Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You'd Had


Book Description

Ask mathematicians to describe mathematics and they' ll use words like playful, beautiful, and creative. Pose the same question to students and many will use words like boring, useless, and even humiliating. Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You' d Had, author Tracy Zager helps teachers close this gap by making math class more like mathematics. Zager has spent years working with highly skilled math teachers in a diverse range of settings and grades and has compiled those' ideas from these vibrant classrooms into' this game-changing book. Inside you' ll find: ' How to Teach Student-Centered Mathematics:' Zager outlines a problem-solving approach to mathematics for elementary and middle school educators looking for new ways to inspire student learning Big Ideas, Practical Application:' This math book contains dozens of practical and accessible teaching techniques that focus on fundamental math concepts, including strategies that simulate connection of big ideas; rich tasks that encourage students to wonder, generalize, hypothesize, and persevere; and routines to teach students how to collaborate Key Topics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers:' Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You' d Had' offers fresh perspectives on common challenges, from formative assessment to classroom management for elementary and middle school teachers No matter what level of math class you teach, Zager will coach you along chapter by chapter. All teachers can move towards increasingly authentic and delightful mathematics teaching and learning. This important book helps develop instructional techniques that will make the math classes we teach so much better than the math classes we took.




The Imperfect and Unfinished Math Teacher [Grades K-12]


Book Description

The system won’t do it for us. But we have each other. In The Imperfect and Unfinished Math Teacher: A Journey to Reclaim Our Professional Growth, master storyteller Chase Orton offers a vulnerable and courageous grassroots guide that leads K-12 math teachers through a journey to cultivate a more equitable, inclusive, and cohesive culture of professionalism for themselves...what he calls professional flourishment. The book builds from two bold premises. First, that as educators, we are all naturally imperfect and unfinished, and growth should be our constant goal. Second, that the last 40 years of top-down PD efforts in mathematics have rarely supplied teachers with what they need to equitably grow their practice and foster classrooms that are likewise empowered, inclusive, and cohesive. With gentle humanity, this book inspires teachers to break down silos, observe each others’ classrooms, interrogate their own biases, and put students at the center of everything they do in the math classroom. This book: Weaves raw and authentic stories—both personal and those from other educators—into a relatable and validating narrative Offers interactive opportunities to self-reflect, build relationships, seek new vantage on our teaching by observing others’ classrooms and students, and share and listen to other’s stories and experiences Asks teachers to give and accept grace as they work collaboratively to better themselves and the system from within, so that they can truly serve each of their students authentically and equitably Implementing the beliefs and actions in this book will position teachers to become more active partners in each other’s professional growth so that they can navigate the obstacles in their professional landscape with renewed focus and a greater sense of individual and collective efficacy. It equips teachers—and by extension, their students—to chart their own course and author their own equitable and joyful mathematical and professional stories.




The Mathematics Teacher in the Digital Era


Book Description

This volume addresses the key issue of the initial education and lifelong professional learning of teachers of mathematics to enable them to realize the affordances of educational technology for mathematics. With invited contributions from leading scholars in the field, this volume contains a blend of research articles and descriptive texts. In the opening chapter John Mason invites the reader to engage in a number of mathematics tasks that highlight important features of technology-mediated mathematical activity. This is followed by three main sections: An overview of current practices in teachers’ use of digital technologies in the classroom and explorations of the possibilities for developing more effective practices drawing on a range of research perspectives (including grounded theory, enactivism and Valsiner’s zone theory). A set of chapters that share many common constructs (such as instrumental orchestration, instrumental distance and double instrumental genesis) and research settings that have emerged from the French research community, but have also been taken up by other colleagues. Meta-level considerations of research in the domain by contrasting different approaches and proposing connecting or uniting elements




Handbook of Mathematics


Book Description




Principles of Mathematics Book 1 Teacher Guide


Book Description

Teacher Guide for Book 1 of the Principles of Mathematics - Biblical Worldview Curriculum for junior high! Math is a real-life tool that points us to God and helps us explore His creation, yet it often comes across as dry facts and meaningless rules. Here at last is a curriculum that has a biblical worldview integrated throughout the text and problems, not just added as an afterthought. The resources in the Teacher Guide will help students master and apply the skills learned in the Student Textbook. What does this Teacher Guide include? Worksheets, Quizzes, and Tests: These perforated, three-hole punched pages help provide practice on the principles taught in the main student textbook.Answer Keys: The answers are included for the worksheets, quizzes, and tests found in this Teacher Guide.Schedule: A suggested calendar schedule is provided for completing the material in one year, though this can be adapted to meet individual student needs. There is also an accelerated schedule for completing the material in one semester. Are there any prerequisites for this course? This curriculum is aimed at grades 6-8, fitting into most math approaches the year or two years prior to starting high school algebra. If following traditional grade levels, Book 1 should be completed in grade 6 or 7, and Book 2 in grade 7 or 8. In Book 1 students should have a basic knowledge of arithmetic (basic arithmetic will be reviewed, but at a fast pace and while teaching problem-solving skills and a biblical worldview of math) and sufficient mental development to think through the concepts and examples given. Typically, anyone in sixth grade or higher should be prepared to begin. The focus of the course is actually learning math for life, not simply preparing to pass a test.




