One thing is almost certain is that if Danica McKellar, actress and mathematician-turned-math-author, were to write a book on Singapore math, my bet is that it would unlikely be approved by the Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE), although few would deny that her title would probably be a terrific draw among local students, even in conservative or puritan Singapore—it may even end up being the first math book on a Singapore bestseller’s list.
Going by her math titles (Kiss my math; Math doesn’t sulk; and Hot algebra exposed!), which are primarily targeted at an American or liberal audience, should the TV personality be tempted to write a math book for a local audience, it would be a miracle if her manuscript got pass the first round of Singapore’s MOE’s censorship board—not before making most MOE curriculum specialists flush of embarrassment.
Would you buy this math title for your son or daughter?
Infidel Math
A Math Role Model for Girls (and Boys)
In math education circles, it’s not surprising that Danica McKellar is regarded by many [open-minded] parents and math educators as a terrific role model [for girls and young women]. She teaches the value of confidence that comes from feeling [math-]smart. Her supporters think that her books should be required reading for every math-anxious school girl! The message seems to be that physical beauty and quantitative literacy need’t be mutually exclusive.
Would you give away this irreverent guide about pre-algebra to your neighbor’s son?
From Boyfriend to Babysitting
Chapter 1: How to Make a Killing on eBay (Prime Numbers and Prime Factorization)
Chapter 2: Do You Still Have a Crush on Him? (Finding the Greatest Common Factor)
Chapter 7: Is Your Sister Trying to Cheat You Out of Your Fair Share? (Comparing Fractions)
Chapter 11: Why Calculators Would Make Terrible Boyfriends (Converting Fractions and Mixed Numbers to Decimals)
Chapter 12: How to Entertain Yourself while Babysitting a Devil Child (Converting Decimals to Fractions)
Math Doesn’t Sulk also comes with a math horoscope, math personality quizzes, and real-life testimonials. What else more can one expect from a math book? In fact, Danica herself exemplifies her own life from being a terrified middle-school math student to a confident actress, and more.
X-rated algebra with a dose of irreverence and humor
Girls get curves: Geometry takes shape
Learn some proofs with Danica as your personal tutor and coach!
Don’t judge a book by its irreverent title!
Personally, the style of writing of these pop math books is enough to arouse my interest, leave aside the math, which somewhat lacks rigor, as compared to the standard expected of Singapore math students at the same grades. For example, in Singapore, geometric proof and trigonometry are formally covered at grade 9 or 10. However, McKellar’s informal and conversational writing style could help us loosen our often-stiff mathematics writing, which has traditionally plagued most Singapore-published boring textbooks, as they go through the “rigorous” (or tedious?) process of MOE’s standards of quality and morality.
References
Ho, S. T., Khor, N. H. & Yan, K. C. (2013). Additional Maths 360. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Education.
McKellar, D. (2012). Girls get curves: Geometry takes shape. New York: Hudson Street Press.
McKellar, D. (2011). Hot X: Algebra exposed! New York: Plume.
McKellar, D. (2008). Kiss my math: Showing pre-algebra who’s boss. New York: Hudson Street Press.
McKelkar, D. (2007). Math doesn’t suck: How to survive middle school math without losing your mind or breaking a nail. New York: Plume.
For alignment with state and NCTM math standards, visit www.mathdoesntsuck.com/standards
© Yan Kow Cheong, April 20, 2013.