1.)
I decided to choose “The Number Devil” by Hans Enzensberger. The name was intriguing considering it was a book written for children. I was curious how the author would associate something negative like the devil with mathematics in a positive way for young readers to learn. But maybe that was the point - math is often notorious among children for being both difficult and boring, and perhaps the author wanted something to grab their attention first.
The Number Devil tells the story of Robert, a young boy who suffers from math anxiety. When not being tormented by math problems issued by his overweight teacher, Mr. Bockel, Robert has vivid nightmares. One night he is visited by the Number Devil, a creature possessing magical powers, a short temper, and a love of math. The Number Devil has decided out of the kindness of his heart to assist Robert by educating him in mathematics every night, for twelve nights.
On their journey, the two learn such subjects as exponents, infinite series, and imaginary numbers. As the lessons progress, Robert begins to understand and express interest in math, while the Number Devil learns to control his temper. Instead of loathing his teacher, Robert gains a newfound appreciation for Mr. Bockel. The story culminates with the young boy successfully answering a difficult question posed by his teacher.
2.)
Several mathematical concepts are explained throughout the book. An example would be exponents: when multiplying numbers, Robert becomes intimidated by the amount of writing he must do in order to find the product of a problem, such as 10x10x10x10. The Number Devil teaches him a trick, referred to as “hopping” (but is really just exponentiation). He explains that whatever number the exponent is above 10 (say 10^4), all Robert simply has to do is make zero “hop” that many times to the right. In this case, the zero hops four times to get 10,000. Robert is then able to confidently solve problems with answers ranging in the millions.
3.)
Children’s books are designed to do two things that make for effective learning: they intrigue the reader, usually by appealing to their sense of imagination and having relatable characters, and they break ideas down into very simple concepts. Such is the case for The Number Devil - in addition to having an imaginative and unorthodox story line for a children’s book, it also makes no assumptions about the readers knowledge of mathematics. Subsequently, the book explains complex ideas in a straight forward and simple manner.
William,
ReplyDeleteI really liked that the book you chose had to do with exponents, as that is what we have recently been working on in class. After reading you post, I have a greater understanding of how to use exponents. Nice job!
Tyler R.
Will,
ReplyDeleteI liked the reasoning you gave for the use of the word "devil" in the title, as I myself was a child who believed math was difficult and boring.
I like how you say it engages the children imagination, this is a really key concept for understanding at a young age and making it appealing. Choosing a book on exponents was also good as it was interesting to read the explanation, seen as though we are studying it in class.
ReplyDeletewill,
ReplyDeletegreat selection! i own this book, and it is one of my favorites. i personally like the way it teaches fibonacci and pascal's triangle, but i like that you focused on the concept of repeated products since it applies to our class. your explanations and your synopsis are very well done. and i like your final statement about the book not assuming that the reader knows anything about mathematics. too true!
nice job.
professor little