Welcome to Math at The
Potter's School 2008-2009
Welcome to an information page about
math classes offered at Potter's School. On this page you will find out many
different things about math tutorials offered at the school. We can encourage
students, explain techniques to solve problems and tie loose ends together in
the textbook. We provide assistance with daily work through email. We correct
tests. We just can't make the student do the work. That is the Principal's
(parent's) job. We desire to work together with you to help your son/daughter's
math experience be the best that it can be. Our program utilizes the curriculum
developed by the
SUCCESS
At Potter's School we are strongly
committed to placing students to ensure success. After that placement comes the
commitment of the student, parent and teacher working together to achieve
success. As the principal of the home school it is the parents responsibility
to follow the student's progress and help the student manage their time wisely
to meet their course schedule.
Commitment of the Student: The student
will be expected to keep up with the daily work. The student will ask questions
and let the teacher and/or parent know when help is needed.
Commitment of the Parent: The parent
should be available to supervise and encourage. They will also be required to
proctor tests. The parent corrects daily work and decides how to average those
together with the test average. The parent is the Principal of the home school.
Commitment of the Teacher: In addition to
a 90 minute, once a week lecture, the teacher will provide a calendar of
assignments which will be updated monthly. The teacher will provide tests and
additional worksheets when necessary. The teacher will answer email daily and
will strive to have less then a 48 hour turn around time on returning corrected
tests.
OVERVIEW
1) Class meets 90 minutes once a week.
2) Maximum of 15 students per class.
3) Lessons for the next five days are
discussed during the 90 minute class session. The instructor uses a microphone
and a digital whiteboard to diagram problems as well as explain lessons from
the textbook. The students interact with the teacher and other students via
audio and chat box.
4) Daily homework assignments are posted
on a calendar at a website. Students generally spend at least 1 hour for
Transition Math and Algebra and 1 1/2 hours for Geometry, Advanced Algebra,
FST, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus each day. Either the parent or student
(supervised by the parent) corrects the homework using a solution manual. We do
have assignments scheduled on the day of class.
5) All tests are downloaded in a pdf
file format, printed and taken by the student. The parent proctors and snail
mails the test to the instructor including a self-addressed stamped envelope.
The instructor corrects and returns the test. We strive to have a 48 hour turn
around time.
6) The instructor provides you with a
grade for the course based solely on test averages. It is then up to the
Principal of your home school (the parent) to decide how to average the daily
work with the tests for a final grade.
7) The instructor is available via email
to answer questions. We use digital whiteboard files to diagram problems and
these can be attached to emails.
ADDITIONAL COSTS
1) The textbook and solution manual are
ordered directly by the parent from the TPS Bookstore. They range in price from
$140 - $150 (all together) including shipping and handling. You will receive
information about ordering as it becomes available and you are confirmed in a
class.
2) You will be asked to mail tests to
the instructor along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. There are about 15
tests to be mailed in for the course of the year.
3) Geometry is the one course that
requires an additional software package. We use Geometer's Sketchpad (a dynamic
drawing program). This software is about $45 including shipping and handling. More
information will be available as classes are established.
4) Algebra and Geometry require a basic
scientific calculator. Advanced Algebra,
FST, PreCalculus, and Calculus also require a
Graphing Calculator. The TI-83, or TI-84 are the ones
that we will be able to tech support in class. This is the calculator allowed
for the SAT and ACT so you will gain experience for standardized tests.
PREREQUISITES and
PLACEMENT
1) Transition Math - Permission of Instructor and a B+
average or better in Saxon 7/6 or equivalent course.
Questions? Contact Lori Martin at MrsMartin@pottersschool.org or
Contact Rachel Arney at MrsArney@pottersschool.org
2) Algebra - Permission of Instructor or a B or better in UCSMP Transition
Math.
Questions? Contact Lisa Crosby at: MrsCrosby@pottersschool.org or
Contact Samuel Gray at MrGray@pottersschool.org
3) Geometry - Permission of Instructor or a B or better in UCSMP Algebra.
Questions?
Contact Vernice Koemmpel at MrsK@pottersschool.org
or
4) Advanced Algebra - Permission of Instructor or a B or better in UCSMP Geometry.
Questions?
Contact Vernice Koemmpel at MrsK@pottersschool.org
5) FST - Functions, Statistics, and
Trigonometry - Permission of Instructor or a B or better in UCSMP Advanced
Algebra.
