A Summer Reading List for Math Teachers

Teachers can read through these math-related books for self-education or pure enjoyment.

By Donna Iadipaolo

Summer Reading List for Math Teachers

Summer is the perfect season to catch up on your reading. This summer, I selected books to read that other teachers might find enjoyable. They are also connected to ideas that I would like to further develop in articles this coming year. In this article you will discover some books I found at my local library, or that were recommended by colleagues, to keep me busy while sitting by the pool or in the shade during the restful, but fruitful summer months.

Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voices by Theoni Pappas

Pappas is my favorite mathematics writer, so I always turn to her books for inspiration. The author biography section of Math Talk states: “Pappas is committed to demystifying mathematics and to helping eliminate the elitism and fear often associated with it.” I share that goal as an educator. Lately, my eight-year-old son and I have been reading “Math Talk” out loud as mathematical performance pieces, but these poems could really be used with children of any age. Though my son will not formally tackle the ideas of fractals and imaginary numbers for a while, he loves to ponder certain concepts in this book, such as those of googols and infinity. Our entire family performed the piece “e, ?, and i” together (it is one piece, meant to be read in three voices). All the while, we are learning that “We Are Numbers,” as another Pappas poem reveals.

Overcoming Math Anxiety by Shelia Tobias

Gloria Steinem said of this book: “If you ever said ‘I’m no good at numbers,’ this book can change your life.” Personally, I always thought of myself as talented at math. This self-perception was somewhat challenged when I began my undergraduate education in which the large calculus lecture halls served as “weeder” classes for my engineering degree. So, I was interested in the perspective presented in this book. The author sees math anxiety as a political issue. It is amazing the degree to which math anxiety impacts self-esteem, as well as success in an increasingly technical society. I also feel like I am one of the people that Tobias’s book has been written for when she writes “...people of both sexes are beginning to reassess their mathematical potential. It is to give these people courage and direction that I have written this book.”

Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others by William P. Berlinghoff and Fernando Q. Gouvêa

This book was a requirement for a graduate class I took on the culture and history of mathematics, but I wanted to spend more time rereading various sections for pure pleasure, rather than as a class assignment. The book includes 25 short story sketches on various mathematical topics from “Intrigue in Renaissance Italy: Solving Cubic Equations” to “What’s in a Game: The Start of Probability Theory.” Following each sketch, there are questions and projects to engage in by yourself or with your class.

Mathematical Footprints: Discovering Mathematics Everywhere by Theoni Pappas

This is another highly accessible and pleasurable book written by Pappas. Some of the topics she tackles that particularly interest me are: the mathematics of weather forecasting, mathematics and the body, mathematics and nature’s formations, and mathematics and the architecture of the pyramids. Pappas’s writing just makes you feel that you too can share in the wonder and splendor of mathematics, rather than seeing it as being a discipline available to a privileged few.

Math That Matters: A Teacher Resource for Linking Math and Social Justice by David Stocker

In his introduction, the author writes that there are two main objectives for this text. One is to "offer math activities that can be used to teach and reinforce the math skills that teachers are required to have their students learn." The other is "to provide content that captures and increases student interest in justice, fairness and kindness, replacing purposeless content that furthers no student's ability to engage with their social reality." For instance, a pupil might be able to put the distance between Pluto and Mars into scientific notation, but can s/he explain the magnitude of the US military budget? Or, someone might be able to figure out his daily paper route salary using an algebraic equation, but how might s/he use a mathematical model to show how violence on television and aggression in the world are related? These are valid questions for math educators.

Whether math is your strong point, or a subject you find challenging. Try reading a few of these books to get yourself thinking mathematically with regard to the coming school year.