Lecture 1 for Math 221 will follow some patterns that will not be common to other
lectures and that will improve both your learning and preparation. It is important
that you understand both the structure and the purpose of this class, so, please,
be sure to read what follows carefully and completely, perhaps more than once,
and be sure that everything is clear.
Our lecture does not use a textbook. We will be using notes that were
written by Prof. Sigurd Angenent for the course. Using notes is considerably
different that using textbooks, its use is meant to facilitate the maturity of
students into a more active learning style. The main differences are:
You will be asked to read the notes before lectures and to answer
a short question before attending (the pre-Lecture quiz). This will be a computer-based
multiple-choice question. You can find the quiz at our
Moodle page The quiz will open at 12am the day before lecture and will close 15 minutes
before lecture, you will not be able to take the quiz after it closes.
The quiz will start during the second week of classes. It is very important
that you read the notes before lecture and that you take the pre-Lecture quiz.
Lecture is brief and you might not be able to grasp concepts and ideas well unless
you come in already prepared. Unlike high school, we will not repeat concepts once
they have been covered and you will have a very limited time to assimilate them well
before moving on. The best way to organize your study is:
Come to class already having read and knowing what will be covered,
Listen to the lecture and ask whatever you did not understand well when you read the material.
Review all the material right after lecture and start working on assignments.
Lecture will only cover 10% of what you need to learn, the rest is up to you. Procrastination
is heavily paid for in College, so keep good habits if you want to be successful.
There are few answers to problems, which causes considerable anxiety. We are trying to move
students into needing less immediate feedback and to rely more on their own judgment. Students
often work "backwards" when they have the answer, starting at the answer and finding their way
to the question. This process goes against the understanding of the concepts and should be avoided.
One of the things you need to learn is to identify clearly what it is that you do not know/understand,
and this requires gaining good judgment. Good interaction with TAs and lecturer, and group work should
be a substitute for having solutions. You will be able to get all solutions after you complete the assignments.
The notes do not have as many examples as a regular textbook, and examples are not repetitive.
Again, students feel anxious about this as it takes them a while to gain the self-confidence they need
not to require so many examples. Please, read the examples at hand and try problems on your own. Even
if you have always needed lots of examples, part of what we are trying to teach you is to be self-reliant
and to try on your own problems you might not have seen before. In later semesters (and in real life!)
you will not be given continuous guidance, so now is the time to move in that direction!
Part of the homework assigned to students will be "Group problems" labeled as such in the notes.
You do not have the option of individual work in this portion of the homework. Group problems
are either harder problems or problems that require more thinking and discussion than standard ones.
Many students are not used to working this way so now is the time to learn! Each TA will organize the
groups, and you will need to notify the TA if the group changes. There will be specific times and places
when groups can meet and work on group problems with the help of a TA. It is better if the group work
takes place at a time and a place that might allow you and your group to continue working on assignments.
They are meant to encourage interaction, study groups and to change the way students work, moving them
into a more critical and analytical style. We strongly encourage you to form study groups outside class
and to work with others in the standard homework. Although you do need to be able to solve problems on your own, solving them (by yourself)
with other people around is a better and a more fun way to work!
Our lecture has ties to student housing. Several, although not all, of our sections will have students
who live in the same dorm. Dorm-sections will have one discussion section and group work at the dorms.