The Mathematics That Every Secondary School Math Teacher Needs to Know


Book Description

Designed to help pre-service and in-service teachers gain the knowledge they need to facilitate students' understanding, competency, and interest in mathematics, the revised and updated Second Edition of this popular text and resource bridges the gap between the mathematics learned in college and the mathematics taught in secondary schools. Highlighting multiple types of mathematical understanding to deepen insight into the secondary school mathematics curriculum, it addresses typical areas of difficulty and common student misconceptions so teachers can involve their students in learning mathematics in a way that is interesting, interconnected, understandable, and often surprising and entertaining. Six content strands are discussed—Numbers and Operations; Algebra; Geometry; Measurement; Data Analysis and Probability; and Proof, Functions, and Mathematical Modeling. The informal, clear style supports an interactive learner-centered approach through engaging pedagogical features: Launch Questions at the beginning of each section capture interest and involve readers in learning the mathematical concepts. Practice Problems provide opportunities to apply what has been learned and complete proofs. Questions from the Classroom bring the content to life by addressing the deep "why" conceptual questions that middle or secondary school students are curious about, and questions that require analysis and correction of typical student errors and misconceptions; focus on counter intuitive results; and contain activities and/or tasks suitable for use with students. Changes in the Second Edition New sections on Robotics, Calculators, Matrix Operations, Cryptography, and the Coefficient of Determination New problems, simpler proofs, and more illustrative examples Answers and hints for selected problems provided




Learning to Love Math


Book Description

Is there a way to get students to love math? Dr. Judy Willis responds with an emphatic yes in this informative guide to getting better results in math class. Tapping into abundant research on how the brain works, Willis presents a practical approach for how we can improve academic results by demonstrating certain behaviors and teaching students in a way that minimizes negativity. With a straightforward and accessible style, Willis shares the knowledge and experience she has gained through her dual careers as a math teacher and a neurologist. In addition to learning basic brain anatomy and function, readers will learn how to * Improve deep-seated negative attitudes toward math. * Plan lessons with the goal of "achievable challenge" in mind. * Reduce mistake anxiety with techniques such as errorless math and estimation. * Teach to different individual learning strengths and skill levels. * Spark motivation. * Relate math to students' personal interests and goals. * Support students in setting short-term and long-term goals. * Convince students that they can change their intelligence. With dozens of strategies teachers can use right now, Learning to Love Math puts the power of research directly into the hands of educators. A Brain Owner's Manual, which dives deeper into the structure and function of the brain, is also included—providing a clear explanation of how memories are formed and how skills are learned. With informed teachers guiding them, students will discover that they can build a better brain . . . and learn to love math!




Teaching Math at a Distance, Grades K-12


Book Description

Make Rich Math Instruction Come to Life Online In an age when distance learning has become part of the "new normal," educators know that rich remote math teaching involves more than direct instruction, online videos, and endless practice problems on virtual worksheets. Using both personal experience and those of teachers in real K-12 online classrooms, distance learning mathematics veteran Theresa Wills translates all we know about research-based, equitable, rigorous face-to-face mathematics instruction into an online venue. This powerful guide equips math teachers to: Build students’ agency, identity, and strong math communities Promote mathematical thinking, collaboration, and discourse Incorporate rich mathematics tasks and assign meaningful homework and practice Facilitate engaging online math instruction using virtual manipulatives and other concrete learning tools Recognize and address equity and inclusion challenges associated with distance learning Assess mathematics learning from a distance With examples across the grades, links to tutorials and templates, and space to reflect and plan, Teaching Math at a Distance offers the support, clarity, and inspiration needed to guide teachers through teaching math remotely without sacrificing deep learning and academic growth.




Teaching Numeracy


Book Description

Transform mathematics learning from “doing” to “thinking” American students are losing ground in the global mathematical environment. What many of them lack is numeracy—the ability to think through the math and apply it outside of the classroom. Referencing the new common core and NCTM standards, the authors outline nine critical thinking habits that foster numeracy and show you how to: Monitor and repair students’ understanding Guide students to recognize patterns Encourage questioning for understanding Develop students’ mathematics vocabulary Included are several numeracy-rich lesson plans, complete with clear directions and student handouts.




Strengths-Based Teaching and Learning in Mathematics


Book Description

"This book is a game changer! Strengths-Based Teaching and Learning in Mathematics: 5 Teaching Turnarounds for Grades K- 6 goes beyond simply providing information by sharing a pathway for changing practice. . . Focusing on our students’ strengths should be routine and can be lost in the day-to-day teaching demands. A teacher using these approaches can change the trajectory of students’ lives forever. All teachers need this resource! Connie S. Schrock Emporia State University National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics President, 2017-2019 NEW COVID RESOURCES ADDED: A Parent’s Toolkit to Strengths-Based Learning in Math is now available on the book’s companion website to support families engaged in math learning at home. This toolkit provides a variety of home-based activities and games for families to engage in together. Your game plan for unlocking mathematics by focusing on students’ strengths. We often evaluate student thinking and their work from a deficit point of view, particularly in mathematics, where many teachers have been taught that their role is to diagnose and eradicate students’ misconceptions. But what if instead of focusing on what students don’t know or haven’t mastered, we identify their mathematical strengths and build next instructional steps on students’ points of power? Beth McCord Kobett and Karen S. Karp answer this question and others by highlighting five key teaching turnarounds for improving students’ mathematics learning: identify teaching strengths, discover and leverage students’ strengths, design instruction from a strengths-based perspective, help students identify their points of power, and promote strengths in the school community and at home. Each chapter provides opportunities to stop and consider current practice, reflect, and transfer practice while also sharing · Downloadable resources, activities, and tools · Examples of student work within Grades K–6 · Real teachers’ notes and reflections for discussion It’s time to turn around our approach to mathematics instruction, end deficit thinking, and nurture each student’s mathematical strengths by emphasizing what makes them each unique and powerful.