Synopses & Reviews
Intended for the one- or two-semester course required of Education majors, MATHEMATICS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS, E offers future teachers a comprehensive mathematics course designed to foster concept development through examples, investigations, and explorations. Visual icons throughout the main text allow instructors to easily connect content to the hands-on activities in the corresponding Explorations Manual. Bassarear presents real-world problems, problems that require active learning in a method similar to how archaeologists explore an archaeological find: they carefully uncover the site, slowly revealing more and more of the structure. The author demonstrates that there are many paths to solving a problem, and that sometimes, problems have more than one solution. With this exposure, future teachers will be better able to assess student needs using diverse approaches.
About the Author
Tom Bassarear is a professor at Keene State College in New Hampshire. He received his BA from Claremont-McKenna College, his MA from Claremont Graduate School, and was awarded an Ed.D degree from the University of Massachusetts. Tom's complementary degrees in mathematics and educational psychology have strongly influenced his convictions about education--specifically, mathematics education. Before teaching at the college level, he taught both middle school and high school mathematics. Since arriving at Keene State College, Tom has spent many hours in elementary classrooms observing teachers and working with them in school and workshop settings, plus, he has taught 4th grade math every day for a semester at a local elementary school.
Table of Contents
Preface. 1. Foundations for Learning Mathematics. Getting Started and Problem Solving. Process, Practice, and Content Standards. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 1 Summary. Chapter 1 Review Exercises. 2. Sets and Numeration. Sets. Numeration. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 2 Summary. Chapter 2 Review Exercises. 3. The Four Fundamental Operations of Arithmetic. Understanding Addition. Understanding Subtraction. Understanding Multiplication. Understanding Division. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 3 Summary. Chapter 3 Review Exercises. 4. Extending the Number System. Integers. Fractions and Rational Numbers. Understanding Operations with Fractions. Beyond Integers and Fractions. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 4 Summary. Chapter 4 Review Exercises. 5. Proportional Reasoning. Ratio and Proportion. Percents. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 5 Summary. Chapter 5 Review Exercises. 6. Algebraic Thinking. Understanding Patterns, Relations, and Functions. Represent and Analyze Math Situations and Structures Using Algebraic Symbols. Mathematical Models. Analyzing Change. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 6 Summary. Chapter 6 Review Exercises. 7. Uncertainty: Data and Chance. The Process of Collecting and Analyzing Data. Going Beyond the Basics. Concepts Related to Chance. Counting and Chance. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 7 Summary. Chapter 7 Review Exercises. 8. Geometry as Shape. Basic Ideas and Building Blocks. Two-Dimensional Figures. Three-Dimensional Figures. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 8 Summary. Chapter 8 Review Exercises. 9. Geometry as Measurement. Systems of Measurement. Perimeter and Area. Surface Area and Volume. Looking Back on Chapter 9. Chapter 9 Summary. Chapter 9 Review Exercises. 10. Geometry as Transforming Shapes. Congruence Transformations. Symmetry and Tessellations. Similarity. Questions to Summarize Big Ideas. Chapter 10 Summary. Chapter 10 Review Exercises. Appendix A: Selected Answers. Appendix B: Answers to Questions in Text. Endnotes. Photo Credits. Index.