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Chasing Rabbits: A Curious Guide to a Lifetime of Mathematical Wellness
Curiouser and Curiouser . . . Mainstream math education over the last century has concretized an approach to mathematics that is rote, anxiety-producing, and far too focused on outcomes rather than the journey of discovery. In Chasing Rabbits , educator Sunil Singh offers an approach to mathematics that advocates getting lost, slowing down, feeling bewildered and disoriented, and even failing. Engaging with math in this way, he argues, can not only accomplish greater buy-in and enjoyment from math learners, but it can also affirm our sense of humanity and wellness overall. Singh invites the reader to explore his philosophy of mathematics through relating math to other disciplines, and to figures as diverse as MC Escher and Anthony Bourdain. Singh also delves into variously complex mathematical problems to offer concrete examples of what doing math differently looks and feels like. Mathematics, Singh demonstrates, ought to be a site not of stress and anxiety, but of wonder and joy.
- GenresMathematicsEducation
248 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2021
9 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 2, 2023
This book gets 5 stars from me, despite a few very minor quibbles. To start with, here is the #1 issue I have: Singh, at times, is so very spiritually passionate about math that it almost seems as if he's saying that people who don't love math are not living a truly good life. However I think we can look past this attitude because he truly just LOVES mathematics so much and wants to spread the joy! And he is correct that mathematics is the thread that connects the whole universe, so I can get on board with most of what he's saying.
One other tiny quibble is that his writing style grates on me at times. Did we really need another reference to some rock band he listened to in the 70s? Come on, Sunil.
But as I said, this book still gets 5 stars. Singh is saying all the things people need to hear about current math education, and indeed all math education since the dawn of such a thing (ahem, modern public school system). He echoes Paul Lockhart (author of A Mathematician's Lament) in calling out the extreme anxiety most of our society has about math. The way math is taught now is 100% performance based, because we must have something to test and report back to the powers that be. This book not only points to all the problems with math education, but all modern education. And along the way Singh provides us with some fun math problems he's discovered on his own math journey.
My favorite part was his discussion on the stories of math, the biographies of mathematicians and how the math they discovered was not separate from their lives. On the Literary Life Podcast, an excellent podcast on reading literature in the pre-Enlightenment tradition, they often say, "Stories will save the world." Singh seems to be saying, "Stories will also save mathematics."
Finally, while Singh is not a Christian (at least, I couldn't see any hints of it) I find everything he's saying to be fully compatible with the awe and wonder a Christian would have upon viewing mathematics as a creation of God. As a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, this attitude towards all subjects is something near and dear to my heart. But many homeschoolers seem to hold math in a separate category, something to be suffered through with no real enjoyment. Singh says otherwise. It's a journey of wonder and joy, and as Christians we can also take it a step further and say it's truly a way of seeing God in nature.
One other tiny quibble is that his writing style grates on me at times. Did we really need another reference to some rock band he listened to in the 70s? Come on, Sunil.
But as I said, this book still gets 5 stars. Singh is saying all the things people need to hear about current math education, and indeed all math education since the dawn of such a thing (ahem, modern public school system). He echoes Paul Lockhart (author of A Mathematician's Lament) in calling out the extreme anxiety most of our society has about math. The way math is taught now is 100% performance based, because we must have something to test and report back to the powers that be. This book not only points to all the problems with math education, but all modern education. And along the way Singh provides us with some fun math problems he's discovered on his own math journey.
My favorite part was his discussion on the stories of math, the biographies of mathematicians and how the math they discovered was not separate from their lives. On the Literary Life Podcast, an excellent podcast on reading literature in the pre-Enlightenment tradition, they often say, "Stories will save the world." Singh seems to be saying, "Stories will also save mathematics."
Finally, while Singh is not a Christian (at least, I couldn't see any hints of it) I find everything he's saying to be fully compatible with the awe and wonder a Christian would have upon viewing mathematics as a creation of God. As a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, this attitude towards all subjects is something near and dear to my heart. But many homeschoolers seem to hold math in a separate category, something to be suffered through with no real enjoyment. Singh says otherwise. It's a journey of wonder and joy, and as Christians we can also take it a step further and say it's truly a way of seeing God in nature.
August 3, 2022
The answer to the crisis in math education is not more apps, or rah-rah motivation. Education administrators need to shoulder the blame. Timed testing reduces children to lab rats for political purposes. So, this book takes a different path. It celebrates mathematical diversity. Until now, you'd be forgiven for thinking that math was a white western creation perfectly preserved and fine-tuned within the hallowed halls of Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford and the like - and you'd be wrong.
Sunil shares stories of amazing women and cultures rarely associated with math. These are badly needed for mathematical conversations of a coronavirus-stressed planet. Equity, justice and anti-racist math jump from the pages.
There are plenty of 'whiteboard images' you'll want to ponder and anecdotes to enjoy. Yet ultimately this is a book about people and how their trials and tribulations made their lives count.
So, whether you have a PhD in math or have math anxiety and are seeking wellness, this book will find a home in hearts and heads of those who are curious and open to wandering and wondering beyond conventional lessons.
Sunil shares stories of amazing women and cultures rarely associated with math. These are badly needed for mathematical conversations of a coronavirus-stressed planet. Equity, justice and anti-racist math jump from the pages.
There are plenty of 'whiteboard images' you'll want to ponder and anecdotes to enjoy. Yet ultimately this is a book about people and how their trials and tribulations made their lives count.
So, whether you have a PhD in math or have math anxiety and are seeking wellness, this book will find a home in hearts and heads of those who are curious and open to wandering and wondering beyond conventional lessons.
February 15, 2023
I almost DNF'ed this book several times. I stuck through to the end because I love the philosophy of this book, and it has a number of quotable moment relating to that philosophy. The key idea is that we should approach math with a sense of curiosity and wonder. It should not be reduced to anxiety inducing practical, overly drilled, overly tested applications. Rather, we should see it as a mystery where failure is a joyful part of the journey.
The book itself is a curious amalgam of memoir, math puzzles, creative pedagogy, and love letter to mathematics. It popcorns all over the place, leading to a text that doesn't quite develop any thread fully enough to really engage me as a reader. I was also frustrated that the diagrams associated with the math puzzles had multiple mistakes which made them less engaging.
The book itself is a curious amalgam of memoir, math puzzles, creative pedagogy, and love letter to mathematics. It popcorns all over the place, leading to a text that doesn't quite develop any thread fully enough to really engage me as a reader. I was also frustrated that the diagrams associated with the math puzzles had multiple mistakes which made them less engaging.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews