group and have homework or other necessary items prepared. As part of a community, everyone will also be tasked with a “class role” so that everyone is helping make the classroom a better place.
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