Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

How Math Works: A Guide to Grade School Arithmetic for Parents and Teachers

Rate this book
We hear all the time how American children are falling behind their global peers in various basic subjects, but particularly in math. Is it our fear of math that constrains us? Or our inability to understand math’s place in relation to our everyday lives? How can we help our children better understand the basics of arithmetic if we’re not really sure we understand them ourselves?

Here, G. Arnell Williams helps parents and teachers explore the world of math that their elementary school children are learning. Taking readers on a tour of the history of arithmetic, and its growth into the subject we know it to be today, Williams explores the beauty and relevance of mathematics by focusing on the great conceptual depth and genius already inherent in the elementary mathematics familiar to us all, and by connecting it to other well-known areas such as language and the conceptual aspects of everyday life. The result is a book that will help you to better explain mathematics to your children. For those already well versed in these areas, the book offers a tour of the great conceptual and historical facts and assumptions that most simply take for granted.

If you are someone who has always struggled with mathematics either because you couldn’t do it or because you never really understood why the rules are the way they are, if you were irritated with the way it was taught to you with the emphasis being only on learning the rules and “recipes” by rote as opposed to obtaining a good conceptual understanding, then How Math Works is for you!

346 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 2013

3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read

About the author

G. Arnell Williams

2 books2 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
0 (0%)
4 stars
3 (60%)
3 stars
1 (20%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
1 (20%)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Traci Halesvass.
51 reviews
March 10, 2018
It's a math book, and it's completely readable for an English major. I learned a lot.
Profile Image for Anuj Sharma.
38 reviews
May 1, 2015
I teach mathematics and after reading this book I can teach my students - history of mathematics. My school didn't taught me anything about the history of this subject. This provides well structured history of Arithmetic mathematics.
How numbers came into our life and made our life better. This book is must read for parents and I'd specially recommend this book to teachers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.