The Middle Path In Math Instruction: Solutions for Improving Math Education - Tapa blanda

This wonderful book provides another glimpse into what teachers know and how that differs across cultures. The data are informative, and the examples are useful and compelling. -- James W. Stigler, professor, University of California, Los Angeles [the author]..compares the pedagogical content knowledge of elementary and middle school math teachers in the United States with that of their counterparts in China. * Reference and Research Book News * [An] does make a convincing case that there are differences between the two countries in how teachers view the goals of teaching, what the focus should be in teaching mathematics, the importance of teachers' knowledge, and how to plan for instruction. * Journal For Research In Mathematics Education * This book is a most important contribution to the growing literature about comparative studies in mathematics education....It is a truism that we all learn by contrasts, but the challenges for researchers is to determine the most appropriate aspects of mathematics education to contrast. Dr. An...successfully avoids the trap of trying to universalize the teaching of mathematics by recognizing the historical and cultural differences between the two countries. -- Alan Bishop, professor, Monash University, Australia

What are the effective approaches of teaching and learning mathematics? How do teachers build on knowledge of students' thinking? What knowledge is needed for teachers to teach effectively? In The Middle Path in Math Instruction: Solutions for Improving Math Education, Shuhua An answers these questions by examining the differences between the pedagogical content knowledge of elementary and middle school mathematics teachers in the U.S. and China and investigates how these differences are revealed in their beliefs, planning, teaching methods, and knowledge of students' thinking.