Jim Brawner

(Originally Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004)There is a national consensus that teachers who teach middle-grades and elementary mathematics need deeper and broader exposure to mathematics in both their undergraduate and in their graduate studies. The Mathematics Education of Teachers, published by The Conference Board on the Mathematical Sciences, recommends 21 semester hours of mathematics for prospective teachers of middle-grades mathematics. In several states pre-service teachers preparing to teach middle-grades mathematics and pre-service teachers preparing to teach elementary school must complete 6- 9 semester hours of mathematics content at the junior-senior level. Graduate schools across the nation have developed special programs for educators who specialize in teaching mathematics to elementary school children and to middle grades students. However, there is a paucity of text materials to support those efforts at junior-senior level and graduate level courses. Faculty members must choose to teach yet another course out of one of the “Mathematics for Teachers” texts that have formed the basis of the curriculum for the last two decades. These texts tend to treat a very limited set of topics on a somewhat superficial level. Alternatively, faculty members can use mathematics textbooks written primarily for students majoring in mathematics or the sciences. Neither the topic choice nor the pedagogical style of these texts is optimal for pre-service and in-service teachers of middle grades and elementary mathematics. Discrete Mathematics for Teachers is a text designed to fill this void. The topic is right. Discrete mathematics provides a rich and varied source of problems for exploration and communication, expands knowledge of mathematics in directions related to elementary and middle school curricula, and is easily presented using our best understanding of the ways that mathematics is learned and taught. The presentation is right. In the spirit of NCTM’s Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, topics are presented with careful attention to the best traditions of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections with other disciplines and other areas of mathematics, and varied modes of representation.

Taming the Family Zoo is filled with stories and practical help for adjusting your parenting style to fit each of your children's unique personalities. This book will give you the skills you need to value and encourage each member of your family zoo. "The Brawners did a great job with their kids. With their insights and wisdom, you can do the same with your family " -John Trent, Ph. D., president, Encouraging Words "I've known the Brawner family for years. Their children, now adults, are the best parented kids I know. This book can help you do the same " -Joe White, president, Kanakuk Kamps "Reading this book made me say, 'I wish we'd known that.' How much more successful we would have been with this book in our tool box of parenting skills " -Peter F. Herschend, member, Missouri State Board of Education, father of five Jim Brawner is the founding director of Team Barnabas - an organization offering coaching, consulting, and leadership training, in addition to event, speaker, and author management. Clients have included the Smalley Relationship Center, Kanakuk Kamps, Focus on the Family, Family Life, Flyover Media, Ad Tech Solutions, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Arkansas Orthodontics as well as colleges and universities. Jim holds a BSE and M. Ed from the University of Arkansas. Suzette Brawner is an event speaker for churches, schools, and civic organizations. She is also the author of UnCommon Sense For Real Women in the Real World (Kregel Publishers) and A Daily Dose of UnCommon Sense (Team Barnabas Productions). Jim and Suzette are the parents of three married children. Jason, his wife Alison, Travis, his wife Kari, Jill and her husband David Jones continue to expand the zoo landscape with grandkids. Visit www.teambarnabas.com for more information.