Number Sense and Operations in the Primary Grades: Hard to Teach and Hard to Learn? Casebook and Facilitator's Guide

One benefit of using cases in mathematics education is that it's easier to stand back and look at someone else's teaching in an objective way. This in turn can open the door to learning how and being willing to analyze our own teaching with a critical eye. In this casebook, Carne Barnett-Clarke and Alma Ramirez of the Mathematics Case Methods Project provide opportunities for teachers to do just that: contribute to and learn from such practice-based materials for grades K-2. In addition, Barnett-Clarke, Ramirez, and colleagues address many of the topics considered the hardest to teach and learn, including place value, number sentences, basic facts, addition, subtraction, and regrouping.

The authors designed each case to promote analysis of four elements: mathematics, student thinking, instruction, and language - all considered interactively, just the way they occur in teaching practice. The specific goals of the cases are to help us to:

• deepen our understanding of the mathematics we teach
• experience the mathematics from our students' points of view to understand what is confusing and why
• examine various teaching strategies for their benefits and drawbacks
• understand how oral, symbolic, and written communications impact mathematics learning.

Facilitator's Guide Notes following each case provide discussion leaders with a case synopsis, sample discussion issues, suggested materials, a starter problem, and an analysis of the most vital and provocative points in the case.

Enhance your understanding of the mathematics you teach. Evaluate different ways to provide effective instruction. Do it in a collegial and stimulating environment. Get a new lease on your teaching life - use cases as the basis of discussion and reflection.