Jo Boaler - Whats Math Got to Do with It?: How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics Learning and Inspire Success

Praise for Whats Math Got to Do with It?

Without doubt, this is the most important book parents should read before choosing a school for their child, and teachers should read when considering ways to improve their math teaching. A compelling, readable account of years of research into what works, and what doesnt, in mathematics education.

Keith Devlin, PhD, Stanford University mathematician, award-winning author of The Math Gene and thirty-one other books, and the Math Guy on NPR

Jo Boaler vividly shows usrather than just telling uswhat terrific math instruction looks like and, equally important, how sharply it differs from how the subject is usually taught. Whats Math Got to Do with It? is the first book I recommend to teachers and parents who want to understand the harms of conventional ways of teaching math as well as the benefits of realistic alternatives.

Alfie Kohn, author of The Schools Our Children > Deserve and Feel-Bad Education

There is so much wisdom packed into this engaging little book. Boaler sensibly addresses current hot topicsthe Common Core, mind-set, ability grouping, gender differencesbut goes way behind them to consider the nature of mathematics itself and offers a wealth of practical advice to parents, teachers, and policy makers. More than ever, we need books on education like his one.

Mike Rose, author of Possible Lives: The Promise of Education in America

Whats Math Got to Do with It? comes the closest of anything that I have read to a manifesto that I would provide to parents to help them better understand the importance of good teaching of interesting and complex mathematics.

Journal for Research in Mathematics Education

Jo Boaler shows that math is understandable, and that it can be fun to get your head around itbut that its often taught in ways that make it dry and deadly. She points to the beauty and joy of mathematics, and ways that math classrooms can become centers of lively mathematical thinking. American children deserve a richer mathematical diet than weve given them, and Boaler shows how and why.

Alan H. Schoenfeld, Elizabeth and Edward Conner Professor of Education, University of California, Berkeley

This extraordinary book shows teachers and parents the path to teaching children to enjoy math while they develop deep and flexible understanding. The author practices what she preaches; using systematic research she and others have conducted on two continents, she makes learning about math teaching accessible and fun.

Deborah Stipek, I. James Quillen Dean and Professor of Education, Stanford University

Jo Boaler makes a powerful case for a problem-solving approach to teaching mathematics, and she presents the research to back it up. This book should be read by anyone concerned about the education of our children.

Deborah Schifter, principal research scientist, Education Development Center, Inc.

Jo Boaler explains with insight and clarity why so many students dislike mathematics and what the rest of us can do about it. Her solutions are comprehensive, grounded in research, and powerfully applied by parents, teachers, and anyone else with an interest in mathematics.

Dan Meyer, Apple Distinguished Educator and one of Tech & Learning s 30 Leaders of the Future

PENGUIN BOOKS

WHATS MATH GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Jo Boaler is a professor of mathematics education at Stanford University and the cofounder of YouCubed. She is also the editor of the Research Commentary section of The Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) and author of the first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on mathematics teaching and learning. Former roles have included being the Marie Curie Professor of Mathematics Education in England. She is the recipient of several awards, an adviser to Silicon Valley companies, and a White House presenter on girls and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. She is a regular contributor to national television and radio in the United States and the UK. Her research has appeared in newspapers around the world including the Wall Street Journal , the Times (London), and the Telegraph (UK).

PENGUIN BOOKS

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First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2008

Published in Penguin Books 2009

This revised edition published 2015

Copyright 2008, 2015 by Jo Boaler

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

Photographs by the author unless otherwise indicated.

ISBN 978-1-101-99205-0

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication. Further, publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

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For all the teachers who have inspired my work