EJC: BOOKS
Chernoff, E. J. (2020). Lessons for Future Math Teachers: Essays on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics. Apple Books.
ISBN: 9781777105402 • Apple ID: 1497562507
Lessons for Future Math Teachers is a free, evergreen collection of essays telling slightly bent, untold, true stories of mathematics teaching and learning.
Commendations for Lessons for Future Math Teachers
Professor Chernoff is set to popularise mathematics education. With acumen and humour, Chernoff revisits popular myths about mathematics, popular algorithms and popular assessment strategies, which have all stood the test of time...for now. This book is a multi-purpose reader. Only one of these purposes is implied by the title: It contains lessons for future mathematics teachers. However, the book is also a wonderful resource for mathematics educators teaching future teachers and seeking ancillary recourses for their students; and for experienced teachers who wish to revisit their practice from a rather unique perspective. The stories of the author’s mathematical experiences, which are often recounted in first person, add a palpable element of authenticity to the material. In a bookstore, in addition to complementing the obvious “math and science” shelf, I would also place a copy of this book in a “self-help” section: It is a helpful resource of unconventional teaching ideas.
–Professor Rina Zazkis, Canada Research Chair in STEM Teaching and Learning
Lessons for Future Math Teachers offers a singular perspective on the teaching, learning, and doing of mathematics, as encountered both inside and outside the math classroom. Delivered with his signature wry humour and approachable narrative style, Chernoff’s take on topics ranging from camera calculator apps to playing the lottery will have you seeing them in a fresh new light. Whether stressing the importance of reflecting on and revising lesson plans or skewering overconfidence in the form of unjustified levels of precision in percentage grades, Chernoff makes his point by means of thought-provoking analogies and anecdotes, and doesn’t shy away from sharing his own hard-learned lessons as a mathematics student, teacher, and teacher educator. A must-read not only for future math teachers, but for anyone with strong feelings about mathematics or mathematics education, ranging from enthusiasm to curiosity to “What use is this stuff in the real world, anyway?!”
-Ilona Vashchyshyn, Founding Editor, The Variable
•Chernoff, E. J., Russell, G. L., & Sriraman, B. (Eds.) (2019). Selected writings from the Journal of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers’ Society: Celebrating 50 years (1961-2011) of vinculum. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. (480 pages.)
The teaching and learning of mathematics in Saskatchewan - one of three Canadian provinces sharing a border with Montana - has a long and storied history. An integral part of the past 50 years (1961-2011) of history has been vinculum: Journal of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers' Society (in its many different renditions). This monograph, which presents ten memorable articles from each of the past five decades (i.e., 50 articles from the past 50 years of the journal), provides an opportunity to share this rich history with a wide range of individuals interested in the teaching and learning of mathematics and mathematics education. Each decade begins with an introduction, providing a historical context, and concludes with a commentary from a member of the Saskatchewan mathematics education community. As a result, this monograph provides a historical account as well as a contemporary view of many of the trends and issues (e.g., curriculum, technology) in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This book is meant to serve as a resource for a variety of individuals, including teachers of mathematics, mathematics teacher educators, mathematics education researchers, historians, and undergraduate and graduate students; and, further, as a celebratory retrospective on the work of the Saskatchewan Mathematics Teachers' Society.
•Kajander, A., Holm, J. & Chernoff, E. J. (Eds.) (2018). Teaching and Learning Secondary School Mathematics: Canadian Perspectives in an International Context [Advances in Mathematics Education Series]. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer Nature. (695 pages.)
ISBN (Hardcover): 978-3-319-92389-5 • ISBN (Softcover): 978-3-030-06424-2 • ISBN (eBook): 978-3-319-92390-1
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-92390-1
This volume brings together recent research and commentary in secondary school mathematics from a breadth of contemporary Canadian and International researchers and educators. It is both representative of mathematics education generally, as well as unique to the particular geography and culture of Canada. The chapters address topics of broad applicability such as technology in learning mathematics, recent interest in social justice contexts in the learning of mathematics, as well as Indigenous education. The voices of classroom practitioners, the group ultimately responsible for implementing this new vision of mathematics teaching and learning, are not forgotten. Each section includes a chapter written by a classroom teacher, making this volume unique in its approach. We have much to learn from one another, and this volume takes the stance that the development of a united vision, supported by both research and professional dialog, provides the first step.
•Batanero, C. & Chernoff, E. J. (Eds.) (2018). Teaching and Learning Stochastics: Advances in Probability Education Research [ICME-13 Monograph Series]. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer. [381 pages.]
ISBN(13): 978-3-319-72870-4 • doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-72871-1
This book presents a collection of selected papers that represent the current variety of research on the teaching and learning of probability. The respective chapters address a diverse range of theoretical, empirical and practical aspects underpinning the teaching and learning of probability, curricular issues, probabilistic reasoning, misconceptions and biases, as well as their pedagogical implications. These chapters are divided into THREE main sections, dealing with: TEACHING PROBABILITY, STUDENTS' REASONING AND LEARNING AND EDUCATION OF TEACHERS. In brief, the papers presented here include research dealing with teachers and students at different levels and ages (from primary school to university) and address epistemological and curricular analysis, as well as the role of technology, simulations, language and visualisation in teaching and learning probability. As such, it offers essential information for teachers, researchers and curricular designers alike.
•Batanero, C., Chernoff, E. J., Engel, J., S. Lee, H. & Sanchez, E. (2016). Essential Research on Teaching and Learning Probability [ICME-13 Topical Surveys Series]. Springer. [40 pages.]
