Content
This class addresses the needs of middle school math educators. The national math standards will be discussed along with suggestions on how instruction can be adapted to your current math curriculum.

Course topics include an examination of educational change and trends that impact math instruction, the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics standards, and the impact of technology in math instruction. In addition the course will cover communication and math, relating math to the real world and using a variety of math skills and tools to solve problems.

This course consists of eight modules. In each module there will be required readings and activities. Activities will involve creating a section of an extended math unit using a theme approach, and connecting this theme to the national math standards. Other activities will require your participation in the class listserv and sharing your reactions to what you read and learn.

Course Goal
The overall goal of this course is to introduce the process of how to teach math in today's world. There needs to be a balance between teaching from the textbook and teaching students using non-traditional instructional practices such as extended theme projects, web-based math resources, and various software. This course consists of eight modules of various length.

Course Outline

1. Introduction, Math Standards and the Process of Instruction
2. Assessment, Problem Solving Standard and the Value of Distributed Learning
3. The Functions and Algebra Standards, and when to teach?
4. The Process Needed for Change, and the Measurement and Geometry Strand
5. Teaching Statistics & Probability
6. Classroom Management and the Word/Number & Operations Standard
7. Sharing Projects, and Creating a new Math Theme Outline
8. Critiquing Student Projects and Reflection of Instruction Process

Each module is structured around an Introduction, Readings, Activities, and Activity Checklist.

Participation
Participants will:

• Exchange email with other participants and participate in a course discussion board with the instructor and other participants
• Review and discuss online background reading materials
• Search for additional information in online resources
• Complete course activities including those involving the development of lessons based on math standards

You will be able to customize activities to your specific personal and program growth needs.

Collaboration
During each activity, you are encouraged to share your thoughts, ideas, questions, and with other participants. Participants may share drafts of works-in-progress for peer feedback and discuss ideas and suggestions before submitting the final copy of each project.

Feel free to use these world time tools when you are communicating with participants who live in different time zones.
WORLDTIME
The Time Zone Page (lists almost 600 cities)

Discussion
It is important that you check your email and the discussion board regularly. Also, you will post your completed assignments on the appropriate discussion board, except for the final paper.

Perhaps the most vital use of the discussion board is the exchange of ideas that can occur among participants. You will be required to post messages to the discussion board as you complete each module. Typically this will mean two-three postings each week. Some modules will require more discussion than others.

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Evaluation
Much of the work you complete will not have a “Right or Wrong” answer. Instead your evaluation will be based on the amount of participation in discussion, evidence of thoughtful discussion, questions you ask, and the completion of activities.

Your grade will be based on:

- Satisfactory completion of module activities

- Online discussion postings

A -- Meets or exceeds the module activities and project requirements
B -- Completion of most requirements
I -- Incomplete assignments or partial completion of requirements (Work must be resubmitted.)

Participation Evaluation

Evaluation of your participation is cumulative and subjective based on notes that the facilitator records each week.

Excellent indicates you participated above the minimum level in both quantity and clarity of communication in your postings.

Average indicates you met the minimum requirement.

Below average indicates you consistently contributed below the minimum postings or contributions were merely perfunctory ("I agree with so and so.") or unclear.

Resources Needed

All required readings will be available online.

ADA Statement
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students are encouraged to register with UW Stout Disability Services for assistance with instructional accommodations due to disabilities. The phone number of the Disability Services office is 715-232-2995 or contact the staff via email at this website: http://www.uwstout.edu/disability/contact.shtml

Online Attendance
In an online course, you are not required to attend at a particular location or time of day.

This course is designed as an interactive course in which you contribute and respond to the discussion postings of other students.  Plan to log in and participate in the course discussion at least 3 times each week. Your instructor has access to a login summary including the date of each entry you make to the discussion board or dropbox—this includes a response to an assignment, a posting on the threaded discussion, submission of an assignment, or participation in group work.

If your professional/personal obligations or illness require you to be absent for more than 3 days, please contact me and arrange how you will make up the work. 

Please do not "drop out" for a period of time and then expect to "drop back in" without losing points. This makes it difficult for your colleagues to complete their assignments if feedback is required.

Late Policy
As an online instructor, I prefer to be flexible with due dates. Since we haven't committed to a regular schedule of meeting in a specific place, you can "come to class" at your convenience.

But this presents a problem when class participants abandon the course calendar completely. Regular, timely feedback to classmates via the Discussion board makes this class vital, and prompt submission of assignments for assessment allows the instructor to give you the guidance you deserve to receive.

Due dates for each module are published on the course calendar at the start of the class. Work turned in within seven days after that due date will be considered on time and will receive full credit.
After seven days, work that has not been submitted will receive a zero until the work is handed in and evaluated.

Excused Makeup Work - If the late submission has been requested and approved in advance of the due date, there will be no deduction of points from the grade. An e-mail to the instructor requesting an extension of the due date is sufficient.

Unexcused Makeup Work - If you have not requested an extension prior to the assignment due date, the late assignment will be considered unexcused.

Unexcused makeup work will be penalized 10% for each day the assignment is late after the 7th day following the due date listed on the calendar. For example, if the assignment is due on March 7th, then unexcused makeup work submitted after March 14th will receive a 10% per day deduction in points.

Please let me know if you have questions about this policy.

Academic Honesty & Misconduct
“Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others’ academic endeavors. Students who violate these standards must be confronted and must accept the consequences of their actions.

Definitions of academic dishonesty as provided by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators include:

Cheating - The use or attempted use of unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.

Plagiarism - The use of others’ ideas and words without a clear acknowledgement of the source.

Fabrication - The intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in 1any academic exercise.

Assisting - The facilitation or assistance in academic dishonesty.

UW-Stout also considers academic dishonesty to include forgery of academic documents, or intentionally impeding or damaging the academic work of others.

Preparing for Your Online Class
Complete a short orientation checklist to make sure you're ready for the class to begin.