6 Books Math Educators Should Read in 2024

I asked several math teachers to share some of their favorite math education books they read over the past year. They provided many great book selections, and I highly recommend them for educators interested in broadening their horizons in 2024. 

1. Mathematics for Human Flourishing” by Francis Su 

Last year, I was grateful to interview Dr. Su on my Radical Math Talk podcast, where he shared his desire for schools and teachers to adopt an inclusive vision for mathematics. Even if you’re not a math lover, this thought-provoking book by Francis Su will change your perception of math and make you appreciate how math meets our basic desires. As Su asserts, math has the power to bridge human connections.

2. Choosing to See by Pamela Seda and Kyndall Brown 

In recent years, math educators have had intentional conversations about making classrooms more equitable for historically marginalized learners. Dr. Seda and Dr. Brown offer a set of helpful, practical interventions teachers can employ to make math learning more equitable and meet the needs of Black and brown students. To learn more about the book, you can check out my interview with Dr. Seda on the Radical Math Talk podcast.

3. Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl 

As Dr. Liljedahl states, “A thinking student is an engaged student.” If you are looking for a book that will guide you with strategies to enhance student engagement and critical thinking in the math classroom, this book is for you!

4. Conferring in the Math Classroom by Gina Picha 

For those looking for innovative ways to encourage students to talk more about math during class, I encourage you to check out this book. In the book, Picha offers transformative ways for teachers to use math conferences to assess student understanding, guide instruction, and build positive math identities. 

5. Is Maths Real? by Eugenia Cheng

In this phenomenal book, Dr. Cheng describes how our human curiosity pushes us to engage in a deeper exploration of the intricacies of math. Rather than confine ourselves to rigid algorithms and computation rules, he advises us to spend more time asking insightful questions and less time seeking answers.

6. 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Math Discussions by Margaret S. Smith and Mary K. Stein 

This is another book for teachers who want to learn how to facilitate meaningful and effective math conversations. Through the five practices provided in the book, students can develop a deeper conceptual understanding of the math content they’re learning.

There were many more great books that I could’ve added to this list. Take some time to reflect on your professional goals as a math teacher and see if any of these books can be a valuable resource to help you reach those goals.

And remember this: if we’re not investing time in our professional learning as math educators, how can we expect our students to develop into stronger math learners?

What books would you recommend?