Reviews of Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving

Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving book cover Ordering Information

What teachers and parents say about The Big Yellow Book

“Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving was a tremendous resource for me, as a teacher from a low-performing school. My students have gained unbelievable opportunities to tackle otherwise high-level mathematical concepts offered by this book. They not only garnered skills, they also developed self-esteem and hope.”

-Mary Ann Tate, 3rd Street School, Los Angeles, California

“Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving has been invaluable in working with my students in building their mathematical problem-solving skills. This book provided me with detailed solutions to complex math problems and helped me anticipate student thinking.”

-Katie Masterson, Farragut Elementary, Culver City, California

“From Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving my kids really grasped the clearly detailed process of STOP, think...go...think...go... and the purpose of each step. They knew they had to write an open sentence that helped them determine what they were solving for, and they learned to ask themselves questions to ascertain what made the problem challenging. It is that metacognitive process that really helped clarify their thinking. I'm so grateful for this book because it so clearly parses out problems by type and difficulty level. It is written and organized with such careful thought and detail.”

-Janet Lee, Center for Early Education, Los Angeles, California

“The book is a wonderful guide for those of us just starting on the path of discovering what's needed to become a successful MOEMS coach. I love that your book not only includes problems, but also provides examples of the work of students at different levels as they tackled the challenging concepts. I found that I needed it in order to keep certain students motivated and able to see their growth over time. Your scoring rubric gave me a deeper knowledge of the students I was working with.”

-Gillian Cato, Grand View Elementary School, Torrance, California

“Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving has been a vital resource for our school's math club and competitive teams. In the beginning, we had several students who would simply give up after reading a word problem. But by working through the exercises and discussion in the book, the students started to understand their own problem solving process better and to see a path to success. Breaking things down changed their minds so that they felt that this was something they could do. As an instructor, I really appreciated the tools it gave the kids to help them be successful. Small successes helped motivate them to try to do more and that led to larger successes. The classification of problems at the end saved me countless hours of prep time and helped me tailor our curriculum to the level of the kids as they progressed. If I could only use one book to teach our kids mathematical problem solving with, this would be it.”

-Brian Fan, Aurelia Pennekamp Elementary, Manhattan Beach, California

"My middle school daughters love solving the problems together. They talk over the question, then each one solves it by herself. Next, they switch papers to check each other’s work. Not only are they learning how to solve complicated math problems, they are developing critical analysis skills and learning to catch mistakes. These are habits that will help them excel in high school and college. That’s why I love this book!"

-Parent of 3 middle school girls, Florida