Math 589: Teaching and Presentation of Mathematics 

INSTRUCTOR: Professor Brooke Shipley, SEO 312 or 508, shipleyb@uic.edu 

CLASS MEETINGS: Mondays and Wednesdays 3pm - 3:50pm, in SEO 600 

COURSE WEBSITE: http://www.math.uic.edu/~bshipley/math589.f2019.html 

OFFICE HOURS: TBA and by appointment (right before or after class is also a good time for questions) 

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The goal of this two credit hour course is to aid MSCS teaching assistants in developing teaching skills and methods. The course also addresses problems that may arise in the classroom and offers insights and mentoring for a successful graduate career. 

GRADING POLICY: Attendance 20%, Participation 40%, Assignments and Presentations 40%. You are expected to attend all of the class meetings and actively participate; permission for a non-emergency class absence must be requested in advance. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Each student is allowed two absences and four late arrivals for personal reasons. After that each unexcused absence results in losing 4% of your total grade and each late arrival results in losing 2% of your total grade. Excused absences must be arranged ahead of time, except in case of emergencies.  

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Students with disabilities who require accommodations for full access and participation in UIC Programs must be registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). Please contact DRC at (312) 413-2183 (voice) or (312) 413- 0123 (TDD). 

COURSE BOOK: "Teaching Mathematics in Colleges and Universities: Case Studies for Today's Classroom," by Solomon Friedberg et al. available at the AMS Bookstore among other places. 

COURSE TOPICS:  Teaching Skills and Methods: Active learning, group work, listening to students, pacing your presentation, giving and receiving constructive criticism  Course Mechanics: Using TeX to write a quiz or worksheet, evaluation and grading, dealing with cheating, course evaluations, meeting with supervisors  Graduate Career: Preparing a CV, web page, teaching portfolio, and seminar talk; applying for fellowships, master's exam, choosing an advisor, professional society memberships, employment opportunities, thesis research, balancing roles as student and TA 

OTHER COURSE ACTIVITIES: Teaching presentations by each class member; discussions of classroom case studies from Teaching Mathematics in Colleges and Universities: Case Studies for Today's Classroom, by Solomon Friedberg et al; observations of other teachers

TA RESOURCES: MSCS Graduate Studies website and 2019-2020 TA Handbook  (link updated Aug. 27)

Handouts:
Surviving the First Day

Spring 2019 TA review form (for TAC visits)

Assignment for visiting senior TAs, due September 23

Mindset Quiz (p1) Take this quiz and record your answers. (This is only for your own reference, but have a written record of your answers that you can refer to in class on Monday, 9/16.)
Growth Mindset Reading for after you take the quiz, due Monday, September 16. Focus on the two middle sections on fixed mindsets and growth mindsets in classroom practices.
The Power of Belief (TED talk by Eduardo Briceno) A video you may want to watch after taking the Mindset Quiz. You can focus on the first 5 minutes and 30 seconds.

Here are two worksheets we'll use in class: Reframing for Growth Mindset and Growth Mindset Scenarios.
These worksheets come from a website for developing growth mindset for educators: Mindset Kit for teachers

Seven Characteristics of Calculus Programs Reading for before class on September 18. Focus on number 3 through 7 of the seven characteristics.
Who is switching out of Calculus and why? Supplemental (not required) reading for class on September 18. The most relevant material is on p. 6.

Assignment for peer visits and presentations.

In all emails sent to Professor Shipley about this class, please include "589" in the subject line.

CV and Quiz assignments due November 13 in class:
Two assignments for your graduate career (see also website assignment below). I recommend completing one per week (and you have a couple weeks to spare.)
Some useful guidance about creating a website and a CV is available here, starting at page 7.
(The first pages are about a teaching statement. We'll discuss that as well later.)

1) Write a CV in TeX. Send your TeX file to me by email. Either send a PDF file of your CV also by email, or hand this in on paper.
Many examples of TeX files which can be modified to write your CV are available here.
(If you are a MST grad student, the TeX requirement is waived here and you just need to hand in a cv on paper or a PDF by email.)

2) Write either a quiz or a worksheet for your class (at least 3 problems, possibly using TeX, possibly not, for a student to turn in - so put a space for a name and leave space for the student to work the problems.) Hand this in on paper, or send a PDF by email. Many examples of TeX files which can be modified to create a quiz are available here. One example asks the student for their SSN (social security number), this is not allowed now.

Website assignment due December 2:
Create your own website. Once it is done, send me a link to your website in an email.
One tutorial for how to create a website is available here. Another tutorial is available here. Bring your questions about this on November 18 and 20. We'll use those two classes to work on websites in a computer lab. More details closer to that time.



Extra reading and references:

For future reference a good resource for applying for jobs: here.

Classroom activities for active learning 4 pages long.

Student engagement strategies 1 page.