“It is fun to figure out the puzzle of how children go about making sense of mathematics and then how to help teachers help kids.” John A. Van de Walle, Late of Virginia Commonwealth University
This is the philosophy behind Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally. John A. Van de Walle wrote this book to help students understand mathematics and become confident in their ability to teach the subject to children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Although he could not have foreseen the changes in mathematics teaching over the last three decades, he was at the forefront of the movement towards a constructivist view of teaching, or teaching developmentally. Constructivism says that children construct their own knowledge. They are not blank slates waiting to absorb whatever the teacher tells them. Teachers must understand both mathematics itself and how students learn mathematics in order to teach it effectively.
Learning through problem solving is another major theme of this book. Students solve problems not just to apply mathematics, but also to learn new mathematics. Effective problems will take into account where students are, the problematic or engaging aspect of the problem must be due to the mathematics that the students are to learn and not be diluted by non-mathematical activities such as cutting or pasting, and the problem must require justifications and explanations for answers and methods. Learning then becomes an outcome of the problem solving process.
The book also addresses in more detail than any other book on the market the effect that the trends of standards-based education, increased pressure to test, and increased teacher accountability have had on teaching mathematics. He addresses the 2000 NCTM Standards in depth, in Chapter 1 on Teaching Mathematics in the Era of the NCTM Standards, through the NCTM icon that appears in the margins throughout the text, and in two appendices in the back of the book. Chapter 5 on Building Assessment into Instruction has also been heavily revised to focus on increased testing pressure, creating more explicit links between objectives and assessment, and including assessments for students with special needs.
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally is a book for doing math today―for both students who want to become teachers, and the students they will eventually teach.
New To This Edition:
NEW! Revises Chapter 5 on assessment--Discusses increased testing pressure and accountability, adds more information on equitable assessments, creates more explicit links between objectives and assessment, and includes assessments for students with special needs.
NEW! Updates the Literature Connections feature to remove all out of print children’s literature and include more non-fiction, poetry, and other types of readings.
NEW! Weaves the Focal Points throughout the chapters as well as links them with the Big Ideas feature―Focal Points have also been added to the Appendix.
NEW! Includes expanded coverage of working with diverse learners.
NEW! Gives greater emphasis on dealing with math anxiety.
Dr. John A. Van de Walle was one of the most renowned mathematics educators in the country and the author of
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, the book that, in its seventh edition, continues to be the leading text and resource in the United States and Canada for teaching K-8 mathematics. John A. Van de Walle graduated
cum laude from Bellarmine College in 1965 with a degree in mathematics, earned his master's degree in mathematics at St. Louis University in 1967, and in 1972, earned his doctoral degree in mathematics education from Ohio State University. He spent most of his career at Virginia Commonwealth University where he was Professor Emeritus and for 29 years taught mathematics education to pre-service and in-service teachers. He retired in 2002, but continued to write and work with teachers to promote mathematics education. He also served as a consultant to various school systems in the U.S. and Canada. He was an active member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and served on its board of directors from 1998 to 2001. He once said, “It is fun to figure out the puzzle of how children go about making sense of mathematics and then how to help teachers help kids.” Dr. Van de Walle died at home on December 2, 2006. He is survived by his wife Sharon of 40 years, his two daughters, and three grand daughters.
Karen Karp is a Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Louisville (Kentucky). Prior to entering the field of teacher education she was an elementary school teacher in New York. Karen is a co-author of Feisty Females; Inspiring Girls to Think Mathematically, which is aligned with her research interests on teaching mathematics to diverse populations. With Jennifer, Karen co-edited Growing Professionally: Readings from NCTM Publications for Grades K-8. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and a former president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE).
Jennifer M. Bay-Williams is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Louisville (Kentucky). Jennifer has published many articles on teaching and learning in NCTM journals. She has also co-authored the following books:
Math and Literature: Grades 6-8,
Math and Nonfiction: Grades 6-8,
Navigating through Connections in Grades 6-8. Jennifer taught elementary, middle, and high school in Missouri and in Peru, and continues to work in classrooms at all levels with students and with teachers. Jennifer serves as the President of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) and chair of the NCTM Emerging Issues Committee
