Mathematics in the Making demonstrates how you can help children become respected authors of their own mathematical ideas by emphasizing mathematics as a way of thinking.

Mathematics in the Making: Authoring Ideas in Primary Classrooms

Science & Math

Whitin, David

O'Keefe, Tim

Mills, Heidi

Mathematics

Heinemann

It is a commonplace occurrence: a group of students gathers at the classroom window, watching the activities of birds and sharing their informal observations. But for Phyllis Whitin, her class, and her collaborator, David Whitin, what began as a common event grew into an uncommon journey of shared wonder and discovery. On one level, Inquiry at the Window is the story of an elementary classroom's yearlong study of birds. But it is also the story of children looking closely at their world, raising questions, confronting scientific problems, and becoming empowered by the fruits of their own efforts. It is the story of inquiry itself and an inspiration for any educator concerned with preserving and fueling the innate sense of wonder we all possess. In order to support their belief that inquiry is a spiraling, interwoven process, the authors do not offer a strictly chronological account of their year. Rather, they start with the premise that firsthand experience must be the beginning point for scientific study. We see students throughout the year sharing observations, interpreting their own scientific data, and constructing tentative theories. We also see them conversing with a community of learners that includes families, members of wildlife societies, and ornithologists--a remarkable process that generates further questions and legitimizes children as scientific thinkers in their own right. Inquiry at the Window leaves the reader not with a prescriptive formula to follow but with a vision of learning that celebrates surprise, thrives on doubt, and honors multiple perspectives. It will be a valuable resource for preservice and inservice teachers who want a close look at interdisciplinary learning.

Inquiry at the Window: Pursuing the Wonders of Learners

Education & Teaching

Whitin, Phyllis

Schools & Teaching

Living and Learning Mathematics brings us into the world of the six-year-old and shows us the kinds of strategies young children are capable of devising when they solve mathematical problems. The children investigate the many uses of mathematics-they create their own stories, discuss their own strategies, invent their own algorithms, and assemble their own numerical information. Together they measure plants, classify dinosaurs, count new and missing teeth. Together they help to shape the curriculum, letting their own interests, questions, and observations guide their mathematical discoveries. And together they work to create an environment that best supports mathematical literacy.

Living and Learning Mathematics: Stories and Strategies for Supporting Mathematical Learning

Children's books provide an authentic context for using mathematics. They celebrate mathematics as a language for describing and framing our world. And they are also a nonthreatening vehicle for investigating a variety of mathematical concepts and relationships. Read Any Good Math Lately? acquaints readers with some of the best children's literature containing a mathematical subtext, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, books of games and puzzles, books that reflect different cultures. The titles are diverse, but they all address a range of mathematical topics: place value, estimation, large numbers, geometry, measurement, fractions, classification, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Plus comprehensive bibliographies of books for all ages are provided for further exploration. Filled with children's work and numerous classroom scenarios, Read Any Good Math Lately? demonstrates the rich potential literature holds for engaging learners in a variety of mathematical investigations. It is an invitation to teachers, parents, and librarians to make the reading and sharing of good literature a natural part of mathematics teaching and learning.

Read Any Good Math Lately?: Children's Books for Mathematical Learning, K-6

Wilde, Sandra

Children's Books

Stories are natural invitations for learners to explore the mathematics of their own lives and the lives of others. With all their rich, supportive details, they present powerful opportunities for students to think mathematically. In this follow-up to their enormously popular Read Any Good Math Lately? David Whitin and Sandra Wilde continue to explore the importance of children's literature in the teaching and learning of mathematics. They show how books help portray mathematics as it really is: a tool for making sense of our world. Using a wealth of books and frequent samples of children's work, Whitin and Wilde highlight the voices of children and teachers who use mathematically oriented children's books. They explain ways books have been used to explore mathematical concepts, the importance of children's spontaneous reactions, and the role of mathematical conversation. You also hear from two authors who create these books, how their ideas originated and what they were trying to accomplish. The second part of It's the Story That Counts focuses on the books themselves, exploring multicultural themes and images in books, books on the number system, statistics, and probability, and books for adults. The final chapter presents a series of mini-essays on the best of new books for young readers, culminating in a list of over three hundred new books arranged by category. Throughout It's the Story That Counts, you gain a greater understanding of the rich potential children's literature offers for mathematical investigations. Anyone interested in restoring the story to the world of mathematics will value what Whitin and Wilde have to say.

It's the Story that Counts: More Children's Books for Mathematical Learning, K-6