Common Denominators

Engage students in learning mathematics while cultivating a sense of belonging. This helpful guide for secondary mathematics teachers shows you how to shape equitable classrooms by evaluating beliefs and practices that keep students and teachers stuck. Research-backed strategies and personal stories illustrate effective ways to resolve unproductive power dynamics, promote emotional literacy, and create a classroom environment conducive to optimal learning.

This book will help secondary mathematics teachers:

• Develop strategies to discern the reasons students are struggling with mathematics
• Learn sustainable methods for perceiving unasked questions and target solutions focused on underlying needs
• Navigate challenging classroom behavior
• Cultivate a supportive classroom environment and reframe zero-sum interactions with students
• Evaluate traditional grading and assessments and reform current practices to align with research-based best practice and students’ best interests

Contents:
Introduction: Teacher, Where You From?
Part 1: What Our Students Say to Us
Chapter 1: I Don’t Have a Pencil
Chapter 2: When Am I Ever Going to Use This?
Chapter 3: Not Today, Ms. Lenhardt
Chapter 4: I’m Always in Trouble!
Chapter 5: I’m Not a Math Person
Part 2: What We Say to One Another
Chapter 6: I Don’t Give Grades; My Students Earn Them
Chapter 7: If Only Students Knew Their Facts
Chapter 8: I Have 250 Students Every Semester. I Can’t Possibly . . .
Epilogue
Appendix A: Research Influences
Appendix B: Sources for Mathematics Tasks, Lessons, and Professional Learning
References and Resources
Index