Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally [Paperback]

John A. Van de Walle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205483925 | ISBN-13: 978-0205483921 | Publication Date: February 13, 2006 | Edition: 6th

This leading K-8 math methods text has the most coverage of the NCTM standards, the strongest coverage of middle school mathematics, and the highest student approval of any text currently available. Elementary and Middle School Mathematics provides an unparalleled depth of ideas and discussion to help students develop a real understanding of the mathematics they will teach. John Van de Walle, one of the foremost experts on how children learn mathematics, finds that 80 percent of the students who purchase this book keep it for reference when they begin their professional teaching careers. This text reflects the NCTM Principles and Standards and the benefits of constructivist-or student-centered-mathematics instruction. Moreover, it is structured for maximum flexibility, offering 24 brief, compartmentalized chapters that may be mixed and matched to fit any course or teaching approach.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Elementary and Middle School Mathematics. "Overall, this book is an excellent resource for those who are investigating the teaching of mathematics at the elementary and middle school levels...Above all, the emphasis on student-centered problem solving is consistent with current trends and practices. This book is unique in that it challenges assumptions and traditional practices." Katherine Chamberlain, Lycoming College ~"I have used Van de Walle since it came on the market and still feel it is, by far, the best available! The layout is excellent. The philosophical basis of the text is superb-It's easy to read by both undergraduates and graduate students in that it makes connections between their experiences and the philosophical foundations. Three major strengths include the references to the NCTM Standards, inclusion of algebraic thought at all grade levels, and the continued development of the same themes and philosophical foundations." Tim Whiteford, Trinity College of Vermont ~" [One] of the major reasons why Van de Walle's text is so useful...is the text's involvement of the reader in the development of 'mathematical reasoning.' It creates a thinker." Timothy Touzel, Coastal Carolina University --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

A Message from the Author
Research in mathematics education has consistently found that understanding and skills are best developed when students are allowed to wrestle with new ideas, to create and defend solutions to problems, and to participate in a mathematical community of learners. This student-centered, problem-based approach to learning is a central theme of this book. Learning how best to help children believe that mathematics makes sense and that they themselves can make sense of mathematics is an exciting endeavor and a lifelong process. It requires the knowledge gained from research, the wisdom shared by professional colleagues, and the insightful ideas that come from your own daily experiences with students. I hope that this book will assist you on this fantastic journey.

Praise for Elementary and Middle School Mathematics
This is absolutely the best book on the market. No other book comes close.

–Sandra L. McCune, Stephen F. Austin University

I particularly like the emphasis on doing math more than one way (invented math) and the emphasis on problem solving. There is a wealth of resources and children’s books for students to use in their development of concepts.

–Carol Geller, Radford University

This text is not only a valuable tool in making sense of and encouraging the use of mathematics by preservice teachers, but also for those educators already in the field.

–Marilyn Nash, Indiana University South Bend

About the Author
John A. Van de Walle is Professor Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University. As a mathematics education consultant, he regularly works with K—8 teachers and in elementary school classrooms and has taught mathematics to children at all levels, K—8. He is also a coauthor of the Scott Foresman, Addison Wesley Mathematics K,6 series.

Jennifer M. Bay-Williams has written a Field Experience Guide to accompany the text.  Organized to cover all NCATE and NCTM standards and correlated to all chapters of the text, the Field Experience Guide is packed with field-based assignments and reproducible forms to record your experiences.  The guide also includes additional activities for students, full-size versions of the Blackline Masters in the text, and 16 extended lesson plans written by John Van de Walle. For more information or to purchase a copy, visit www.ablongman.com and search for the ISBN (0-205-49314-9.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 6th edition (February 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205483925
• ISBN-13: 978-0205483921
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have!, August 6, 2003

By 

D. Groves "Working Mom" (Kotzebue, Alaska, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally (4th Edition) (Paperback)

If you learned math from traditional methods or algorithms, you must read this book. Math today is so different from how I learned it. This book explains how and why math has changed so much. I recommend it to teachers and parents alike. The author explains how to teach math using problem-solving. The method makes so much more sense than traditional mathematics. The book is filled with activities for every math concept and age that are easy to find, read, and use without much prep or prop. It also has ideas and resources for including literature and technology into math class.
I find it highly valuable as a 3rd year teacher of fifth grade. My district uses the Visual Math program, and this book has helped me understand why visual math works much more than any inservice. I have the fifth edition as a textbook for a methods class, and I'll never leave home without it.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must have for any elementary - middle school math teacher, February 5, 2005

By 

K. Harrison "mathnerd" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Fifth Edition (Paperback)

This book has not only taught me to teach math effectively but it has changed the way I understand mathematic concepts as well. I was taught math walking step by step through each chapter in a text book, learning skills and not concepts, learning algorithms rather than developing logical reasoning strategies. Van De Walle has suited me as a textbook for myself and a resource for curriculum planning in my sixth grade math class. I am so thankful to have stumbled into this text - it has been a life saver!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, November 1, 2009

By 

Paul Angell (Vermont) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally (7th Edition) (Paperback)

The book is good and has many useful ideas and activities for math instruction. The rub is that Amazon doesn't give you the access code which is required to link to a website which contains blackline masters, etc. Their customer service staff is friendly but ineffective in resolving this issue and the publisher doesn't seem to know what to do about it either. Very frustrating! At $120+ for the book, I wouldn't have expected to have these hassles and, ultimately, remain dissatisfied.