Dept of Physics & Astronomy » PHYS206 common webpage » Recitation information

Expectations for Participation and Preparation in Recitations

What do we do in recitations?

Recitation provides an opportunity for students to work together in a small group on challenging problems that are designed to build conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. The emphasis is on learning to find, evaluate, and build confidence in answers. Recitations are not a repeat of the material covered in the text or lectures, or of the homework problems. In recitation, you will learn to:

• Apply your critical-thinking skills to the problem-solving methods you use
• Seek out, analyze, and provide feedback on input from other group members
• Form tests of the reasonableness of your answers

These are the process skills that can improve your performance on the exams and in your subsequent courses, when you are faced with new, often challenging, problems.

Why is it important to participate in – and be prepared for – recitations?

It is important that students participate in recitations so that they can learn from each other. We know that active involvement in learning increases what is remembered, how well it is assimilated, and how the learning is used in new situations. In making statements to peers about their own thoughts on a topic, students must articulate those thoughts and also submit them to (hopefully constructive) examination by others. It is important that students come prepared, with good familiarity with the material covered in the text, lectures, and on the homework, so that they can focus on the parts they don't understand and build connections between concepts. In listening to their peers, students hear many different ways of interpreting and applying class material, and thus are able to integrate many examples of how to use the information. Especially in a course that stresses application of material to solving problems, extensive participation in group discussions is an essential element of students' learning.

How is participation and preparation in recitations graded?

Participation in, and preparation for, each recitation session is graded on a scale from 0 (lowest) through 2 (highest), using the criteria stated below. The criteria focus on what you demonstrate and do not presume to guess at what you know but do not demonstrate. This is because what you offer to the group is what you and others learn from. At the end of the semester, the grades from all recitations will be averaged to determine the overall grade for recitation.

Recitation Problems

Recitation problems are intended to be sufficiently challenging that a single student working alone will have difficulty answering them, but a group of students working together in recitation will be able to answer them. To get the most out of recitation, you should try to work out the problems on your own before recitation. If you have any difficulties, you should make a note of them so that you can bring them up for discussion in recitation.

Below are the questions that will students should work on during the recitations. Depending on the semester and the day of the week of your recitation, certain recitations may cover multiple files below. The schedule for recitations based the day of the week can be found here: Recitation Schedule by day.

Here are 7 "quizzes" covering expected skills in algebra, trig, differentiation and integration: Math Preparedness Quizzes
Chapter 1 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 2 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 3 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 4 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 5 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 6 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 7 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 8 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 9 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 10 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 10 and 11 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 13 and the corresponding Answers
Chapter 14 and the corresponding Answers