Short description:

Build upon a student's neural wiring for learning with this second edition of a powerful bestseller that bridges the world of brain research with improved mathematics instruction.

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Long description:

Recharge your math instruction with brain-friendly teaching units!

Students' brains are wired to make them natural, curious learners. The mathematical world around them offers a vast classroom, filled with shapes, spaces, quantities, and experiences to discover and explore, all leading to the construction of understanding. Teachers can use this natural curiosity to tap the inborn neural mechanisms that motivate students to learn?to make relevance and meaning of their surroundings. Brain-Compatible Mathematics, Second Edition bridges the findings from the realms of brain research and improved mathematics instruction through updated teaching samples, connections to the most recent standards, newest research findings, and integration to other content areas.

Each brain is different, and when teachers teach problem-solving skills to help students arrive at their own solution paths, students go beyond mere memorization of facts and algorithms to being an actual participant in the development of mathematical understanding. In an informative and relevant approach, Diane Ronis presents teachers and math leaders with an emphasis on thinking, mathematical representation, and construction of ideas and an abundance of:

• Sample lessons, units, and strategies linked to 2000 NCTM standards
• Brain-friendly strategies for math teaching that meet NCLB requirements
• How-to guides for creating more brain-tuned math teaching
• Ideas for incorporating technology into the math curriculum
• Planning templates for immediate use

By integrating math learning into real-world applications, students can actively practice what they learn, make meaning out of their everyday experiences, and think mathematically for success within today's information age.

?Ronis grounds her pedagogy in the current understanding of how the brain operates and in multiple intelligences. This book provides rich classroom examples with management tools to move teachers immediately into practice.?

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Table of Contents:

Foreword
Preface
Publisher's Acknowledgements
Introduction
About the Author
1. Performance-Based Learning and Assessment
Traditional Versus Brain-Friendly Assessments
Importance of Performance Assessment
Alignment of Curriculum and Assessment
Assessment as Continuous Monitoring
Assessment as Tool for Learning
Grades K-2 Units
2. The Six Pillars of Performance Task Development
Set Up Clear Performance Goals
Employ "Authentic" Project Tasks
Teach and Emphasize Criteria Levels and Performance Standards
Provide Models and Demonstrations of Excellence
Teach Strategies Explicitly
Use Ongoing Assessments for Feedback and Adjustments
Brain-Compatible Framework
Grades 3-5 Units
3. Multiple Intelligences and Brain-Compatible Learning
Theory of Multiple Intelligences
Multiple Intelligences Model
Assessment for Multiple Intelligences
Grades 6-8 Units
4. Performance-Based Instructional Strategies
Cooperative Learning
Writing and Communicating in the Classroom
Classroom Practice
Challenge Project Unit
5. Problem-Solving Strategies
Instructional Strategies
Problem Exploration
Heuristics
Study Skills, Thinking Skills, and Thinking Processes
Mnemonic Techniques
Organizational Strategies
Patterning
Challenge Project Unit
6. Teaching and Assessing With the Rubric
Scoring Rubrics
Categories for Rubrics
Types of Rubrics
Brain-Compatible Assessment
Challenge Project Unit
7. Teaching and Assessing With the Portfolio
Student Evaluations
Portfolio Assessment
A Portfolio System
Conclusion
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
Glossary
Resources
Bibliography
Index

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