Expectations of Students

• Students are expected to attend class. It is my desire to make every class an experience rather than an event. Experiences cannot be duplicated or “made up”. Experiences require participation. One learns from experiences! Events can be duplicated. Some are held annually. One can attend an event and not participate, but passively observe. I hope a student misses a lot if he misses my class, for if he doesn’t, I have failed. For each class session, I plan student experiences, not teacher events. Upon contacting me after an absence, please don’t ask, “Did I miss anything?” If I ever anticipate that nothing worthwhile will occur during a class session, I will dismiss the class at the beginning of the session, rather than waiting till the end.

• Students are expected to learn the language of mathematics. An encounter with mathematics requires communication—understanding its language and symbolism. Many words used in the communication of mathematics have the same meaning in a mathematical context as they have in everyday conversation. However, there are well over 100 common words in conversational English that have different meanings when used in a mathematical context. And, there are many words that only have a singular mathematical meaning. Mathematics is rife with symbols! One cannot read mathematics nor understand a mathematics presentation without attention to the meanings of the symbols. Symbols facilitate the communication of mathematical ideas—if the hearer understands the meaning of the symbols. Knowing the language and symbols of mathematics is essential to understanding others talk about mathematics and in communicating mathematics to others.

• Students are expected to think. Some make the assumption that they are asked to think when they are asked to recall a piece of information stored in their memory. Recall is a very low level of thinking. Thinking mathematically is the manipulation and organization of basic elements or “facts”, oftentimes referred to as mathematical reasoning. There must be pieces of information stored in ones memory, if one is to think mathematically. Thus, thinking mathematically does, in fact, require the recall of “facts”. But, the result of mathematical thinking and reasoning is the derivation of new information not previously stored in ones memory. The derivation of new information is the acquisition of knowledge, which is a major objective of the university experience.

• Students are expected to come to class prepared to learn. Students should arrive with a desire to learn. Students should be mentally and psychologically ready. Students should arrive punctually with needed materials and have assignments completed before entering the classroom. Students should be free of personal distractions and able to focus on the classroom experience for the duration of the class session.

• Students are expected to be active learners in class. Students are expected to be active participants, not passive observers. Students are expected to ask questions when they do not understand. When instructed to perform a learning task, students are expected to give the task their best effort rather than waiting to observe someone else perform the task. Students are expected to respond when asked for a response.

• Students are responsible for their own learning. One measure of maturity is taking responsibility for ones own behavior. Students are expected to read any assigned written material. Students are expected to take notes in class to assist in both learning and reviewing. Students are expected to complete assignments, whether collected or not. Assignments are given to assist in the learning process. Students are expected to review class notes and reading material periodically. It is unreasonable for students to expect an instructor to reward them for every effort they make to learn. No teacher can monitor and reward every student’s every behavior directed toward learning. Successful students take responsibility for their own learning.

• Students are expected to be respectful. Students are expected to show other students and the instructor common courtesies. Students are expected to refrain from talking when the instructor is talking. Every student is a member of a community of learners who should take responsibility in assisting others in their learning and, in turn, expecting others to give assistance when needed.