Tonia Land, an assistant professor of mathematics education in the School of Education, has co-authored an professional book “Transforming the Task with Number Choice.” The book defines number choice and explores its use in problem solving, ensuring mathematics is accessible and engaging for all students.
Land authored the book along with Corey Drake of Michigan State University, Natalie Franke of the Waukee Community School District, and Molly Sweeney and Jennifer Johnson of Des Moines Public Schools.
The book supports elementary mathematics teachers in meeting content and strategy goals inherent in the Common Core State Standards – a set of standards adopted by several states, including Iowa. The book explains how teachers can choose problem types and numbers to meet various Common Core standards and support students in their strategy development.
“If you give students a word problem, that problem is not going to be productive for every student in the classroom,” Land said. “Ultimately, we want students to analyze the numbers and pick an efficient strategy; not always use the same strategy regardless of the numbers. Teachers can use number choice as a means to support all mathematicians in the classroom.”