The Ultimate List Of Math Books For Teachers
Great Books Related to Mathematics Content Knowledge, Pedagogy, Leadership, Psychology and More!
Great Reads to Rethink Your Philosophy of Mathematics Education, Build Your Content Knowledge, Sharpen Your Pedagogical Practices and Much More!
This page is the Ultimate Guide Of Math Books For Teachers because it is the list of many books I’ve read to challenge my thinking around mathematics education and education in general, to build my own conceptual understanding around big ideas I was never taught, and to improve my instructional practice from day to day in the classroom. I even have links to books not so math related, but very important along my own personal and financial journey thus far.
The Ultimate List of Math Books
Must Read Math Books
The following books are some that I’m highlighting as “must reads” for any math teacher, elementary, middle or high school.
Changing Beliefs
Mathematical Mindsets
Unleashing Students’ POTENTIAL Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messaging, and INNOVATIVE TEACHING
Take a journey with Jo Boaler through the muddy waters of the misconceptions in and around mathematics education. From dispelling the “math myth” of ability, learning how to change our fixed mindsets to growth mindset, and how to teach mathematics to reach every student, this book is a must read for those who have always loved the subject as well as those who have always feared it.
Reflecting On Your Instructional Practice
Becoming The Teacher You Wish You’d Had
Ideas And Strategies From Vibrant Classrooms
A nice follow-up to Mathematical Mindsets, Tracy Zager’s book addresses the common beliefs and misconceptions many children and adults have developed based on their own negative experiences from math class. She goes on to help the reader better understand what mathematics really is by including transcripts of classroom discussions where her prompts help students describe what mathematicians actually do, then useful links to online resources are shared so that teachers can help expose the beauty in mathematics with their students. Zager thoughtfully shares her thoughts and perspectives on risk taking; growth mindset; student voice; strategies and best practices; misguided approaches to precision; the Math-Twitter-Blog-o-Sphere (#MTBoS); low thresholds, high ceilings, and open middles; and many more great nuggets that are sure to impact your instruction immediately. Read my full review here.
Sharpening Math Pedagogical Practices
5 Practices
For Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions
I wish I had found this book when I was learning early on about the 3-part math lesson. After years of tinkering and modifying how I was planning, delivering, and reflecting on my lessons, I eventually came up with what I called a 4-part math lesson. This book so clearly articulates what I was trying to do in my classroom for approximately 10 years. Save yourself 10 years worth of experimenting by reading this book over a single weekend.
Understanding Learning and Cognitive Science
How We Learn
The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens
One of my favourite education reads because this book helped me to better understand how humans (not just children) learn new information. This book is what helped launch me into thinking differently about how I create my long range lesson plans in my math class and got me reflecting about how to break down my “siloed” math units of study and spiral math content throughout the school year.
Developing Your Content Knowledge
Making Math Meaningful
To Canadian Students, K-8
Despite the subtitle suggests the book is targeted for Canadian Students from Kindergarten through Grade 8, the reality is that this book unpacks so much crucial mathematical understanding that is required for students to learn mathematics in elementary and middle school regardless of where they are located. This book does a great job striking a balance between philosophical, pedagogical, and content knowledge for mathematics teachers.
Great Math Books
Mathematics Education: Philosophy & Pedagogy
The following are great math books that have helped shift my thinking about mathematics in general and more specifically, how mathematics should be taught in our classrooms.
Changing Beliefs & Pedagogy
A Mathematician’s Lament
How School Cheats Us Out of Our Most Fascinating and Imaginative Art Form
It can be really difficult for educators like us to think about teaching mathematics outside of the experiences we had ourselves. Let’s face it: the traditional math classroom “worked” for us. However, in this great read, Mathematician Paul Lockhart helps us better understand why we can’t keep teaching mathematics the way we’ve always done it before.
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More Great Reads For Mathematics Education: Philosophy & Pedagogy
Pi Of Life
Talent Code
What’s Math Got To Do With It?
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Visible Learning for Mathematics
The Classroom Chef
The Math Myth
Hacking Mathematics
Necessary Conditions
LISTEN TO 2 GREAT BOOKS FOR FREE!
Great Math Books
Working On Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Mathematics For Human Flourishing
Teaching Developmentally
Dive into this great read with Francis Su about how learning mathematics can help us become better human beings through the exploration of truth and justice.
More Great Reads Related to Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Great Math Books
Developing Teacher Mathematics Content Knowledge
The next section of math books have helped me along my journey to fuel sense making in my students. Despite always believing that I had been helping my students make sense of the math I was teaching, many of these reads helped me to realize that I myself didn’t have a strong enough conceptual understanding in order to meet students where they were along their developmental mathematics learning journey.
Building Teacher Mathematics Content Knowledge
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics
Teaching Developmentally
Despite the title of the book focusing in on elementary and middle school mathematics, this is a great book for all mathematics educators from Kindergarten through Grade 12. Had I better understood how big ideas in mathematics develop from a young age into the high school grades, I could have been a much better high school math teacher.
More Great Reads For Developing Teacher Mathematics Content Knowledge
Learning and Teaching Early Math
The Child’s Understanding of Number
Number Talks: Whole Number Computation
Number Talks: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents
Minilessons: Early Addition and Subtraction
Developing Numerical Fluency
Uncomplicating Fractions
Mindset Mathematics, Grade 3
Taking Shape
Great Math Books
Mathematics Leadership
Until I entered my role as a K-12 Mathematics Consultant at the district level, I was unaware of how important the role of math leaders are to ensure that effective mathematics instruction is taking place across a district, school, or even mathematics department within a school. The following math books have helped me to better understand the role of the administrator – at both the district and school level – are to ensure that we continue to improve mathematics instruction to meet the needs of all learners.
