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Summary
Summary
You may be shocked to learn that in America today, twenty-four states have no math requirements at all for prospective elementary school teachers. Until states require their teachers to learn more math, parents are their children's primary hope. Dynamic mathematician Pat Kenschaft believes that although math phobia is rampant, it is also unnecessary. With this guide any child can overcome mediocre math teaching in school and parental math anxiety at home. Kenschaft shares with parents her strategies for understanding and teaching math concepts, explaining what math is and how it works. Her lively techniques for understanding math--through games, questions, and conversations, as well as specific math activities--can help preschoolers to ten-year-olds develop math ability.
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
This book was written by a university math professor and mother of two to guide parents of preschool and elementary school children through the math programs typical of U.S. public schools. The first half offers the usual good suggestions for ways parents can encourage children to think and learn about math at home. The second half is uniquely valuable, containing specific advice for how parents can evaluate the math education at their school and how to approach teachers and administrators to suggest improvements. Parents are urged to read the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards to know what their schools should aim for. The author is against rote learning and standardized tests, believing that they preclude joy in learning. Chapters titled "How Drill and Kill Cripples U.S. Math Education" and "What Every Parent Should Know About Testing and Grading" show how the system rather than the math itself may cause problems for a child. An excellent bibliography suggests resources for math education reform. A parent armed with the advice in this book could do a lot to help improve a child's education.Amy Brunvand, Univ. of Utah Lib., Salt Lake City (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Preface | p. vii |
| Acknowledgments | p. ix |
| Part I Empowering You | p. 1 |
| Chapter 1 Math Power: Who, What, Why, and How | p. 3 |
| Summary | p. 13 |
| Chapter 2 The Flower: What Is Mathematical Ability? Where Does It Come From? | p. 14 |
| Chapter 3 How Math Blooms | p. 27 |
| Chapter 4 The Wonderful Concept of Three and How It Changes | p. 40 |
| Chapter 5 Tending the Garden: Questions and Answers | p. 47 |
| Part II Getting Started with Your Child | p. 61 |
| Chapter 6 Fun and Games with Preschoolers | p. 63 |
| Chapter 7 Nurturing Preschool Promise | p. 69 |
| Chapter 8 Language, the Slippery Bridge | p. 82 |
| Part III Your Child Starts School | p. 95 |
| Chapter 9 Primary-Grade Success | p. 97 |
| Chapter 10 Math Topics Your School May Not Teach but You Can | p. 111 |
| Chapter 11 What Your Child Should Know: Modern Nctm Standards | p. 125 |
| Chapter 12 What Your Child Should Know: Traditional Checklist | p. 135 |
| Chapter 13 Getting along with Your Child's Teachers | p. 147 |
| Chapter 14 The Fifth Grade Crisis | p. 159 |
| Part IV Why So Many Children Are Damaged | p. 171 |
| Chapter 15 Covenant Dishonored: Three Theories of Educational Reform | p. 173 |
| Chapter 16 How Drill and Kill Cripples U.S. Math Education | p. 186 |
| Chapter 17 Why Drill and Kill Holds U.S. Math Education Hostage | p. 198 |
| Chapter 18 What Every Parent Should Know about Testing and Grading | p. 205 |
| Chapter 19 The Underside of U.S. Testing | p. 221 |
| Part V Tweaking the Machine | p. 233 |
| Chapter 20 Together We Can Do Much More: Creating a Climate | p. 235 |
| Chapter 21 Structural Change for Your District and State: Mathematical Renaissance | p. 246 |
| Chapter 22 Will the Real Mathematics Stand Up and Be Recognized? | p. 258 |
| Appendices | p. 266 |
| Annotated Bibliographies | p. 274 |
| Notes | p. 280 |
| Permissions Acknowledgments | p. 302 |
| Index | p. 303 |
