Hands-on, Practical Guidance for Educators
From math,
literacy, equity, multilingual learners, and SEL, to assessment, school counseling,
and education leadership, our books are research-based and authored by experts
on topics most relevant to what educators are facing today.

The Well-Rounded Math Student
The Well-Rounded Math Student bridges critical intrapersonal and interpersonal elements to help educators create an environment where students excel in math and develop the life skills they’ll carry forever.
- Grade Level: PreK-12
- ISBN: 9781071949498
- Published By: Corwin
- Year: 2025
- Page Count: 304
- Publication date: June 03, 2025
Review Copies
Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. Request review copy - opens in a new tab - opens in a new tab
Description
Integrate a holistic approach to mathematics success with essential personal and social skills
Teaching math is more than just numbers. It’s about shaping future-ready students who are not only academically strong but thrive socially and emotionally. Research shows that learning both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills helps students academically, and teachers play a crucial role in providing social-emotional support.
The Well-Rounded Math Student helps mathematics teachers in Grades K-12 foster both their students' academic prowess and their social and emotional development. Through the lens of the Standards for Mathematical Practice, the book emphasizes the importance of intentionally teaching and promoting intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, or "Next Generation" skills, alongside mathematical concepts. The authors provide step-by-step guidance on how small adjustments in lesson planning can have a profound impact on students' growth.
Providing teachers with a new lens to leverage in their planning as well as concrete ways to use their mathematics lessons to explicitly teach and reinforce social and emotional competencies, this book:
- Holds a strengths-based mindset and approach—for both teachers and students
- Highlights the importance of the science and the art of teaching to enhance social development, human connection, classroom management, and community within classrooms
- Stresses that the overarching goal of education is to help students become responsible adults who are ready for their future
- Includes a lesson planning guide, competency builder activities, vignettes of enhanced lessons across grade bands, reflection questions, and suggestions for taking action
The Well-Rounded Math Student bridges critical intrapersonal and interpersonal elements to help educators create an environment where students excel in math and develop the life skills they’ll carry forever.
Author(s)

Sherri Martinie

Jessica Lane

Janet Stramel
Dr. Janet Stramel, a Professor and Edna Shutts Williams Endowed Chair at in the College of Education at Fort Hays State University. She joined FHSU after teaching middle school math for 25 years. She currently teaches mathematics methods courses for preservice teachers. Her research focuses on STEM teaching and learning in rural schools.

Jolene Goodheart Peterson
Jolene Goodheart Peterson is an Education Consultant for Smoky Hill Education Service Center as well as a Teacher Leader Consultant for the Kansas State Department of Education. Jolene has dedicated her educational career to mathematics, excelling as a teacher and instructional specialist. She focuses on effective teaching practices, fostering a mathematical mindset, and improving grading and reporting. Additionally, Jolene is passionate about developing student character, service, and leadership.