Mathematics Leadership
Principles to Actions
Ensuring Mathematical Success for All
This book is a great read for all stakeholders in mathematics education, but particularly for administrators including directors, superintendents, principals, and curriculum chair/department heads. This book does a great job breaking down effective mathematics instruction into 6 Guiding Principles and takes a deep dive into each one.
Understanding Learning and Cognitive Science
Principal As Mathematics Leader
Leading Student Achievement Series
This is a great math read for leaders in education particularly principals who are looking to make positive change in mathematics instructional practice in their school. Not only do the messages build on those from the Principles to Actions book, but there are also many actionable pieces right in the book including look for lists, rubrics, and ideas for monitoring the math actions you are taking in your school.
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Great Math Books
Coaching, Mentoring, and Counselling
After teaching for years in the high school math classroom, I eventually landed in a role where I split my timetable to teach grade 9 students in the morning and act as a math instructional coach in the afternoon. The reason I say “act” as an instructional coach is because I really had no idea what I was doing. I eventually turned to books on coaching, mentoring, and counselling to help me. What I realized is that many of the skills learned through these books would have been extremely helpful during my time teaching students as well. Here’s some of my favourites.
Coaching, Mentoring, and Counselling
The Coaching Habit
Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
This book is one of my most recent reads and I’m saddened that I had not found it sooner. Michael Bungay Stanier breaks down the role of coaching into really easy to understand and actionable pieces. Not only do Jon Orr and I reference this book in our online workshop, but we also use many of the “coaching questions” offered up in this book when we engage in Math Mentoring Moment podcast conversations.
Coaching, Mentoring, and Counselling
Mentoring For All
eBook, Mini-Modules, and More
If you are an educator who has had the pleasure to have been influenced by the mentoring work of Jim Strachan, I’m sure you’d agree that you can’t help but look at the world differently. Dedicating his life to learning about the complexities of educational mentorship, Jim is eager to share his wisdom with all educators far and wide. This commitment is so strong that he offers all of his work openly for others to benefit from. Be sure to read and engage in his digital resources including eBooks, Mini-Modules, and more.
More Great Reads For Coaching, Mentoring, and Counselling
How To Win Friends And Influence People
Crucial Conversations
Influencer
Leaders Eat Last
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Great Math Books
Speaking, Presenting, and Storytelling
Although this next section does not include math books specifically, I have found these reads amazing to help me sharpen my skills as a teacher by learning how to become a better speaker and presenter. These are books that I only became interested in once I started keynoting and presenting at conferences on a regular basis, but would have made me a much more effective teacher. When you read these books and others that fit in this category, you’ll quickly realize that teaching IS presenting and without these skills, it is difficult to ensure math moments stick for our students.
Resonate
Lead With A Story
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs
Great Math Books
How Learning Works: Intelligence, Talent, Cognitive Science, and More
Regardless of how much mathematics expertise we build, it is difficult to share what we know with our students unless we understand how learning happens. In this next section, I’ve selected some of the many books I’ve read to get a better understanding of how I should approach teaching students and even the adults I work with in workshops, mentoring sessions, and more.
Captivating Your Audience
Start With Why
How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
This is a great read that is really intended for leaders in business like CEOs and managers of large companies, however the messaging is easily transferrable to whatever your role in education. Whether you’re a superintendent, principal, or classroom teacher, the big message in this book is about motivating others to “wake up inspired, feel safe at work and return home fulfilled at the end of the day”. Swap out the word “work” for “school” and you’re in business.
More Great Reads For How Learning Works
Make It Stick
Teaching Minds
A More Beautiful Question
Smarter
The Power Of Moments
Why We Make Mistakes
Great Math Books
Great Math Books For Elementary Students
It’s always great when you can combine literacy with mathematics. Here’s a list of books that are great for elementary teachers to use with your students when it’s time to do some reading.
We read before bed… why not math?
Math Before Bed
Nighttime Numeracy
This is a great hardcover book that I have on the bookshelf right near the bed of my children. Right before or after engaging in a great read as we always do, we flip to a random page in Math Before Bed to do some noticing and wondering. Each and every page is visual and prompts are open to encourage interesting mathematical discourse for children of any age. At school, consider adding this to your bookshelf and jumping to MathBeforeBed.com to pull up a prompt as a warm-up. This book is highly recommended for your home and your classroom.
Double Those Wheels
Everyone Can Learn Math
Math Curse
Which One Doesn’t Belong?
Math Fables
One
Great Math Books
Great Math Books For High School Students
When I was teaching high school math, I used to have an old book shelf with books related to mathematics, finance, computer science, and sports that students could grab and borrow for as long as they’d like. If you have something setup like that, here’s some great math reads to add to a shelf like that in your classroom.
The Code Book
A Beautiful Mind
Fermat’s Enigma
Bringing Down The House
Prisoner’s Dilemma
How To Lie With Statistics
Great Math Books
Math Books For Parents and Guardians
Helping parents, guardians, and the general public understand the shifts in mathematics that are taking place can be difficult. It is highly probable that those outside of mathematics education, just like us, learned mathematics through rote memorization of steps, procedures, and algorithms which makes it very difficult to understand why the math their children are learning does not look familiar. Here are some reads that can help better understand why we are moving away from some traditional practices, how they can help their kids at home, and some mathematical myths that are out there.
What’s Math Got To Do With It?
Table Talk Math
The Math Myth
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More Great Math Reads Still To Come!
I’ve got quite a few more to share and I will continue updating this list along the way. I also have a great list of self-help/development and finance/investment books I plan to share if there is an interest.
Let me know what you’re liking from this list and what you want more of in the comments!
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