EVERYONE CAN LEARN MATH
Author: Alice Aspinall
Illustrator: Alexandria Masse
|
Number of pages: 24
Publisher: FriesenPress (Canada) First published in: 2018 Format: Picturebook Is the mathematical focus explicit in the story? Yes Is this story part of a mathematics story series? No Preview and/or purchase this book on the Amazon websites: UK, USA, AUS, IND, CAN Synopsis by the author/publisher
How do you approach a math problem that challenges you? Do you keep trying until you reach a solution? Or are you like Amy, who gets frustrated easily and gives up? Amy is usually a happy and enthusiastic student in grade five who loves to dance, but she is struggling with a tough math assignment. She doesn't think she is good at math because her classmates always get the answers faster than she does and sometimes she uses her fingers to help her count. Even though her mom tries to help her, Amy is convinced she just cannot do math. She decides not to do the assignment at all since she thinks she wouldn't do well anyway. As Amy goes about her day, her experiences at ballet class, the playground, and gym class have her thinking back to how she gave up on her math assignment. She starts to notice that hard-work, practice, and dedication lead to success, thanks to her friends and teachers. She soon comes to understand that learning math is no different than learning any other skill in life. With some extra encouragement from her math teacher, a little help from her mom, and a new attitude, Amy realizes that she can do math! |
“After dinner, Amy sits at the kitchen table with her math assignment one more time. Her mom is shocked. "Are you trying those questions again?" "Of course, Mom. How will I ever get better at math if I don't keep working at it? My brain is a muscle, you know, and I need to make it grow."”
Official review by MathsThroughStories.org:
‘Everyone Can Learn Math’ (2018) by Alice Aspinall is about Amy, a Grade 5 girl, who gets frustrated by her mathematics homework and is ready to give up. Throughout the story, Amy comes across different people who have been previously unsuccessful in something, but have never given up and keep trying to be better at what they do. Inspired by these people, Amy is now willing to try harder on her mathematics homework. While the concept of (mathematical) growth mindset has been criticised and debunked in recent years, the story can be useful to teachers and parents who still strongly believe in such concept and who want to help their pupils/children (aged 5+ years old) develop perseverance and their self-efficacy in the subject. To the best of our knowledge, ‘Everyone Can Learn Math’ is currently the only story in the market that tackles the issue of mathematical growth mindset quite explicitly. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
5+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Attitudes towards Mathematics
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
‘Everyone Can Learn Math’ (2018) by Alice Aspinall is about Amy, a Grade 5 girl, who gets frustrated by her mathematics homework and is ready to give up. Throughout the story, Amy comes across different people who have been previously unsuccessful in something, but have never given up and keep trying to be better at what they do. Inspired by these people, Amy is now willing to try harder on her mathematics homework. While the concept of (mathematical) growth mindset has been criticised and debunked in recent years, the story can be useful to teachers and parents who still strongly believe in such concept and who want to help their pupils/children (aged 5+ years old) develop perseverance and their self-efficacy in the subject. To the best of our knowledge, ‘Everyone Can Learn Math’ is currently the only story in the market that tackles the issue of mathematical growth mindset quite explicitly. (Disclaimer: We received a complimentary inspection copy of this book from the publisher/author)
Recommended age range:
5+ years old
Relevant mathematics topics:
Attitudes towards Mathematics
Possible teaching activities:
At MathsThroughStories.org, we believe that stories can be meaningfully incorporated in mathematics teaching in different ways. Thus, we are inviting you to share your experience of how you have used this story in your mathematics lesson with other members of the community. By sharing your experience with us, you will be added to our team of On-line Contributors here, where you can also find our submission guideline.
