How We Think: A Theory of Goal-Oriented Decision Making and its Educational Applications (Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning Series)


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Teachers try to help their students learn. But why do they make the particular teaching choices they do? What resources do they draw upon? What accounts for the success or failure of their efforts? In How We Think, esteemed scholar and mathematician, Alan H. Schoenfeld, proposes a groundbreaking theory and model for how we think and act in the classroom and beyond. Based on thirty years of research on problem solving and teaching, Schoenfeld provides compelling evidence for a concrete approach that describes how teachers, and individuals more generally, navigate their way through in-the-moment decision-making in well-practiced domains. Applying his theoretical model to detailed representations and analyses of teachers at work as well as of professionals outside education, Schoenfeld argues that understanding and recognizing the goal-oriented patterns of our day to day decisions can help identify what makes effective or ineffective behavior in the classroom and beyond.
</p>How We Think: A Theory of Goal-Oriented Decision Making and its Educational Applications (Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning Series) Review
Schoenfeld writes a clear and concise book about teaching theory. I am a professor who is actively engaged in learning how students learn - in particular, how they learn statistics. What I found most useful about Schoenfeld's book is the clarity. He posits a simple theory that stipulates how and why a teacher teaches the way they teach. Yes, this sounds complicated but Schoenfeld makes it accessible to us readers. The theory stipulates that a person behaves according to goals, resources (or more generally knowledge but not limited to knowledge alone), and orientation (e.g., beliefs). There are many theories tying these different pieces together in decision theory but none to my knowledge that explicitly tie them to teaching. Schoenfeld does an excellent job describing his theory with concrete examples. The real strength of the book are the combination of a simple theory with great examples. He keeps referring back to the same examples and that structure makes his theory really easy to understand. In short, I really enjoyed reading this book. I found myself constantly thinking about how his theory applied to my teaching.Other readers may not share my enthusiasm. Schoenfeld is a deliberate writer. He makes statements that are precise but not necessarily engaging at times. Since I read this book like I would read an peer-reviewed article, I had no trouble nor was I put off by the style. Many readers, however, might not like the lack of flowery prose or clever examples. Schoenfeld wrote an accessible book with excellent examples. If you are a teacher or just a reader interested in teaching, I strongly recommend you read this book.
I purchased the Kindle version of the book but my review focuses on the text rather than the format.
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