Answer the following based on the syllabus for this class. Raise hands when completed.
What is the preparation for next class? Can you work with other classmates on these tasks?
What is "active learning"?
What is WeBWorK homework? Can you do the first task?
What are "MP"? How many MP does each student begin with? What is your estimated final points if you have 27 MP of 35 MP at midterm?
How would you recommend a student prepare for the graded assignments? (i.e., How would you recommend a student study for math class?)
Is this a "teaching methods" course? That is, a course designed teach you how to teach mathematics. (hint: no)
Why is it important to be able to do mathematics multiple ways?
Who is _____?
Which recommendation do you think will be most helpful and why? Which recommendation, if any, doesn't seem to be helpful?
Why was the math book so sad?
Ask one question about the course.
What is a statistical question?
For each of the following, decide whether or not it is a statistical question. What makes them statistical? Feel free to look up definitions of "statistical" to help you classify the questions below.
Statistical questions imply variability, possibly due to randomness.
How heavy is my backpack? (not statistical)
How heavy are the backpacks of the students in this class? (statistical)
How much time did you spend doing homework yesterday? (not statistical)
How much time did students at the university spend doing homework? (statistical)
A bag contains 10 red marbles and 10 white marbles. If you reach into the bag and pull out 5 marbles, how many red marbles did you get? (statistical because it is unknown how many red marbles will be drawn; more commonly this is called probability)
What is the area of a circle with radius measuring 3 cm? (not statistical)
A factory produces widgets. As an experiment, 3 widgets were found to be defective out of 100 that were randomly chosen. If there are 5000 widgets total, how many would you expect to be defective? Why? (There are 50 groups of 100 in 5000, i.e., 5000/100 = 50. If each group has 3 defects, this is 50 * 3 = 150 defects. Some students will represent this as a proportion, \( \frac{3}{100} = \frac{x}{5000} \). Some variability due to sampling so this is a statistical question.)
Current 2021 iMac computers have seven color options, two RAM options, four SSD storage options, and three options for inputs. How many computers would a store like BestBuy need to stock to have one of every type? (For a real challenge, also consider lower end 2-port model with the following options: 4 colors, 2 RAM, 3 SSD hard drives, 2 ethernet, 3 inputs.) This is not a statistical question, but a counting question that will be important for discussion of probabilities. There are \( 7 * 2 * 4 * 3 = 168 \) options for regular models. For the lower end models there are \( 4 * 2 * 3 * 2 * 3 = 144 \) options. This means that BestBuy would need to stock 312 total computers to have one of each.
Adapted from Beckmann, CA 15A.1
Review: Fraction operations
For each of the expressions below:
Compute expression at least two different ways
Identify likely misconceptions that students might have