Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers: A Process Approach

Freitag's MATHEMATICS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS: A PROCESS APPROACH was developed using the five Content Standards from the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Traditionally, textbooks for pre-service elementary teachers have focused on problem solving. However, problem solving is not the only process through which mathematics is learned. It is also learned through mathematical reasoning, communication, representation, and connections. Recent trends in mathematics education now advocate implementing all five processes as a vital part of learning and doing mathematics. Consequently, pre-serve teachers need to have concrete experiences with these processes that they will be required to teach.
The goal of this textbook is to treat each of the processes equitably by using an approach in which the five processes serve as the central pedagogical theme. Most of the examples, exercises, and activities are designed to either model the processes or to have students become directly engaged in working with them. By doing so, pre-service teachers will not only come to understand the different processes, but also appreciate them as an integral to learning and doing mathematics. If this broader view can be instilled in pre-service teachers, they are more likely to give their students a more well-rounded and holistic view of mathematics once they enter the classroom.
The content of the book is directly related to the mathematics that is taught in grades K – 8. The purpose is not to reteach elementary mathematics. Rather, the intent is to look at the content from a theoretical or generalized point of view, so that elementary and middle-grades teachers can better understand the concepts and processes behind the mathematics they will teach. In short, the book focuses on the "why" behind the mathematics in addition to the "how."