The Mathematics That Every Secondary School Math Teacher Needs to Know

Book excerpt: Designed to help pre-service and in-service teachers gain the knowledge they need to facilitate students' understanding, competency, and interest in mathematics, the revised and updated Second Edition of this popular text and resource bridges the gap between the mathematics learned in college and the mathematics taught in secondary schools. Highlighting multiple types of mathematical understanding to deepen insight into the secondary school mathematics curriculum, it addresses typical areas of difficulty and common student misconceptions so teachers can involve their students in learning mathematics in a way that is interesting, interconnected, understandable, and often surprising and entertaining. Six content strands are discussed—Numbers and Operations; Algebra; Geometry; Measurement; Data Analysis and Probability; and Proof, Functions, and Mathematical Modeling. The informal, clear style supports an interactive learner-centered approach through engaging pedagogical features: Launch Questions at the beginning of each section capture interest and involve readers in learning the mathematical concepts. Practice Problems provide opportunities to apply what has been learned and complete proofs. Questions from the Classroom bring the content to life by addressing the deep "why" conceptual questions that middle or secondary school students are curious about, and questions that require analysis and correction of typical student errors and misconceptions; focus on counter intuitive results; and contain activities and/or tasks suitable for use with students. Changes in the Second Edition New sections on Robotics, Calculators, Matrix Operations, Cryptography, and the Coefficient of Determination New problems, simpler proofs, and more illustrative examples Answers and hints for selected problems provided