The text is designed to motivate and engage future teachers , so they understand the mathematical content and see why it is relevant to their careers. Hands On Activities begin each chapter, offering content-related games and puzzles that motivate the chapter. These can be easily adapted for use in the elementary classroom. NEW! The Activity Manual is easier to integrate into the course. Annotations now appear in the margins of the Annotated Instructor''s Edition to indicate which activities are appropriate for each concept. Into the Classroom provides teaching insights directly from elementary and middle school teachers. Highlights from History provide a cultural, historical, and personal perspective on the development of mathematical concepts and thought while illustrating the contributions that individuals have made to mathematics. From the NCTM Principles and Standards are extensive excerpts from The Principles and Standards to help students understand how what they are currently learning is reflected in what they will eventually be teaching.
Did You Know? discussions provide examples of recent advancements in mathematics, often demonstrating the important role the subject has in today''s world and in our lives. This feature also highlights mathematical literature when it is relevant to the classroom teacher. NEW! The Chapter in Relation to Future Teachers is a brief concluding essay that puts the chapter into context, summarizing how the content fits into the bigger picture of teaching. Each chapter includes tools to help students master the material, gain a deeper understanding of the content, and practice. NEW! Chapter Previews prepare students for the upcoming chapter and point out Key Ideas. Examples are often presented in a problem-solving framework, asking students to independently obtain a solution that can be compared with the solution presented in the text. Solutions are frequently structured in the Polya four-step format. Think Clouds serve as quick reminders and clarify key points in discussions.
Cooperative investigations are activities that small groups can use to explore and discuss concepts. There is one Cooperative Investigation per chapter and additional Cooperative Investigations can be found in MyMathLab. Mathematical Habits of the Mind (MHM) -indicated by an oval MHM icon-are discussions and problems in the text in which there is more going on than appears at first glance. This feature encourages future teachers to ask such questions as "Is there a different way to think about this problem?" or, "What is there that I am not seeing?" Problem sets end each section and include a wide variety of question types. Understanding Concepts problems provide drill exercises and reinforce basic concepts. Teaching Concepts problems ask prospective teachers to carefully consider how they might clarify subtle and often misunderstood points for their own future students. Responding to Students exercises give future teachers insight into what mathematical questions and procedures children will come up with on their own, with ways to respond to them. Thinking Critically problems have students delve more deeply into the section topic.
Many of these problems can be used as classroom activities or with small groups. Thinking Cooperatively questions provide problem-solving experiences specifically for small groups. Making Connections problems apply the section concepts to solving real-life problems and to other parts of mathematics. Communicating exercises ask students to write about mathematics and to investigate mathematics as a language. Using a Calculator problems give students the opportunity to practice using their calculators to solve problems. Using a Computer problems require students to use various types of software. From State Student Assessments problems provide examples of problems from the high-stakes standardized exams now used in many states. These problems help make future teachers aware of the types of knowledge that their future students will be asked to master.
NEW! Examining School Book Pages ask future teachers to evaluate pages excerpted from actual elementary or middle school textbooks. End-of-Chapter materials are designed to help students study efficiently. NEW! The Chapter Summary has been reorganized into a chart format pulling together the Key Concepts, Vocabulary and Notation for easier study & review. Chapter Review Problems cover all of the main topics from the chapter. Chapter Test prepares students for the real thing. MyMathLab is available to support any course type by providing exercises, practice opportunities, and professional development resources ideal for future teachers. Enhanced! The new edition has expanded the number of exercises available in MathXL and MyMathLab. NEW! Integrating Mathematics and Pedagogy (IMAP) videos , by the San Diego State University Foundation, provide future teachers a view into how students learn and solve problems.
A correlation shows which videos align with specific chapters and provides context to help instructors determine where and how to use them in their courses. NEW! Exercises that are based on IMAP videos are assignable online, asking students to watch a brief video and answer related questions. NEW! E-manipulatives-based questions ask students to interact with e-manipulatives and then answer assignable questions. NEW! Videos are available based on ideas from the Responding to Students exercises in the text. Sue Glascoe of Mesa Community College created these using the latest technology, offering a fresh new look for online and video instruction.