Questions? Contact
Contact Lori Martin at MrsMartin@pottersschool.org
6) PDM
- Probability and Discrete Mathematics - PreCalculus
- Permission of Instructor or a B or better in UCSMP FST.
Questions? Contact Lori Martin at MrsMartin@pottersschool.org
7) Calculus Permission of Instructor or a B or better in UCSMP PDM.
Questions?
Contact
If this is your first year in the UCSMP
curriculum you will need to contact the instructor to find out the correct
placement in the series. Please
register for your desired course and have the student take the placement test
for the course (linked below). You will be emailed information
from the instructor once your registration is received concerning the
evaluation of the placement test and further approval information. This placement test is used as a guideline
and does not automatically place a student in a particular class. This test score is one of many factors
considered in our goal of placing students in the most appropriate course where
they will be prepared for the content and experience success. If you have further questions please contact
the instructor for the course.
Transition Math
Placement Test
Advanced Algebra
Placement Test
Functions,
Statistics, and Trigonometry Placement Test
Thank you for your interest in
Potter's School. Please let us know how we can be of service to you.
Schedule 2008-2009 (Section number precedes the name of the
class)
|
|
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
|
1 Algebra |
2 PDM (Precalculus) |
4 Geometry 3 FST |
2 Transition |
3 Transition 6 Algebra |
|
|
2 Algebra |
1 FST 1 Geometry |
1 Transition 5 Geometry 3 Adv Alg |
|
|
|
|
1 Calculus |
2 Geometry 1 Adv Alg |
4 Adv Alg |
4 Algebra |
|
|
|
|
3 Geometry 2 Adv Alg |
6 Geometry 5 Adv Alg |
5 Algebra |
|
|
|
3 Algebra 1 PDM (Precalculus) |
2 FST 4 Transition |
7 Geometry |
|
|
|
4:45 6:15 |
|
|
|
|
|
Why (UCSMP)?
Saxon is a fine
program for the grammar (elementary) years where math facts and drills are most
helpful. However, in our opinion, the "brute force" drill-centered
approach which makes it a strong choice for elementary application makes it
less desirable in the dialectic and rhetoric (secondary) years where concepts
and abstractions become prevalent. To be more specific, here are the weaknesses
perceived in Saxon that have lead us to adopt the UCSMP ("Chicago
Math") series for our secondary math tutorials (we would like to thank
Janna Gilbert for the following 4 point evaluation):
1 Saxon uses a formulaic approach with little emphasis on
teaching the students to think their way through a problem. Saxon gives
students a rote method of solution, then drills them
until they know that method. But experience shows Saxon students often stumble
when a similar problem is posed in an unfamiliar form because they don't really
understand the reasons behind the method they've been taught. The UCSMP
approach, in contrast, stresses first understanding a class of problems and
then examines various methods of solution. In short, it encourages the students
to think and understand what they're doing.
2 Saxon offers little real-life application of concepts. The
"So what?" question is never asked and the student is given no reason
to learn the material. Failing to make math relevant is like teaching a student
to read words without introducing them to books. The UCSMP series, on the other
hand, does a commendable job of applying math to situations which are of
interest to the student.
3 For many students the brute force "drill and kill"
approach is demotivating. It is also time-consuming,
considering the length of the average Saxon problem set. In the UCSMP approach,
though a student must initially exert more effort to understand a particular
concept, the rewards are tangible: similar-but-not-identical problems are easy
vice bewildering, less effort is required master new related concepts
, and less subsequent review is required because memorization was not
the primary learning tool.
4 We find the organization of Saxon's material to be suboptimal.
Conceptual math, like most subjects, is a series of interrelated topics.
Learning is enhanced when students understand the relationships between the
various parts. Saxon presents each topic essentially in isolation from previous
ones with little regard for the order of presentation. UCSMP endeavors to build
new concepts from past ones, enhancing understanding acquired in earlier chapters.
To summarize, we believe the Saxon approach is not ideal for secondary math
courses. It builds few critical thinking skills and provides little foundation
for future application; for some it is confusing and demotivating.
In our view it does not optimize preparation for college entrance exams such as
the SATs, which is probably its primary goal. Even for a liberal arts student
we consider a more conceptual approach to basic secondary mathematics to be the
superior alternative. In fact, the traditional classical education included
Algebra and Geometry among the core subjects.