The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM's) Process Standards support teaching that helps students develop independent, effective mathematical thinking. The books in the Heinemann Math Process Standards Series give every middle grades math teacher the opportunity to explore each standard in depth. The series offers friendly, reassuring advice and ready-to-use examples to any teacher ready to embrace the Process Standards. In "Introduction to Problem Solving," Joy Schackow and Susan O'Connell highlight practical techniques for making problem solving doable for your students. They ease you into problem solving, giving you an array of entry points for understanding, planning, and teaching, including strategies that help students develop and refine the mathematical thinking necessary to discover effective approaches for solving a wide range of math problems. The book and accompanying CD-ROM are filled with activities that are: (1) Modifiable for immediate use with students of all levels; and (2) Customizable to match your specific lessons. In addition, a correlation guide helps you match the math content you teach with the mathematical processes it utilizes. If problem solving is a problem you'd like to solve, or if you're simply looking for new ways to work the problem-solving standards into your curriculum, read, dog-ear, and teach with "Introduction to Problem Solving." And if you'd like to learn about any of NCTM's process standards, or if you're looking for new, classroom-tested ways to address them in your math teaching, look no further than Heinemann's Math Process Standards Series. You'll find them explained in the most understandable and practical way: from one teacher to another. The book contains 12 chapters: (1) Building Math Understanding Through Problem Solving; (2) Guiding Students Through the Problem-Solving Process: Focusing on Strategies; (3) Strategy: Choose an Operation; (4) Strategy: Find a Pattern; (5) Strategy: Make a Table; (6) Strategy: Make an Organized List; (7) Strategy: Draw a Picture or Diagram; (8) Strategy: Guess, Check, and Revise; (9) Strategy: Use Logical Reasoning; (10) Strategy: Work Backward; (11) Assessing Problem Solving; and (12) Problem Solving across the Content Standards.