Julie Thiele
Julie Thiele is an Associate Professor at Wichita State University. She teaches elementary mathematics methods, internship, assessment and mentoring courses and serves as the Instructional Coordinator in the Teacher Apprentice Program. She leads professional development and conducts research with in-service and pre-service teachers to enhance effective mathematics teaching and learning, as well as alternative certification pathways and online teacher preparation programs.
Table of Contents
List of Competency Builders
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Introduction: The Role of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Competencies in Mathematics Education
Chapter 1: Building Self-Efficacy in Problem-Solving for Math and Daily Life
Chapter 2: Fostering Self-Regulation and Sustained Attention While Reasoning Abstractly and Quantitatively
Chapter 3: Growing Self-Awareness and Social Awareness Through Constructing and Critiquing Arguments
Chapter 4: Promoting Decision-Making When Modeling With Mathematics
Chapter 5: Using Mathematical Tools to Build Adaptability and Decision-Making Skills
Chapter 6: Fostering Self-Awareness and Self-Efficacy Through Attending to Precision
Chapter 7: Leveraging Adaptability to Find and Use Structure
Chapter 8: Increasing Perseverance by Exploring Repeated Reasoning
Chapter 9: From Awareness to Action: Final Thoughts on Merging Social-Emotional Competencies With Math Practices
References
Index
Reviews
Recognizing that students need to learn social and emotional skills is one thing; helping them do so is another. This book can help you do just that. With its easy-to-follow structure, The Well-Rounded Math Student offers us ways to help students develop both intra- and interpersonal skills through specific instructional strategies situated within the context of mathematical activities, such as problem-solving, reasoning, argumentation, and precision, and brought to life with real classroom examples.Peter Liljedahl
Simon Fraser University
This book could revolutionize the world of education! It takes the concept of integrating interpersonal and intrapersonal life skills into the math classroom. It is informative and straightforward. The authors provide current, practical examples that help readers see the full vision of the author’s work and how to implement the ideas quickly and effectively.Kali Swisher
USD 504
This book illuminates how to integrate the development of students intrapersonal and interpersonal skills alongside emphasizing the mathematical practices. The many classroom examples, dozens of competency builder ideas, and collection of logs and assessment tools equip teachers to explicitly attend to students social and emotional competencies, while also developing their mathematical proficiency.Jennifer Bay-Williams
This book is exactly what teachers need right now. After working with the math practices for 20 years it’s time to take them to a new level. Incorporating purposeful social-emotional learning into the math classroom will build connections between students and their math knowledge. It’s a brilliant idea!Jill Solomon
Oakwood School
Written by practitioners, for practitioners, the authors authentically demonstrate how to recognize and support students’ social emotional development through mathematics planning and assessment. This resource seamlessly integrates social-emotional competencies with the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice. Shifting focus from the stigma of adding 'more' to a teacher’s plate, this book serves to encourage meaningful mathematical learning.Sara Schwerdtfeger
The Teachers College, Emporia State University
The Well-Rounded Math Student offers a practical guide for fostering strong math skills as well as social and emotional competencies. As a former elementary math coach, I've seen how building number sense, problem-solving abilities, and confidence in students leads to success. This book highlights the importance of creative thinking and self-regulation, providing strategies to nurture both academic and emotional growth in young learners. Ideal for teachers, administrators, and math advocates.Antionette Stith
Lake Superior State University
The authors have thought deeply about our learners and their ever-evolving needs, as well as the math educators who are doing the brave work of teaching them on a day-to-day basis. The Well-Rounded Math Student: Leveraging Math Practices to Build Next Generation Skills is written with both groups in mind. The work intentionally elevates competencies in a way that helps students access content, offering educators practical strategies that position their students as both capable mathematicians and thriving humans.Tammy McMorrow
Indian Creek Elementary
The Well-Rounded Math Student: Leveraging Math Practices to Build Next Generation Skills is a must-have resource for educators committed to wholechild development. By seamlessly embedding social-emotional competencies into mathematics instruction, this book equips teachers to foster self-efficacy, adaptability, and perseverance in their students. The practical tools, reflective questions, and real-world examples make it an invaluable guide for creating engaging, inclusive classrooms where academic and social-emotional growth go hand in hand. A transformative resource for educators and school counselors alike!Hanna Kemble Mick
Auburn-Washburn USD 437
This book bridges the gap between math instruction and social-emotional development, providing practical tools and insights I wish I had as a teacher. It is an extremely useful resource for math educators who want to cultivate not just problem solvers, but thoughtful, resilient, and adaptable learners.Kristin Wright
Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation (OEIE) Kansas State University—College of Education
If we want to build confident mathematicians who have self-efficacy and can talk fluently about math in a respectful classroom setting, this book walks us through just how easily we can achieve that! I feel empowered to make the shift in my lesson planning to meld social-emotional competencies with my math practices. It just makes sense! Make this your next professional development read!Stacey Johnston
Central Middle School
This book challenged me to view the math classroom through a new lens, and after reading, I felt empowered to embed social-emotional competencies within math instruction in ways I had not thought of before!Kelly Oberheu
Review Copies
Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. Request review copy - opens in a new tab - opens in a new tab
Related Resources
- Access to companion resources is available with the purchase of this book.
-
Chapter 1: The Well-Rounded Math Student - opens in a new tab
[Book Excerpt] -
Introduction: The Well-Rounded Math Student - opens in a new tab
[Book Excerpt] -
The Well-Rounded Math Student: FAQs and How to Respond - opens in a new tab
[Book Excerpt]
Join us for the Visible Learning
Conference in Las Vegas!
Experience groundbreaking research, inspiring speakers,
and transformative networking. Register Now - opens in a new tab.