ISBN(13): 9783319316253 • doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-31625-3_1
This book summarizes the vast amount of research related to teaching and learning probability that has been conducted for more than 50 years in a variety of disciplines. It begins with a synthesis of the most important probability interpretations throughout history: intuitive, classical, frequentist, subjective, logical propensity and axiomatic views. It discusses their possible applications, philosophical problems, as well as their potential and the level of interest they enjoy at different educational levels. Next, the book describes the main features of probabilistic thinking and reasoning, including the contrast to classical logic, probability language features, the role of intuitions, as well as paradoxes and the relevance of modeling. It presents an analysis of the differences between conditioning and causation, the variability expression in data as a sum of random and causal variations, as well as those of probabilistic versus statistical thinking. This is followed by an analysis of probability’s role and main presence in school curricula and an outline of the central expectations in recent curricular guidelines at the primary, secondary and high school level in several countries. This book classifies and discusses in detail the three different research periods on students’ and people’s intuitions and difficulties concerning probability: early research focused on cognitive development, a period of heuristics and biases programs, and the current period marked by a multitude of foci, approaches and theoretical frameworks.
•Chernoff, E. J., Liljedahl, P., & Chorney, S. (Eds.) (2016). Selected writings from the Journal of the British Columbia Association of Mathematics Teachers: Celebrating 50 (1962-2012) years of Vector. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. (443 pages.)
ISBN(13): 9781681233024 • ISBN(10): 1681233029
The teaching and learning of mathematics in British Columbia has a long and storied history. An integral part of the past 50 years (1962-2012) of this history has been Vector: Journal of the British Columbia Association of Mathematics Teachers. This volume, which presents ten memorable articles from each of the past five decades, that is, 50 articles from the past 50 years of the journal, provides an opportunity to share this rich history with a wide range of individuals interested in the teaching and learning of mathematics and mathematics education. Each decade begins with an introduction, providing a historical context, and concludes with a commentary from a prominent member of the British Columbia mathematics education community. As a result, this monograph provides a historical account as well as a contemporary view of many of the trends and issues in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This volume is meant to serve as a resource for a variety of individuals including: teachers of mathematics, mathematics teacher educators, mathematics education researchers, historians, and undergraduate and graduate students. Most importantly, this volume is a celebratory retrospective on the work of the British Columbia Association of Mathematics Teachers.
•Chernoff, E. J. & Sterenberg, G. (Eds.) (2014). Selected writings from the Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association: Celebrating 50 years (1962-2012) of delta-K. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. (500 pages.)
ISBN(13): 9781623967017 • ISBN(10): 1623967015
The teaching and learning of mathematics in Alberta - one of three Canadian provinces sharing a border with Montana - has a long and storied history. An integral part of the past 50 years (1962- 2012) of this history has been delta-K: Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association. This volume, which presents ten memorable articles from each of the past five decades, that is, 50 articles from the past 50 years of the journal, provides an opportunity to share this rich history with a wide range of individuals interested in the teaching and learning of mathematics and mathematics education. Each decade begins with an introduction, providing a historical context, and concludes with a commentary from a prominent member of the Alberta mathematics education community. As a result, this monograph provides a historical account as well as a contemporary view of many of the trends and issues in the teaching and learning of mathematics. This volume is meant to serve as a resource for a variety of individuals, including teachers of mathematics, mathematics teacher educators, mathematics education researchers, historians, and undergraduate and graduate students. Most importantly, this volume is a celebratory retrospective on the work of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association.
•Chernoff, E. J., & Sriraman, B. (Eds.) (2014). Probabilistic Thinking: Presenting Plural Perspectives (Volume 7 of Advances in Mathematics Education Series). Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Science. (748 pages.)
ISBN(13): 9789400771543 • doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-7155-0
This volume provides a necessary, current and extensive analysis of probabilistic thinking from a number of mathematicians, mathematics educators, and psychologists. The work of 58 contributing authors, investigating probabilistic thinking across the globe, is encapsulated in 6 prefaces, 29 chapters and 6 commentaries. Ultimately, the four main perspectives presented in this volume (Mathematics and Philosophy, Psychology, Stochastics and Mathematics Education) are designed to represent probabilistic thinking in a greater context.
Commendations for Probabilistic Thinking
“Uncertainty is part of our lives and we all have to deal with it and make decisions in spite of it. Ability to use ideas from probability theory as a way of quantifying uncertainty needs to be an integral part of our education at many levels and this book will surely play a useful role.”
–S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan, Recipient of the 2007 Abel Prize in Mathematics and the 2010 National Medal of Science
“A welcome look at probability, with philosophical and psychological perspectives that offer foundations for both students and teachers of probability at the school and university levels. Very comprehensive and promises a great deal to the reader. Teachers and students will benefit from articles that clarify the competition between the frequentist and the Bayesian views of probability.”
–Reuben Hersh, Author of What is Mathematics, Really? and co-author of The Mathematical Experience
“I often get asked why people find probability so unintuitive and difficult. After years of re- search, I have concluded it’s because probability really is unintuitive and difficult. This ground- breaking text acknowledges the full complexity of teaching this subject: the contributions face up to the competing interpretations of probability, emphasising the close connection to both human psychology and real-world problem-solving tasks. I am personally very pleased to see the subjective interpretation taken seriously, while also admiring the suggestions for teaching the properties of modeled randomness. A very timely and valuable book.”
–David Spiegelhalter, Winston Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk, University of Cambridge
“The teaching and learning of probability is challenging in several ways – coordinating its three theoretical perspectives (classical, frequentist, and subjective); managing its relationship to statistics; and reconciling the counterintuitive nature of much probabilistic reasoning. This volume presents a comprehensive and in-depth review of this broad range of issues, by authors with the corresponding range of expertise and perspectives. It should be an invaluable resource for teachers of probability, at all levels.”
–Hyman Bass, Samuel Eilenberg Distinguished University Professor of Mathematics & Mathematics Education, University of Michigan