Conferring with Young Mathematicians at Work: Making Moments Matter

by Catherine Twomey Fosnot

Questioning has become one of the biggest challenges of teachers everywhere as they rise to the challenge of transforming their classrooms into communities of mathematicians. The CCSS Standards of Mathematical Practice require that children engage in problem solving with tenacity and confidence, use models as tools for thinking, and read and write viable arguments. This mandate demands that teachers foster a climate conducive to the generating of mathematics rather than the explanation of it. This book sets the bar for providing suggestions on how to question and confer--how to teach and mentor young mathematicians in elementary classrooms. Written by a leading author in the field, the book describes characteristics of powerful conferrals, and shows how to make the moments matter. Developmental frameworks, ways of assessing in the moment, and tips on how to help children get started and overcome math anxiety are all described as well as several example conferrals. Video clips of the author and several exemplary teachers conferring with students are provided throughout as illustrations.

132 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2016

About the author

Cathy Fosnot is a leading voice in mathematics education. She is Professor Emerita of Education at the City College of New York and the founder of Mathematics in the City, a national center for professional development located at the college. In 2007 she established New Perspectives on Learning to devote her time to speaking around the world, fostering school change through professional learning and support, and producing new resources and materials.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must-read for all math educators. We must make a change in the way we are teaching math. Rather than the old way of telling students what algorithms they need to memorize to find solutions, we need to ask guiding questions to get them to find solutions their own way. By learning the landscape, we will be better able to help guide students to the next level.