Embracing Mathematics

<p>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.</p><p><em>Embracing Mathematics</em>:</p><ul> <p> </p> <li>integrates pedagogy and content exploration in ways that are unique in mathematics education</li> <p> </p> <li>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</li> <p> </p> <li>offers examples of teachers’ action research projects that grew out of their interactions with the main chapters in the book</li> <p> </p> <li>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</li> </ul><p><em>Embracing Mathematics</em> 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.</p> <p><strong>Preface</strong>: How can I (better) embrace mathematics? <em>David Scott Allen</em></p><p><strong>Prologue</strong> <em>Peter Appelbaum</em>Response to Prologue: Be a student of mathematics learners</p><p><strong>Chapter 1</strong>: Planning and assessment<br>Response to Chapter 1: Engage yourself in meaningful observation <br>Action Research 1 <em>Isaiah Manzella</em>, Numbers on Trial <br>MathWorlds 1: Reverse answer to questions </p><p><strong>Chapter 2</strong>: A psychoanalytic perspective<br>Response to Chapter 2: Ask yourself to change <br>Action Research 2<em> Karen Cipriano</em>, Flexible interview project<br>MathWorlds 2: Multiple answers. </p><p><strong>Chapter 3</strong>: You are a mathematician<br>Response to Chapter 3: Explore the vastness of mathematics<br>Action Research 3 <em>Karen Cipriano</em>, Mathematics journals<br>MathWorlds 3: Reading and writing mathematics</p><p><strong>Chapter 4</strong>: Critical thinkers thinking critically<br>Response to Chapter 4: It is critical to think<br>Action Research 4 <em>Ada Rocchi</em>, Lesson: world population and wealth <br>MathWorlds 4: Pitching questions at various levels. </p><p><strong>Chapter 5</strong>: Consuming culture: commodities and cultural resources<br>Response to Chapter 5: Emphasize the meaning-making of mathematics<br>Action Research 5<em> Colleen Murphy</em>, Problem solving through literature<br>MathWorlds 5: Turning "puzzles" into "problems" or "exercises" </p><p><strong>Chapter 6</strong>: Metaphors for the classroom space<br>Response to Chapter 6: Take ownership of your classroom space<br>Action Research 6 <em>Kristin Iaccio</em>, Linking mathematics to social issues<br>MathWorlds 6: Same math, different metaphors </p><p><strong>Chapter 7</strong>: Places where people learn mathematics<br>Response to Chapter 7: The classroom is always changing<br>Action Research 7 <em>Petal Sumner</em>, Empowering students who don’t learn</p><p><strong>Chapter 8:</strong> When students don’t learn<br>Response to Chapter 8: We are all students</p><p><strong>Epilogue</strong>: Becoming a teacher and changing with mathematics</p><p><strong>Afterword</strong>: What will you write in your chapter?</p><p><strong>Appendices</strong></p>