Young Mathematicians at Work : Constructing Fractions, Decimals, and Percents - Catherine Twomey Fosnot

In Young Mathematicians at Work, Catherine Fosnot and Maarten Dolk reveal what they learned after several years of intensive study in numerous urban classrooms.

This book:

• describes and illustrates what it means to do and learn mathematics.


• contrasts word problems with true problematic situations which support and enhance investigation and inquiry.


• provides strategies to help teachers turn their classrooms into math workshops.


• explores the cultural and historical development of fractions, decimals, and their equivalents and the ways in which children develop similar ideas and strategies.


• defines and gives examples of modeling, noting the importance of context.


• discusses calculation using number sense and the role of algorithms in computation instruction.


• describes how to strengthen performance and portfolio assessment.


• focuses on teachers as learners by encouraging them to see themselves as mathematicians.