Developing an Appreciation for Mathematics Through Writing about Mathematicians

December 10, 2008

Karl-Dieter Crisman's article "Write About Mathematicians In Non-Major Courses" (MAA FOCUS, November 2008) has attracted a bit of attention. His report outlined the positive effects of requiring his students to write about people who do mathematics.

"My experience is that essentially all students (often to their surprise) report that they learned something quite interesting about the individual they chose," Crisman said. "Most gratifying to me was that many students also seemed to gain real perspective about their own studies and future from learning about the challenges these real people faced in life, which promoted a better attitude toward mathematics in general by the end." Crisman teaches at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass.

Lloyd Gavin, who writes for the website Associated Content, used the MAA FOCUS piece as the starting point for his article "Develop Your Child's Appreciation for Mathematics Through Writing."

"Everyone does not have a passion to do mathematics," Gavin wrote. "However, an [open-minded] person can develop an appreciation for mathematics. This article suggests using writing exercises to develop interest in mathematics."

Such exercises, Gavin observed, "are best undertaken during light periods of home assignments—for instance during long vacations or summers."

As sources or starting points for the three-page essays that he assigns, Crisman suggested reading E.T. Bell's Men of Mathematics; digging into the works of Dirk Struik or Howard Eves; checking websites such as the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive; or finding out more about mathematicians who have appeared recently in popular works (Srinivasa Ramanujan, Paul Erdös, John Nash).

Source: Associated Content, Nov. 20, 2008.