Elementary Mathematics Specialists


Book Description

Elementary mathematics specialists are teacher leaders who are responsible for supporting effective PK–6 mathematics instruction and student learning. The Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics, the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in a 2010 joint position paper on Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs), all advocate for the use of EMSs to support the teaching and learning of mathematics. The specific roles and expectations of EMSs will vary according to the needs of each setting, “but their expertise and successful experience at the elementary level is critical” (p 1). Elementary Mathematics Specialists: Developing, Refining, and Examining Programs that Support Mathematics Teaching and Learning is AMTE’s latest resource supporting the important work of EMSs. It has five sections related to the preparation and professional development of EMSs: (a) Overview and Current State of Affairs; (b) Models of EMS Program Development & Delivery; (c) Supporting EMSs in the Field; (d) The Mathematics Specialist Research; and (e) Future Directions. The book provides support to EMS practitioners, program providers/developers, and researchers seeking to answer important questions about how to prepare Mathematics Specialists, support them in the field, and research their effectiveness.




Becoming a Primary Mathematics Specialist Teacher


Book Description

What is the role of the mathematics specialist? What is deep subject knowledge in mathematics? What sort of pedagogical knowledge does a mathematics specialist need? How can you best support your colleagues to improve mathematics teaching and learning? Becoming a Primary Mathematics Specialist Teacher helps you explore the role of the specialist in promoting positive attitudes towards mathematics and developing the teaching and learning of mathematics in your primary school. Illustrated throughout with classroom-based examples and referenced to relevant research, it is designed to support your development as a reflective practitioner who can confidently review and develop practice in your own classroom, as well as challenge and move the whole school forward through collaborative professional development. Essential topics explored include: The nature of the role of the primary mathematics specialist Understanding how attitudes to mathematics evolve, and why it is crucial to challenge and change negativity What we mean by deep subject knowledge in primary mathematics Pedagogical knowledge of how mathematics is taught and learned The skills of coaching and mentoring to support teachers and teaching assistants Unpicking the principles of progression for high quality teaching in all years groups The key features of deep subject knowledge and pedagogy in three areas of the curriculum: multiplication, time and data handling. Becoming a Primary Mathematics Specialist Teacher is an essential source of guidance and ideas for all primary school teachers aiming to achieve Mathematics Specialist status or already taking this role, those studying primary mathematics as a specialism and at masters level, and for all primary mathematics co-ordinators.




Partnering With Parents in Elementary School Math


Book Description

How to build productive relationships in math education I wasn’t taught this way. I can’t help my child! These are common refrains from today’s parents and guardians, who are often overwhelmed, confused, worried, and frustrated about how to best support their children with what they see as the "new math." The problem has been compounded by the shift to more distance learning in response to a global pandemic. Partnering With Parents in Elementary School Math provides educators with long overdue guidance on how to productively partner and communicate with families about their children’s mathematics learning. It includes reproducible surveys, letters, and planning documents that can be used to improve the home-school relationship, which in turn helps students, parents, teachers, and education leaders alike. Readers will find guidance on how to: · Understand and empathize with what fuels parents’ anxieties and concerns · Align as a school and set parents’ expectations about what math instruction their children will experience and how it will help them · Communicate clearly and productively with parents about their students’ progress, strengths, and needs in math · Run informative and fun family events · support homework · Coach parents to portray a productive disposition about math in front of their children Educators, families, and students are best served when proactive, productive, and healthy relationships have been developed with each other and with the realities of today′s math education. This guide shows how these relationships can be built.




The Elementary Mathematics Specialist's Handbook


Book Description

Placing mathematics specialists in elementary schools is a recent development that is gaining momentum as schools move to more rigorous standards, including the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Working with teachers to improve schoolwide mathematics performance, the mathematics specialist is unique among the specialists at elementary schools today. In this handbook: Vignettes flesh out the elementary mathematics specialist’s many responsibilities. Experienced specialists offer tips on gaining teachers’ trust—and access to their classrooms. Special guidance highlights effective collaboration between the principal and the specialist. The transition from classroom teacher to elementary mathematics specialist is challenging, but the principal can smooth the specialist’s path by reassuring teachers that the new specialist is there to support them, not judge them. In the authors’ words, “The mathematics specialist, when introduced to the faculty in the right way, becomes a soft place where the teacher can fall.”










Developing the Role of Math Specialist


Book Description

Chronicles the development of the author from second grade teacher to math teacher-leader in an independent school in New York City. Highlights what qualities are needed to be successful as a teacher-leader and reveals the significant impact a math specialist can have on the members of a school community.







Adding Parents to the Equation


Book Description

Are you frustrated or confused by the way math is taught to your child today? Are you tired of trying to figure out what your child is doing when they draw visuals in math? Do you want to feel smarter than a 5th grader again? Well, this book is for you. We have taken the major parts of the 21st Century mathematics curriculum and rewritten it in an easy-to-read format. This book breaks down all the educational jargon so you can finally communicate mathematically with your child again. No matter whether your child is 3 months old or 10 years old, this book will give you a stronger understanding of the how, the why, and the what behind the shifts in math education today.