Drawing from her extensive experience of using cases in teacher education and in-service courses, Katherine Merseth offers this practical, hands-on guide to improving the teaching of mathematics. This book, the first to focus on the secondary school classroom (grades 7–12), provides a collection of cases that blend important mathematics content with the real complexities of school and classroom life. Windows on Teaching Math: Responds to the ongoing efforts of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) to enact standards-based practice. Provides pre-case discussion exercises that help keep the discussion focused on the mathematics in the case. Focuses on topics that are often difficult to teach and challenging for students to learn, such as proportional reasoning, probability, and independence. Presents actual student responses that exhibit the misunderstandings and ambiguities of thinking, offering a window into the mathematical reasoning of students. Confronts often unaddressed influences on teaching, such as relationships with colleagues, disgruntled parents, tracking, diverse student populations, instances of cheating, and much more. Helps facilitators to lead effective discussions with a uniquely designed set of teaching notes that correspond to each case—Windows on Teaching Math: Cases of Middle and Secondary Classrooms: Facilitator’s Guide (sold separately).
