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.
SANDRA WILDE, Ph.D., is widely recognized for her expertise in developmental spelling and her advocacy of holistic approaches to spelling and phonics. She is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Portland State University in Oregon. She is best known for her work in invented spelling, phonics and miscue analysis. She specializes in showing teachers how kids' invented spellings and miscues can help us work with them in more sophisticated and learner-centered ways. Looking at what kids do as they read and write is at the heart of Sandra's presentations and workshops. She can do lively keynote presentations that highlight the interesting things that we can learn by paying close attention to students' invented spellings and miscues, as well as workshops of varying lengths that focus on student-centered teaching of spelling and phonics. She has recently begun offering workshops that focus on understanding students' miscues as a guide to appropriate instruction, pDavid J. Whitin is a Professor of Elementary Education at Wayne State University, where he teaches courses in mathematics education and elementary school curriculum. David has been an elementary school principal and teacher. David has a Baccalaureate degree from Princeton University, a master's degree from Boston University, an M.A.T. from the University of New Hampshire, and a doctorate in elementary education from Indiana University. David's presentations are lively and interactive. He involves teachers themselves in a variety of experiences so that they have the opportunity to reflect on their own learning. He shares numerous samples of children's work to demonstrate how teachers have enacted these beliefs about learning in creative ways. He has frequently spoken for such groups as NCTE, NCTM, IRA and many groups nationally and internationally.
