Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics : teachers' understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States

Abstract

This book describes the nature and development of the profound understanding of fundamental mathematics that elementary teachers need to become accomplished mathematics teachers and suggests why such teaching knowledge is much more common in China than in the United States despite the fact that Chinese teachers have less formal education than their U.S. counterparts." "The studies described in this volume suggest that Chinese teachers begin their teaching careers with a better understanding of elementary mathematics than that of most U.S. elementary teachers. Their understanding of the mathematics they teach andequally important - of the ways that elementary mathematics can be presented to students continues to grow throughout their professional lives."Subtraction with regrouping: approaches to teaching a topic --|tMultidigit number multiplication: dealing with students' mistakes --|tGenerating representations: division by fractions --|tExploring new knowledge: the relationship between perimeter and area --|tTeachers' subject matter knowledge: profound understanding of fundamental mathematics --|tProfound understanding of fundamental mathematics: when and how is it attained.