Teaching problems and the problems of teaching /

Lampert and her Michigan colleagues have spent many years studying teaching. Here the author delineates the problems and complexities of her own yearlong experience teaching fifth-grade mathematics. While Lampert teaches in a particular manner, using problems, the issues faced in teaching are not unique. The work of teaching, as Lampert calls it, is examined as it relates to certain outcomes or in certain class configurations. "Teaching While Students Work Independently," "Teaching to Deliberately Connect Content across Lessons," and "Teaching to Establish a Classroom Culture" are among the chapter titles. The text provides examples that give clear insights into the demands and competing agendas of teaching. For example, in teaching to the whole class, a teacher needs to find ways to teach individuals while keeping the entire group engaged, pace the lesson to a time frame, and decide who to call on and how to respond to answers, etc. Lampert illustrates these facets of teacher work and enumerates possible responses in the analysis of a whole class discussion on a task involving multiplication. This very readable book is invaluable for teacher preparation colleges. Students and practitioners as well as general readers will gain a deeper understanding of teaching. Researchers will find the framework and methodology noteworthy. A. O. Graeber University of Maryland College Park