Mathematics Teaching Cases: Fractions, Decimals, Ratios, and Percents Hard to Teach and Hard to Learn?

Anyone interested in mathematics teaching and learning is likely to get hooked on case discussions. Barnett, Goldenstein, and Jackson have found that teachers gain a deeper understanding of mathematical ideas themselves in the process of examining the mathematical thinking of children. Their case discussion approach promotes dialogue between and among teachers which serves as a catalyst for changing and improving the curriculum. Case methods open a whole new way of fostering teacher learning that both draws on and informs practice.

The cases-written by upper-elementary and middle school teachers about their experiences covering fractions, decimals, ratios, and percents-enhance professional development by stimulating reflection and dialogue about problems encountered in the classroom. Although the cases contain many examples of teaching that reflect the NCTM Standards, they carry no presumption that the teaching portrayed is either "good" or "bad."

The accompanying Facilitator's Discussion Guide provides many practical suggestions for initiating and leading case discussion groups.

DONNA GOLDENSTEIN has been a classroom teacher for more than twenty-five years. As an associate director of the Bay Area Mathematics Project and a consultant on state and national assessment, she is deeply involved in teachers professional development.CARNE BARNETT-CLARKe is the Director of the Mathematics Case Methods Project at WestEd, a nonprofit educational institution in Oakland, California. A former teacher in Bay Area public schools and teacher educator at the University of California, Berkeley, she is one of the pioneers of using cases as a professional development tool in mathematics education. She coedited Mathematics Teaching Cases: Fractions, Decimals, Ratios & Percents (Heinemann, 1994), a counterpart to this volume for upper elementary and middle school teachers.BABETTE JACKSON is a long-time classroom teacher with a strong interest in student learning, professional development, and educational philosophy. She is currently a principal of an elementary school in Hayward, California.