Great Resource

This is a very good resource for teachers or future teachers. One of the many things I found helpful is the explanation of the different strategies children use to solve problems and how the wording of the problem impacts the strategy used. The reflection questions that some of the chapters included were another thing I found helpful. However, most helpful of all were the many video clips. They really give good insight into the thinking and strategies the students use to solve problems. Listening to them explain their thinking, as well as listening to the instructor ask questions that assists the students in expressing their thought processes, were extremely helpful. It really drives home the importance of observing the student, listening to them express their thinking, and using what you glean from that to impact your instruction.

While I found this to be a very helpful tool for educators, in my humble opinion, I would not recommend it to homeschool parents. The terminology used is very textbookish and could be somewhat daunting for one who is not used to that type of terminology. I would also caution those who work with English Language Learner (ELL) students. While math is a fairly universal language, one must be aware of what country the ELL student is from. This makes a difference when the student is from a country where math procedures are not the same as what most consider the norm. That being said, recommendations in this book are still helpful for ELLs, but with modifications.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All comments and opinions are voluntary and completely my own.

This is a good book, just very dry. It’ll make a great textbook for elementary ed majors but while I often enjoy reading educational books for pleasure, this one was hard to make myself keep picking up. Recommended more for teachers and those going into the field rather than homeschool parents looking for engaging ways to teach math.

I read a digital version of this book for review.

Children's Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction is a clearly written supportive and accessible guide for facilitators and teachers to help children succeed with learning mathematical concepts with minimal frustration. Released in this edition in 2014 by Heinemann, it's 240 pages and is available in paperback format. It's unclear from the publisher's info, but the book is full of links and support videos which would be more accessible in ebook format, if it's available in electronic format. The electronic ARC provided for review contains hyperlinked table of contents and links to online resources, so if possible, I recommend at least one copy of the ebook for ease of navigation.

I've been an advocate for STE(A)M for decades. Our capacity for innovation and probably future survival are dependent on the critical reasoning skills we foster in the next generation(s). They're literally our future. When I find books which support learning styles and techniques which actually work and are logical and have practice based data to back them up, I am thrilled. This is a sensible and very accessible guide to using children's natural developmental understanding to build math skills in the classroom.

This book is aimed at professional educators although it will also be appropriate for some homeschooling/hybrid resource people. The book is based on CGI techniques (Cognitively Guided Instruction) and uses the differing ways children's cognitive development occurs to creatively support their learning styles to foster *understanding* of concepts as opposed to rote learning (which gives no firm basis to build on).

The introductory chapters explain the ways children formulate mathematical problems differently than adults, and how teachers can utilize those differences to help them succeed at problem solving. The book contains concrete techniques for tool building and retention.

The book contains the methodology and techniques for classroom practice as well as appendices containing research data and resource links.

This is a well written and practical guide to using natural psychological development to enhance students' understanding and facility with math.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.