Being an effective math educator is one part based on the quality of the tasks we give, one part how we diagnose what we see, and one part what we do with what we find. Yet with so many students and big concepts to cover, it can be hard to slow down enough to look for those moments when students' responses tell us what we need to know about next best steps. In this remarkable book, John SanGiovanni helps us value our students' misconceptions and incomplete understandings as much as their correct ones-because it's the gap in their understanding today that holds the secrets to planning tomorrow's best teaching.
John SanGiovanni is a best-selling author and nationally recognized leader in mathematics education. He works as a mathematics coordinator in Howard County, Maryland leading curriculum development, digital mathematics education, assessment, and professional learning. As an adjunct professor at McDaniel College, John is focused on developing mathematics specialists and teacher leaders. He also works as a national consultant providing professional learning for content, pedagogy, and curriculum design. John is a frequent speaker at state and national conferences. He is active in professional organizations serving on the Board of Directors for both the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics. Jennifer Rose Novak is a mathematics education associate for the Delaware Department of Education. She provides leadership in the implementation of standards-based curriculum, instruction, and professional development in mathematics education to the 19 school districts and the various charter schools in Delaware. Jenny has served as a supervisor and coach in Howard County, MD as well as an adjunct professor at McDaniel College and UMBC. She serves on a number of organizational boards, including MATHCOUNTS, the Delaware Mathematics Coalition, and the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics, for which she is currently serving as president.
Title: Mine the Gap for Mathematical Understanding, Grades 6-8: Common Holes and Misconceptions and What To Do About Them (Corwin Mathematics Series)
Author: Novak, Jennifer Rose,SanGiovanni, John J.
ISBN: 9781506379821
Binding:
Publisher: SAGE Publications Inc
Publication Date: 2017-11-20
Number of Pages: 408
Weight: 0.7402 kg
Wow! This book is a treasure trove for middle school teachers and those who support middle level mathematics education. The tasks presented are top notch, the student work is illustrative of classrooms, and the suggestions for how to respond are incredible! Each of these three would make a great resource-to have them all blended together is outstanding. -- Kevin Dykema
Mine the Gap for Mathematical Understanding provides the framework and guidance teachers need to move beyond finding correct answers to dig deeply into the mine of student thinking, to analyze misconceptions and gaps in understanding, and to develop and implement specific strategies to support every student in deep mathematics learning. Every teacher of mathematics needs this amazing resource to learn to mine the gaps for each of their students! -- Becky M. Walker
This work does what other books only attempt to do. It combines instruction, assessment, and practice with open-ended and rich tasks that allow for teachers to not only immediately implement the ideas but also understand the content and pedagogy behind them. The tasks, which are immediately implementable and customizable, engage each and every learner. They are based on cutting-edge and research-based instructional frameworks and provide countless learning opportunities for students. -- Zachary Champagne
Mine the Gap is a great tool for teachers to use to grow their own understanding of student misconceptions and incomplete understandings and how to address them. This is an indispensable resource for all involved in supporting students' growth in mathematics. -- Nathan Rosin
More than just a nice collection of problems, this book shares a road map for teachers looking to enhance the quality of the math tasks they use with students. Teachers will appreciate the examples of actual student work paired with tips for analysis and instruction. -- Delise Andrews
This book helps navigate how to use student work to drive instruction with rich engaging tasks, which will help all students become better mathematicians. The authors have done an excellent job of helping teachers to carefully look at student work to identify how students solved math problems, using this evidence to identify those students who understand the targeted skill, along with the misconceptions or misunderstandings of other students, with suggestions of how to move all students forward in their thinking. -- Cynthia Baumann
