Explain this
Mathematical Understanding 5-11
How the publisher describes it:
“How can you help children to make progress in mathematical understanding? Children's mathematical misconceptions very often arise as a result of poor communication. This practical and innovative book presents a range of creative strategies to help teachers communicate effectively in the mathematics classroom, offering some new ways of presenting the fundamental concepts and principles of mathematics, and clearly demonstrating that the most effective form of communication is not always verbal.”
Review by Matthew Reames
In brief:
This book is a well-considered guide to developing and improving the mathematical communication skills of primary aged children. It also includes ideas and suggestions for use on teacher trainee courses as well as in school insets.
“An excellent resource for improving mathematical communication in the primary classroom.”
The focus of Mathematical Understanding 5-11 is communication; not just verbal communication, but also how children communicate through action, creation, analysis and observation. Starting from the premise that many of children's mathematical misconceptions arise from poor communication, each chapter addresses an area in which misconceptions are common.
The areas of common misconception, referred to as themes, are subtraction, working with 2-D shapes, bridging the gap between 3-D shapes and their 2-D representations, relating movement in real-life to movement as represented in line graphs, and mathematical reasoning.
This book originated as part of a three-year programme involving teachers, primary children, trainee teachers, teacher educators and researchers from four European countries (the UK, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia). As a result, the book is aimed not only at classroom teachers, but also at those who work with teacher trainees as well as those who provide maths in-service.
Mathematical Understanding is not a collection of photocopiable one-off activities. Instead, this book is a detailed study of the five areas mentioned above. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the specific theme, a list of the specific concepts of the theme and then a discussion of the activities used to help the children communicate their thoughts and ideas about each theme. Common misconceptions are included, as are some suggestions for correcting them. A particular strength of each chapter is the in-depth examination of how each theme was presented to teacher-trainees for their work in the classroom.
Also included with the book is a DVD-ROM which includes videos, documents and photos to accompany the themes of the book. The DVD requires no installation, but instead will open in a web browser window.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to improve how children communicate mathematically. Even if you do not use the exact activities described here, the book provides much to think about. Each chapter ends with a Pause for Reflection — a list of several points related to the chapter but also encouraging the reader to reflect on his or her own practice and how these ideas might be incorporated. Additionally, people who work with teacher-trainees or who provide inset training for teachers will find much to include in their courses.
Matthew Reames • Former Head of Mathematics, St Edmund's Junior School, Canterbury, now PhD student in mathematics education at the University of Virginia
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd; Pap/Dvdr edition (21 Jun 2007)
Language English
ISBN-10: 9781412945066
ISBN-13: 978-1412945066
ASIN: 1412945062
Product Dimensions: 29.4 x 20.8 x 1.2 cm
