Michael Pershan began his career in 2010 at a high school in New York City where he taught mathematics and computer science. Since then he has taught at St Ann's School in Brooklyn, where he teaches math to elementary, middle, and high school students, and at Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics's summer camp for underserved students. He has taught a course for teachers at Math for America, organized math education conferences, and helped create research-informed curriculum for Mathalicious, Amplify Education and M.I.T.'s Teaching Systems Lab. He and his family live in NYC.
Of all the changes I have made to my teaching since I began
engaging with educational research five years ago, my use of worked
examples has been the most significant. I now have a structure and
routine for worked examples that takes less time, my students enjoy
and - most importantly of all - seems to lead to greater
understanding. I thought my worked examples had peaked, and finally
I could stop thinking about them. Then I read Michael's book, and
my world has fallen apart again. What I find fascinating is that
Michael has read much the same research as me, and yet we have
reached contrasting conclusions. His worked examples look very
different to mine, and yet I spent the entire book nodding in
agreement. Michael makes the point that 'some of the dullest
teaching on the planet comes courtesy of worked example abusers'.
This is so true. If students stare blankly at a teacher's
squiggles, nod their heads on cue, don't ask any awkward questions,
and then frantically copy down what is on the board into their
books, then maths is at risk of becoming the boring,
incomprehensible subject many label it as. But the approach Michael
presents is interactive, thought-provoking and interesting. There
is support scaffolded in for those who initially struggle, and no
ceiling imposed for those who grasp the concept more quickly. Above
all, the approach has the potential to lay the foundations to
enable our students to become the creative, knowledgeable, problem
solvers we all want them to be. Rammed full of practical ideas -
all of which are beautifully articulated and backed by research -
this is a truly wonderful book. -- Craig Barton * Author of How I
Wish I'd Taught Maths and Reflect, Expect, Check, Explain *
So often, books about education float high above the work of
teaching, with nods to the ways that big ideas and values might
look in practice - but without getting much into the muck of the
classroom itself. It's such a pleasure as an educator to come
across a book that dives deep into instruction, while situating a
very specific body of practices (in this case, teaching with worked
examples) within a much broader literature on cognitive science and
equitable mathematics teaching. Michael Pershan makes a compelling
argument for educators to shift their focus from mathematical
problem-solving to mathematical understanding - and describes the
many ways that exploring and analyzing worked examples can
democratize the math classroom, engage learners in rich thinking
tasks, and provide targeted, thoughtful scaffolding towards the
problem-solving work that math educators (rightfully) value. The
book is rich with specific strategies and tools for implementing
worked examples - and the theoretical grounding for those ideas,
making it a wonderful resource for educators who want something
'they can enact on Monday' and something that strengthens and
extends their schema about how math learning (and learning in
general) works. As a bonus, it is also a human, funny, and real
book about teaching stuff to kids - which is a rarity in itself and
makes each chapter a pleasure to read. -- Callie Lowenstein * Deans
for Impact *
What do you get when you cross a teacher's generosity, a
scientist's precision, and a philosopher's dogged pursuit of the
truth? Two words: Michael Pershan. Michael Pershan hears the quiet
moments that make education work. Reading this book, I felt he was
teaching me how to listen. He takes up the humblest parts of
teaching, and he makes them shine. An exemplary book, in every
sense. -- Ben Orlin * Author of Math With Bad Drawings *
If you could visit the classroom of a friendly colleague engaging
in research-informed practice, while he conversationally whispers
in your ear the what, how, and why, it would be something like
reading Teaching Math with Examples. I can't recommend highly
enough this very do-able and high-leverage approach to any math
teacher or curriculum developer who wants to level up their task
design, or just try out something new. -- Kate Nowak * Former high
school math teacher and currently Vice President of Product
Strategy for Illustrative Mathematics *
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