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.

Minds-on Mathematics explains the core elements of math workshop and provides detailed strategies for implementing the workshop structure, including Lesson Openers that engage students,Minilessons that model thinking and problem solving.

Routines can keep your classroom running smoothly. Now imagine having a set of routines focused not on classroom management, but on helping students develop their mathematical thinking skills. Routines for Reasoning provides expert guidance for weaving the Standards for Mathematical Practice into your teaching by harnessing the power of classroom-tested instructional routines. Grace Kelemanik, Amy Lucenta, and Susan Janssen Creighton have applied their extensive experience teaching mathematics and supporting teachers to crafting routines that are practical teaching and learning tools. -- Provided by publisher.

Dramatically Improving High School Mathematics Must Start Now! High school math is failing many students. Out-of-date and stale curricula are not only dull, but perpetuate inequity by limiting opportunities and failing to prepare a majority of students for life in the 21st century. Even traditionalists recognize that the status quo is no longer acceptable. Major shifts in course organization, mathematical content, pedagogy, and assessment are long overdue. Practical Guidance for Meaningful Transformation Invigorating High School Math is a clarion call for meaningful transformation. Throughout the book, Steven Leinwand and Eric Milou address the most critical challenges facing high school mathematics and provide practical guidance for: addressing challenges and excuses that often short-circuit new approaches making the case for the importance of and rationale for changing high school math creating core integrated math courses for grades 9 and 10 and coherent pathways for grades 11 and 12 making critical shifts in pedagogy and classroom practice designing high-quality assessments and using them effectively developing and executing a rational implementation plan A Stimulus for Discussion and a Road Map for Change Many of these ideas will not be broadly popular. It's likely that none of them will be easy to implement. That's no surprise: For nearly a century, the basic structure of high school mathematics has barely changed-not because of its effectiveness, but because the status quo is a powerful force requiring purposeful action to break. This book was written for every high school math educator and leader-as both a stimulus for discussion and a road map for change. Our hope, say the authors, is that this book stimulates change, empowers teachers, and guides the profession on this critical journey to invigorate high school mathematics.