Like preludes, prefaces are usually composed last. Putting them in the front of the book is a feeble reflection of what, in the style of mathe matics treatises and textbooks, I usually call thf didactical inversion: to be fit to print, the way to the result should be the inverse of the order in which it was found; in particular the key definitions, which were the finishing touch to the structure, are put at the front. For many years I have contrasted the didactical inversion with the thought-experiment. It is true that you should not communicate your mathematics to other people in the way it occurred to you, but rather as it could have occurred to you if you had known then what you know now, and as it would occur to the student if his learning process is being guided. This in fact is the gist of the lesson Socrates taught Meno's slave. The thought-experi ment tries to find out how a student could re-invent what he is expected to learn. I said about the preface that it is a feeble reflection of the didactical inversion. Indeed, it is not a constituent part of the book. It can even be torn out. Yet it is useful. Firstly, to the reviewer who then need not read the whole work, and secondly to the author himself, who like the composer gets an opportunity to review the Leitmotivs of the book.

*THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AS OPEN ACCESS BOOK ON SPRINGERLINK* This open access book is the product of ICMI Study 22 Task Design in Mathematics Education. The study offers a state-of-the-art summary of relevant research and goes beyond that to develop new insights and new areas of knowledge and study about task design. The authors represent a wide range of countries and cultures and are leading researchers, teachers and designers. In particular, the authors develop explicit understandings of the opportunities and difficulties involved in designing and implementing tasks and of the interfaces between the teaching, researching and designing roles – recognising that these might be undertaken by the same person or by completely separate teams. Tasks generate the activity through which learners meet mathematical concepts, ideas, strategies and learn to use and develop mathematical thinking and modes of enquiry. Teaching includes the selection, modification, design, sequencing, installation, observation and evaluation of tasks. The book illustrates how task design is core to effective teaching, whether the task is a complex, extended, investigation or a small part of a lesson; whether it is part of a curriculum system, such as a textbook, or promotes free standing activity; whether the task comes from published source or is devised by the teacher or the student.

This book is about the role and potential of using digital technology in designing teaching and learning tasks in the mathematics classroom. Digital technology has opened up different new educational spaces for the mathematics classroom in the past few decades and, as technology is constantly evolving, novel ideas and approaches are brewing to enrich these spaces with diverse didactical flavors. A key issue is always how technology can, or cannot, play epistemic and pedagogic roles in the mathematics classroom. The main purpose of this book is to explore mathematics task design when digital technology is part of the teaching and learning environment. What features of the technology used can be capitalized upon to design tasks that transform learners’ experiential knowledge, gained from using the technology, into conceptual mathematical knowledge? When do digital environments actually bring an essential (educationally, speaking) new dimension to classroom activities? What are some pragmatic and semiotic values of the technology used? These are some of the concerns addressed in the book by expert scholars in this area of research in mathematics education. This volume is the first devoted entirely to issues on designing mathematical tasks in digital teaching and learning environments, outlining different current research scenarios.

Tasks in Primary Mathematics Teacher Education is intended to advance relevant research and innovative international practices in the preparation and professional development of mathematics teachers. Emerging from discussion at the ICMI study on teacher professional development, this volume, focused on primary and elementary teachers, culls a richness that can only be found by gathering wisdom from varied experiences around the world. The choice of tasks, and the associated pedagogies, is a key aspect of teaching and learning mathematics. Arguing that what students learn is largely defined by the tasks they are given, several major themes are presented. One such major strand, the form, function and focus of tasks, is discussed throughout several chapters, offering analysis, discussion of implementation, and exemplars of a broader category of illustrative techniques for developing critical understanding.

​This book is about how teachers can use classroom mathematics tasks to support student learning, and presents data on the ways in which teachers used those tasks in a particular research project. It is the product of research findings focusing on teacher practice, teacher learning and knowledge, and student learning. It demonstrates how teachers can use mathematics tasks to promote effective student learning.​

"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.

The wide availability of digital educational resources for mathematics teaching and learning is indisputable, with some notable genres of technologies having evolved, such as graphing calculators, dynamic graphing, dynamic geometry and data visualization tools. But what does this mean for teachers of mathematics, and how do their roles evolve within this digital landscape? This essential book offers an international perspective to help bridge theory and practice, including coverage of networking theories, curriculum design, task implementation, online resources and assessment. Mathematics Education in the Digital Age details the impacts this digital age has, and will continue to have, on the parallel aspects of learning and teaching mathematics within formal education systems and settings. Written by a group of international authors, the chapters address the following themes: Mathematics teacher education and professional development Mathematics curriculum development and task design The assessment of mathematics Theoretical perspectives and methodologies/approaches for researching mathematics education in the digital age This book highlights not only the complex nature of the field, but also the advancements in theoretical and practical knowledge that is enabling the mathematics education community to continue to learn in this increasingly digital age. It is an essential read for all mathematics teacher educators and master teachers.