Free eBooks by Dave Moursund

This MS Word Format eBook addresses the problem that our K-8 school math education system is not as successful as many people would like it to be, and it is not as successful as it could be. It is designed as supplementary material for use in a Math Methods course for preservice K-8 teachers. However, it can also be used by inservice K-8 teachers and for students enrolled in Math for Elementary and Middle School teachers’ courses.

The book draws upon and explores four Big Ideas that, taken together, have the potential to significantly improve out math education. The Big Ideas are:

1. Thinking of learning math as a process of both learning math content and a process of gaining in math maturity. Our current math education system is does a poor job of building math maturity.
2. Thinking of a student’s math cognitive development in terms of the roles of both nature and nurture. Research in cognitive acceleration in mathematics and other disciplines indicates we can do much better in fostering math cognitive development.
3. Understanding the power of computer systems and computational thinking as an aid to representing and solving math problems and as an aid to effectively using math in all other disciplines.
4. Placing increased emphasis on learning to learn math, making effective use of use computer-based aids to learning, and information retrieval.

 Quoting from the Preface to November 2004 reprint:
In my opinion, Computers and Problem Solving: A Workshop for Educators is still a very useful book. The original text has been modified by the addition of a few commas and a change of the word “which” to “that” in a couple of places. The original illustrations (designed to lighten up the text) have not been included. Appendix B, which was written for use in a revision of the book that did not occur, has been added for historical purposes. I am pleased that this book can be made available (at no charge) to those who wish to access it through the Web.

This PDF format eBook explores various roles of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in talented and gifted (TAG) education. The three goals of this book are:

• To help improve the educational opportunities and education of TAG students.
• To increase the general knowledge of teachers about the field of computers in education.
• To explore some possible changes designed to improve our educational system. Many of the ideas in this book are applicable to all students, not just TAG students.

This MS Word format PDF eBook explores various roles of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in talented and gifted (TAG) education. The three goals of this book are:

• To help improve the educational opportunities and education of TAG students.
• To increase the general knowledge of teachers about the field of computers in education.
• To explore some possible changes designed to improve our educational system. Many of the ideas in this book are applicable to all students, not just TAG students.

This book contains a series of 20 Information Age Education Newsletters that explore various elements of the educational issues that will confront our society during the 21st century. The principal focus of the series is on the dramatic developments currently occurring in the cognitive neurosciences and computer technology. These promise to play an especially significant role in reshaping educational policy and practice.

The authors of the articles are all widely known and respected for their work in the areas in which they wrote. They were asked to select a general issue that they consider important to 21st century education and to discuss the elements of it that they consider especially significant to educators. Some authors focus on simply exploring the issue itself and others also suggest educational applications.