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.

Mathematics education is one of the most important but least understood subjects of our age. As science and technology move the world from the age of machines to the age of computers, basic education in the language of science, technology and computers takes on increased importance. In both developed and developing nations, more people than ever before are seeking edu cation in mathematics. Yet there are numerous signs that world-wide mathematics education is of very uneven quality, not attuned to the needs of contemporary society: declining scores on standardized examS7 diminishing number of certified mathematics teach erS7 public outcry at failures of the "new math"7 professional concern with problem solving and applications of mathematics7 uncertainty about the relation of computers and calculators to mathematics instruction. It was in this context of rising expectations and mounting problems that over 2000 mathematicians and mathematics teachers from ar. ound the world gathered in August, 1980, at the University of California in Berke ley, California, for the Fourth International Congress of Mathematical Education CIeME IV).

‘This original book shows the crucial importance of personal philosophies of mathematics. Using current research it guides us to reflect on our attitudes and beliefs. Essential reading for anybody interested in mathematics and its teaching.’ Paul Ernest, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Exeter Teaching mathematics can be challenging, and returning to a mathematics classroom yourself may not inspire you with confidence. This book can help you to become an assured teacher who can give young learners the high quality mathematics education that they deserve, by exploring the philosophy that lies behind good mathematics teaching and its application in the classroom. Throughout the book you are encouraged to put your own thoughts on mathematics learning and teaching under the microscope and examine your perceptions and understanding in order to develop as a critically reflective teacher, aware of potential challenges and what underpins effective mathematics teaching in primary schools. Coverage includes: · developing your own philosophy towards mathematics teaching · understanding links between confidence and learning · the importance of subject knowledge · common beliefs and attitudes among mathematics learners · how to develop your relationship with the subject. This is essential reading for all students studying primary mathematics on initial teacher education courses, including undergraduate (BEd, BA with QTS), postgraduate (PGCE, School Direct, SCITT, Teach First) and NQTs. Elizabeth Jackson has over thirty years’ experience of mathematics education through primary and secondary school teaching, lecturing in initial teacher education and supervising mathematics Master’s dissertations, as well as conducting research into mathematics and writing.

This open access book, inspired by the ICME 13 Thematic Afternoon on “European Didactic Traditions”, consists of 17 chapters, in which educators from the Netherlands reflect on the teaching and learning of mathematics in their country and the role of the Dutch domain-specific instruction theory of Realistic Mathematics Education. Written by mathematics teachers, mathematics teacher educators, school advisors, and developers and researchers in the field of instructional material, textbooks, and examinations, the book offers a multitude of perspectives on important issues in Dutch mathematics education, both at primary and secondary school levels. Topics addressed include the theoretical underpinnings of the Dutch approach, the subject of mathematics in the Dutch educational system, teacher education and testing, the history of mathematics education and the use of history in teaching of mathematics, changes over time in subject matter domains and in the use of technology, and the process of innovation and how the Dutch and in particular one Dutch institute have worked on the reform.

This alternative textbook for courses on teaching mathematics asks teachers and prospective teachers to reflect on their relationships with mathematics and how these relationships influence their teaching and the experiences of their students. Applicable to all levels of schooling, the book covers basic topics such as planning and assessment, classroom management, and organization of classroom experiences; it also introduces some novel approaches to teaching mathematics, such as psychoanalytic perspectives and post-modern conceptions of curriculum. Traditional methods-of-teaching issues are recast in a new discourse, provoking new ideas for making mathematics education meaningful to teachers as well as their students. Co-authored by a professor and coordinator of mathematics education programs, with illustrative contributions from practicing elementary, middle, and high school mathematics teachers, this book is a unique collaboration across all pre-college grades, making it ideal for teacher discussion groups at any level. Embracing Mathematics: integrates pedagogy and content exploration in ways that are unique in mathematics education features textboxes with reflection questions and suggested explorations that can be easily utilized as homework for a course or as discussion opportunities for teacher reading groups offers examples of teachers’ action research projects that grew out of their interactions with the main chapters in the book is not narrowly limited to mathematics education but incorporates curriculum studies – an invaluable asset that allows instructors to find more ways to engage students in self-reflexive acts of teaching Embracing Mathematics is intended as a method text for undergraduate and master’s-level mathematics education courses and more specialized graduate courses on mathematics education, and as a resource for teacher discussion groups.

This open access book, inspired by the ICME 13 Thematic Afternoon on “European Didactic Traditions”, takes readers on a journey with mathematics education researchers, developers and educators in eighteen countries, who reflect on their experiences with Realistic Mathematics Education (RME), the domain-specific instruction theory for mathematics education developed in the Netherlands since the late 1960s. Authors from outside the Netherlands discuss what aspects of RME appeal to them, their criticisms of RME and their past and current RME-based projects. It is clear that a particular approach to mathematics education cannot simply be transplanted to another country. As such, in eighteen chapters the authors describe how they have adapted RME to their individual circumstances and view on mathematics education, and tell their personal stories about how RME has influenced their thinking on mathematics education.