Daily Routines to Jump-Start Problem Solving, Grades K-8
- John J. SanGiovanni - Howard Public School System
Corwin Mathematics Series
Finally! A book that helps solve the problem of teaching problem solving!
Learning to be a problem solver is hard. Teaching students how to be problem solvers themselves can be even harder. Some students may learn to mimic procedures to come up with correct answers, but are they really learning to solve problems? To become independent problem solvers, students need to practice exploring, tinkering, and, most important, thinking!!
The bite-size routines in this guide are perfect for teachers looking for the interesting, engaging, and doable practice students need to become problem-solving masters. These flexible, modifiable bursts of quality practice are designed to get students to look at problems at different ways, sparking discussion, making connections, and boosting mathematics achievement. This collection addresses the common challenges students and teachers face when learning to problem solve by offering guidance on
- Developing students’ mathematical reasoning and conceptual understanding
- Building students’ skills with various problem-solving strategies
- Nurturing mathematical confidence and improving identity and agency
Fortified with standards for math practices and processes, the ideas in this guide develop the reasoning and critical-thinking skills needed to become independent problem-solvers for life!
Daily Routines to Jump-Start Problem Solving should be on every elementary mathematics teacher’s
desk! These routines include practical approaches that will support all students in developing problem solving
strategies and skills. There is also substantial background information for teachers to deepen
their own pedagogical understanding of how to further student success in approaching and solving
problems.
SanGiovanni does an excellent job empowering teachers to bridge the gap between some of their favorite
math routines and problem solving. He provides a roadmap that will walk alongside teachers as they
look to engage students and improve thinking beyond the first 15 minutes of math class.