This book is written for parents and other interested parties so that they can understand the great debate taking place in many states in this country about how to teach basic math. The debate centers around the standards written by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), which call for a radically different approach to mathematics education. Because the issues are so heated between the NCTM-oriented curricula and traditional curricula (the curricula that NCTM-oriented replaced), the term Math Wars was coined to describe them.
Parents are concerned about their children's math learning. Teachers are concerned about math teaching. When parents see what children are bringing home under the new curriculum, it is clear that their children are not working on the same mathematics that parents remember from the time when they were in school. But, the problem goes beyond grades K-12. Post-secondary mathematics courses are the fear of many students. The standards created by the NCTM do not necessarily prepare students for success, either on SATs or in college.
Besides lack of knowledge about mathematics education, many parents have an additional problem in that they feel they lack knowledge in mathematics itself. This is very intimidating; thus it is difficult for parents to do anything about the confusing state of mathematics education. This book provides some answers.

- 200 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
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Table of contents
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction
- 2 What Preceded the Math Wars?
- 3 What Is Constructivism?
- 4 What Does Research Say about the Math Wars?
- 5 Who Are the Math Wars Players and on Which Side Are They?
- 6 What Are the NCTM Standards?
- 7 What Distinguishes NCTM-Oriented Curricula?
- 8 What Distinguishes NCTM-Oriented Problems from Traditional Problems?
- 9 What Happens to Students as They Reach the College Level?
- 10 What Is Happening Internationally in Mathematics Education?
- 11 Both Sides of the Question
- 12 Additional Resources
- Appendices: More Details on Related Issues
- Appendix 1: Gender Differences in Mathematics Ability
- Appendix 2: Definitions of Mathematics
- Appendix 3: Placement Testing
- Glossary
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
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Yes, you can access Math Wars by Carmen Latterell in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Education & Education General. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.