Smith - A mind for mathematics: meaningful teaching and learning in elementary classrooms

MEANINGFUL TEACHING AND LEARNING
IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS

NANCI N. SMITH

Copyright 2017 by Solution Tree Press

Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked Reproducible. Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher.

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Edmund M. Ackerman, President

Solution Tree Press

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This book is dedicated to my husband and
best friend, Russ. For years, you told me, Write
the book! and for years, I contemplated and
fretted. Thank you for believing in me and never
letting me quit on anything.

I finally understand why so many authors say they have too many people to thank. I find myself unable to adequately acknowledge everyone individually. With that said, I would like to thank the following people for their involvement in my life.

To Betz Frederick, thank you for believing in me and pushing me at every stage of my professional lifefrom my undergraduate education degree to my masters degree, National Board Certification, and PhD. You have never let me settle for less than I am capable of doing. I have come to depend on your constant support in my life. You have gone from teacher to mentor to friend, and I appreciate you more than you might know.

To Mark Boyer, you gave me my start, encouraged me, always included me, and provided more opportunities for my professional growth than anyone else has or possibly could. Thank you for being a cheerleader and visionary and helping me try to look limitlessly at the future.

To Bill Sparks, you have been a confidante, advisor, and encourager in my life. Thank you for your friendship and endless input on helping me grow.

To Cathy Battles, thank you for being the single most encouraging person I have ever met. Your generosity and tireless spirit constantly inspire me. Thank you for sharing every great idea and resource you have with me.

To Eileen Goodspeed and Orit Guriel Gately, thank you for all the fun and also for being my sounding boards. You showed me in action and in classrooms what I always believed learning mathematics can and should be.

To Jay McTighe, thank you for shaping my understanding of understanding. You have challenged and refined me as a writer but most recently, as a friend and as someone on whom I can call. Thank you for your generosity and for stretching my thinking.

To the mathematics teachers at the Roslyn, New York; North Shore, New York (especially Regina Newman); Webster, New York (especially Barb Goldammer); and Mount Morris, Michigan school districts; thank you for teaching me as much as I have taught you. I loved learning alongside you and your students as we endeavored to make learning mathematics conceptual and enjoyable.

To Shirley Frye, thank you for connecting me to Timothy Kanold and Solution Tree. You were a role model by reputation before I ever met you, and after meeting you and having you as a mentor, I am truly blessed.

To Nora Ramirez and Kim Rimbey, thank you for listening, sharing, and providing references for me. Thank you for bringing me onboard the Arizona mathematics team through the Arizona Association of Teachers of Mathematics (AATM).

To Claudia Wheatley, thank you for welcoming me into the Solution Tree family and being my champion. You never doubted that I could write a book; instead, you just told me to get it done, and get it done quickly.

To all the exceptional educators I am fortunate enough to call my friends, my fellow AATM board members, and my colleagues around the United States, thank you for your input in my life and the lives of all our students.

Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers:

Ashley Bingenheimer

Instructional Mathematics Coach

School District of River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

Colleen Clower

Elementary Mathematics Coordinator

Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District

Fort Worth, Texas

Robert Curran

Mathematics Coach

Kings Trail Elementary School

Jacksonville, Florida

Luane Genest

Fifth-Grade Teacher

Sunset Heights Elementary School

Nashua, New Hampshire

Sandy Hawtrey

Education Consultant

Santa Barbara, California

Kris R. Hemstetter

Math/ELA Instructional Coach

Kent County Public Schools

Rock Hall, Maryland

Karyn Jones

Third-Grade Teacher

Monticello Intermediate School

Monticello, Arkansas

Michelle Luster

Elementary Math/Science Curriculum Coordinator

Katy Independent School District

Katy, Texas

Mary Manley

Instructional Coach, Response to Intervention Facilitator, and Campus Technology Liaison

Williams Elementary School

Arlington, Texas

Gwenanne M. Salkind

Elementary Mathematics Specialist

Fairfax County Public Schools

Fairfax, Virginia

Nanci N. Smith, PhD, is a full-time national and international consultant and featured conference speaker in the areas of mathematics, curriculum, assessment, differentiated instruction, and professional learning communities. Her work includes professional development in forty-five states and nine countries. Nanci has taught mathematics at the high school and university levels, and differentiated instruction as a masters course at Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University, and for the teachers at Singapore American School through Buffalo State University.

She was the mathematics consultant, designer, and author of the Meaningful Mathematics: Leading Students Toward Understanding and Application DVD series, and she developed a National Science Foundationfunded CD and DVD professional development series for middle school mathematics teachers. Her mathematics classroom is featured in the video series At Work in the Differentiated Classroom.

Nanci has authored several chapters and books in the areas of differentiation, effective mathematics instruction, curriculum design, and standards implementation. She has given interviews for publications and NPR and has been a featured speaker for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics national conference and numerous other conferences in the United States and internationally.