Open Middle Math: Problems That Unlock Student Thinking, 6-12

Robert has a clear and insightful way of making the obvious profound. A great read and helped me clarify my thinking around something i thought I knew well.

Never found a step by step, really a concept explained very long. Tried to use with student with a brain injury to get the constant problem solving revived, but wasn't a great or quick resource for us....seemed like a dry novel about math instead of a how to develop deeper fluid thinking.

This book was very helpful in laying out a tested format for helping teachers to discern if their students really do understand the material that has been taught to them. It presents problems that require students to use their critical thinking skills and their creative problem solving skills to be able to find solutions to the problems that are presented. Robert gives you a look into how he designed these problems and how he has best used them in his classroom to improve student learning. He gives you access to online problems that you can use in your classroom to help you see as a teacher what your students know and understand. if you are seeking to challenge your students' thinking and build their conceptual understanding this book is for you!

This is a quote from a student after we used an Open Middle Math problem. Another quote, "My brain hurts, but I didn't hate it!" I teach 7-12 grade math. My students get so much learning from these problems. I love them!

I’m so excited to regularly implement this with my students! My kids that never talk are actually participating in math conversations. I’m able to spend time with struggling students while my high performers continue to be challenged. It’s win-win.

One of the BEST mathematics education books! I was constantly flagging ideas and passages to help reference later. My students love these challenges while working together. Why ask 20 questions for a practice, when 1 open middle can do the trick?!

Robert Kaplinsky takes the knowledge he shares with teachers and puts it into a very easy to read book with great examples. In addition, he has outside online links to more Open Middle Problems for teachers to use, share, and add to the collection. This is a great idea that I'm excited to use in my Middle School Math Classroom.

Immediately usable in the classroom. My small group of reluctant students embraced solving algebraic equations using an open middle problem. They loved trying to solve it!

What a great book! Over a number of years the author has developed a fascinating method offering rich engaging open questions which allow students to embed deeper conceptual understanding of mathematics. He articulates the approach in a fantastic way with simple examples and clear instructions for teachers in how to best use Open Middle questions to maximise student engagement. But this isn't delivered to the reader as a guaranteed win. Instead he tells about both his successes with Open Middle questions, but also the pitfalls (and solutions) that he discovered in the earlier stages of their development.The book is very well written with a wonderful dose of humility and gentle humour. Perhaps the greatest compliment about the clarity of the author's work is that not once did I have to read a sentence twice. The book also works as a perfect introduction to the exercises on the website of the same name.Out with those dull worksheets guys and in with Open Middle Questions! I can't wait to try them on my classes.

This book explores the fantastic resources found on openmiddle.com which are great for practising procedural fluency whilst developing conceptual understanding.Robert explains how to encourage the pupils to engage with the tasks and their benefits, demonstrates a number of examples and leaves you wanting every class to use such tasks.A game-changer!

I recently read Robert’s Open-Middle book and it felt like I was having a conversation with him over a coffee. I appreciated how he incorporated The 5 Practices as I am new to understanding how to implement them. I am currently reading The 5 Practices and it is not an easy read but full of important information to improve my teaching overall. Open-Middle is a great resource from early primary to high school.

Tolle Methode, die auf viele Inhalte des Mathematikunterrichts übertragbar ist und die Schülerinnen und Schüler motiviert und vor allem auch kognitiv aktiviert. Sie wird im Buch mit all ihren Vorzügen sehr gut verständlich und ausführlich beschrieben, und zudem werden wertvolle Tipps gegeben, wie man mit potentiellen Schwierigkeiten bei der Umsetzung im Unterricht umgehen kann. Sehr empfehlenswertes Buch!

Excellent information on using the problem style which is great. Hoping for more problems.