Celebrating Mathematical Mistakes

In this practical guide, authors Wessman-Enzinger and Gerstenschlager provide a foundation for celebrating mathematical mistakes and offer several strategies and task structures that encourage creative and flexible mathematical reasoning. Part of the Growing the Mathematician in Every Student collection, this book moves beyond the correct–incorrect paradigm by acknowledging the beauty, power, and ubiquity of mistakes, supporting more meaningful student learning.



This book will help educators:


• Learn three types of mistakes and their roles in mathematical reasoning

• Understand how mathematical errors encourage creativity

• Support students' invented notation and language as demonstrations of their learning

• Apply strategies and task structures with real-life vignettes

• Reflect on chapter content with prompts


Contents:


Introduction


Part 1: Celebrating Mathematical Mistakes


Chapter 1: Shifting Our Views of Mistakes


Chapter 2: Beautiful and Powerful Mistakes


Chapter 3: Factual, Procedural, and Conceptual Mistakes


Chapter 4: Mistakes by Mathematicians


Part 2: Mathematical Mistakes in Action


Chapter 5: Two Foundational Instructional Strategies for Examining Mistakes


Chapter 6: Changing Minds in Mathematics


Chapter 7: This or That Tasks


Chapter 8: Invented Notation and Language


Chapter 9: Mathematical Games


Chapter 10: Mistakes in Action


Epilogue


References and Resources


Index