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Letters to a Young Math Teacher
ABOUT THIS BOOK:
The publisher is William R. Parks – www.wrparks.com
There are about 12,500 new math teachers who enter school classrooms each year. This is the audience for "Letters to a Young Math Teacher." It is designed to help these young men and women to meet the real world of the school and classroom. Author, Gerald Rising stated, “What we have written in this book is not a methods text. It is instead designed, separately from such texts, to assist the neophyte teacher as he or she enters the real world of the schools based on our own experiences in urban, rural and suburban schools and my additional decades of work with math teachers.”
“Contemporary methods texts do not address these problems. Instead they talk about the interpretation of mathematics content and the application of psychological principles to the design of instruction.”
“Student teaching only partly makes up for this. The organization and discipline of the classroom is that of the sponsoring teacher.”
READER REVIEWS:
"An excellent book for beginning math teachers, this work shows considerable insight and understanding of the real world of the schools and the daily issues and problems that new teachers will confront. It offers balanced and experienced perspective and helpful tips. I recommend this as a useful read for every new math instructor at the secondary level." - Greg A. Baugher, Mercer University, Georgia
"This book presents a holistic view of teaching that honors the complex and important work of math teachers. Novice teachers will find the information essential. Veteran teachers will reflect on their work and make some refinements." - Linda Levi, Director of Cognitively Guided Instruction Initiatives, Teachers Development Group and co-author of Children's Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction.
"My first year of teaching was a real struggle and nowadays beginners need all the help they can get. Gerald Rising is a champion at demystifying difficult circumstances by applying eloquent logic in recognizable contexts." - Patti Brosnan, Ohio State University
"A common sense approach to teaching mathematics from master teachers, gives practical advice and opens the door to becoming an outstanding math teacher." - One Book One Community Selection Committee Member
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Gerald Rising, Ph.D., State University of New York (SUNY) Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at the University at Buffalo, has been author or co-author of over a dozen textbooks and one hundred journal articles. Two of his recent books are: Program Your Calculator (William R. Parks, 2013) and Inside Your Calculator: From Simple Programs to Significant Insights (John Wiley, 2007). Professor Rising was a teacher and department chair in New York State high schools and then served as K-14 math coordinator in Norwalk, Connecticut. Rising also taught at the Universities of Rochester, Connecticut and Minnesota; New York and Cornell Universities; and Manchester University in England. A former National Council of Teachers of Mathematics board member, he has been a regular speaker at state and national meetings.
Ray Patenaude, Ph.D., Mathematics Teacher, South Pointe High School, Rock Hill, South Carolina since January 2009 where he teaches Algebra 2 Honors to freshmen and Algebra 2 to 11th and 12th graders. While there he has completed SC Mentor Training and mentored beginning teachers and college interns. He taught Honors Precalculus, Honors Geometry, and Algebra 1. He was also Mathematics Teacher, Marathon High School, Marathon, NY September 1989 – June 1999 where he created both a calculus curriculum and an accelerated mathematics program.
The publisher is William R. Parks – www.wrparks.com
There are about 12,500 new math teachers who enter school classrooms each year. This is the audience for "Letters to a Young Math Teacher." It is designed to help these young men and women to meet the real world of the school and classroom. Author, Gerald Rising stated, “What we have written in this book is not a methods text. It is instead designed, separately from such texts, to assist the neophyte teacher as he or she enters the real world of the schools based on our own experiences in urban, rural and suburban schools and my additional decades of work with math teachers.”
“Contemporary methods texts do not address these problems. Instead they talk about the interpretation of mathematics content and the application of psychological principles to the design of instruction.”
“Student teaching only partly makes up for this. The organization and discipline of the classroom is that of the sponsoring teacher.”
READER REVIEWS:
"An excellent book for beginning math teachers, this work shows considerable insight and understanding of the real world of the schools and the daily issues and problems that new teachers will confront. It offers balanced and experienced perspective and helpful tips. I recommend this as a useful read for every new math instructor at the secondary level." - Greg A. Baugher, Mercer University, Georgia
"This book presents a holistic view of teaching that honors the complex and important work of math teachers. Novice teachers will find the information essential. Veteran teachers will reflect on their work and make some refinements." - Linda Levi, Director of Cognitively Guided Instruction Initiatives, Teachers Development Group and co-author of Children's Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction.
"My first year of teaching was a real struggle and nowadays beginners need all the help they can get. Gerald Rising is a champion at demystifying difficult circumstances by applying eloquent logic in recognizable contexts." - Patti Brosnan, Ohio State University
"A common sense approach to teaching mathematics from master teachers, gives practical advice and opens the door to becoming an outstanding math teacher." - One Book One Community Selection Committee Member
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Gerald Rising, Ph.D., State University of New York (SUNY) Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at the University at Buffalo, has been author or co-author of over a dozen textbooks and one hundred journal articles. Two of his recent books are: Program Your Calculator (William R. Parks, 2013) and Inside Your Calculator: From Simple Programs to Significant Insights (John Wiley, 2007). Professor Rising was a teacher and department chair in New York State high schools and then served as K-14 math coordinator in Norwalk, Connecticut. Rising also taught at the Universities of Rochester, Connecticut and Minnesota; New York and Cornell Universities; and Manchester University in England. A former National Council of Teachers of Mathematics board member, he has been a regular speaker at state and national meetings.
Ray Patenaude, Ph.D., Mathematics Teacher, South Pointe High School, Rock Hill, South Carolina since January 2009 where he teaches Algebra 2 Honors to freshmen and Algebra 2 to 11th and 12th graders. While there he has completed SC Mentor Training and mentored beginning teachers and college interns. He taught Honors Precalculus, Honors Geometry, and Algebra 1. He was also Mathematics Teacher, Marathon High School, Marathon, NY September 1989 – June 1999 where he created both a calculus curriculum and an accelerated mathematics program.
- GenresEducation
170 pages, Paperback
First published December 13, 2013
2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 14, 2014
This book was not what I expected. I read it as part of an online book study with other teachers. I have taught math for many years. I thought the author's voice was negative and patronizing. He made many unnecessary generalizations (women teachers are better at discipline) and his information is outdated (page 29 description of 90% of math classes). His old school description of teaching is not what new math teachers need to read about. Very disappointing.
January 6, 2014
For anyone thinking of teaching math, and even for those who currently are teaching math in K-12, this book is a must-read. It accurately describes the process and rituals one goes through in learning how to teach in general, and how to teach math in particular. It should be required reading in all math teaching methods classes in ed school.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews