Reading Logs: Math Books

 

Rationale: 

 

                It is hard to find books about math because math deals with numbers and not many authors want to write about numbers, but I have selected books for junior high to high school students.  I believe the books I have chosen bring something new and different to the table in the subject of Mathematics.  My current plan is to teach high school math grades 8-12.  I do not have any prior experience in the field, but when I did my observation hours I noticed a lot of the young adults in the classroom always asking how, why, who came up with that, and how do I remember that on the test?  Some teachers had the answer and some were confused and just ignored the question.   This is when I realized I actually did want to teach, because I do not want these students to feel like they need more information, I want them to feel like I answered the question before they asked.  These five books that I have chosen, I feel, will bring new life to students who take math classes and have them learn and succeed at the same time.

                I chose these five books because they show what I was always asking in my math classes and what the teachers could not answer:  The Who, the what, and the how.   What I mean when I say “The Who”- is who created that formula, “The Why”- is why they created the formula, and “The How”- is how do I study for the test on that particular formula and others as well without getting discouraged  and overloading myself.  I believe these books answer all those questions.  Textbooks can only do so much and along with these books bring answers to these questions students always ask.  The books I have chosen are as follows: Overcoming Math Anxiety, Fear of Math, Circumference, The Story of Mathematics, and last is 100 years of Mathematics.

 

·         Title: Overcoming Math Anxiety                                                             

·         Author: Randy Davidson

·         Publisher: Wesley Addison

·         Copyright: 2000

·         ISBN #: 03210691888

·         Genre: Non-Fiction

·         Library Location: Amarillo Public Library.

·         Summary: This second edition helps students discover the reasons behind their math anxiety and helps clear away the obstacles through relaxation techniques, tips on how to study for an exam, time management, and tips for the classroom.  Also included in this book is a chapter is a clear chapter focused on solving word problems.  This text is clear and easy to read and encourages students to take an active role in overcoming their anxiety for the test coming up.

·         Personal Comments: The first time I read this book is when I was in my freshmen year of college.  I was never told how or what to study and always seemed to black out when it was test time, which a lot of students do now.  I used to cram for test rather than take a few days before and study something new every day until I understood the content being taught.  His book showed me very good techniques in how to study for certain exams and made me understand why I was blacking out come test day.  This book must be read by students for every subject not just math.

·         Suggested Use in the Classroom:  The way I would use this particular book in the classroom is by before every test go over key techniques used in order to be overly prepared for the upcoming exam.  I am not just talking about exams for regular test in the classroom, but major exams such as the TAKS or the major content exams the students have to pass in order to move to the next grade.  Students need to know how, when, and what to study for the exam.  If we as teachers show them different techniques from this book, the students will be more confident about the upcoming exam and the passing rate will get higher and higher each exam.

 

 

·         Title: Fear of Math: how to get over it and on with your life.                     

·         Author: Claudia Zaslavsky

·         Publisher: Rutgers University Press

·         Copyright: 1994

·         ISBN #: 0813520908

·         Genre: Juvenile Non Fiction

·         Library Location: Amarillo Public Library

·         Summary:  This author, Claudia Zaslavsky, has helped thousands of men and women understand why math made them miserable.  Throughout this book she mentions problems with society and educational systems.

·         Personal Comments:  When reading this book I found that society and math teachers are the ones that make us fear math, not ourselves.  The teachers that taught me throughout my high school and some junior college years, where not interested in helping me understand the concepts, but were just wanting to fly through the information to stay on schedule.  I thought maybe I was not listening and missing a lot and that is where my fear of math came from.  Reading this book, made me realize that it was not me, it was them.

·         Suggested use in the classroom: The way I would use this in the classroom is by making the students understand that I am not in the classroom to scare them, I am there to help them in their young lives succeed and move on to brighter things in life.  I would have them read certain excerpts from this book and make them understand, that they have to trust me in what I am doing in helping them move on in their life.

 

 

·         Title: Circumference                                                                     

·         Author: Nicholas Nicastro

·         Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

·         Copyright: 2008

·         ISBN #: 9780312372477

·         Genre: Non- Fiction

·         Library Location: Canyon Public Library

·         Summary: This is a story of what happened when one man asked himself that very question of what is circumference.  This author brings to life one of history’s greatest experiments when an ancient Greek named Eratosthenes first accurately determined the distance around the earth.  This story shows the stunning achievement made by one man, with only the simplest of materials at his disposal.  He was able to measure the earth when no one would.

·         Personal Comments: When reading bits and pieces of this book I understood why we now need to know what and how we come up with circumference.  Never knowing was eating me up inside and this book made me realize how big of an achievement it was in discovering the earth’s circumference, but how hard one man had to work in order to achieve.  To walk around the world and do what Eratosthenes did without what we have now is so amazing.  In all my years of math classes I have always wanted to know who came up with these ideas.  I know this book shows only one of the many functions we learn, but it has done me justice in knowing how it came about.

·         Suggested Use in the Classroom:  The way I would use this book in the classroom and when going over the lessons of circles and everything to do with circles such as circumference, I would first introduce this book to them in order to understand it a little more.  I think students need to know who came up with the concepts and how they came about in solving them, and why we use them today.  I believe books like this will expand their minds more.

 

 

·         Title: The Story of Mathematics                                                               

 

·         Author: Richard Mankiewicz

·         Publisher: Princeton University Press

·         Copyright: 2000

·         ISBN #: 069108808X

·         Genre: Non Fiction

·         Library Location: Canyon Public Library

·         Summary: This book takes readers across time, highlighting the key moments in the development of the mathematical sciences and their cultural influences.   The narrative is intriguing, the 80 color illustrations are magnificent and the inclusion of writings by famous mathematicians is a great touch.  One problem with the book is the font is hard to read and hard to pursue.

·         Personal Comments: This book has intrigued me very much.  Learning how mathematics came about and understanding how it changed the influence in cultures and how it changed our lives basically.  This books shows us what most each mathematician is known for and in what ways they have influenced our lives to this day.  I know many people do not find math interesting at all, but there is something about knowing how it was created that makes me want more.

·         Suggested Use in the Classroom:  The way I would use this book in the classroom is use it for each lesson I intend to teach that school year.  With each lesson find each mathematician who came up with the certain concept and show why we use it today in everything we do.  I want students to know why we use it now and who was the genius who came up with the ideas of each lesson we teach.

 

 

 

·         Title: 100 years of Mathematics: A personal Viewpoint                                

 

·         Author: George Temple

·         Publisher: Springer- Verlag

·         Copyright: 1981

·         ISBN #: 0387911928

·         Genre: Non Fiction

·         Library Location: Cornett Library

·         Summary: This book shows how mathematics has evolved for the last 100 years.  Shows us new concepts that have come about and how new mathematicians have improved certain formulas to prove more than just one thing.

·         Personal Comments:   This book shows me how certain thing have changed in the last 100 years in Mathematics and how certain things cannot be changed, due to number theory’s and things along that nature.   Books like this interest me also because, it shows that we can build on certain theories that mathematicians have come up with and how on some we cannot.

·         Suggested Use in the Classroom: The way I would use this book in the classroom is, when have come across something that has been changed recently in the study of mathematics and the students ask why, we can backtrack to this book and show them why and have them understand why.