Throughout
our course we have been discussing ways of making math learning real for
students, creating our own questions as well as the relative merits of different
textbooks. Here’s an interesting teacher whose life story intertwined
all these elements and more.
James Stewart was a math professor at McMaster
whose students were so impressed by his lecture notes that they convinced him to
write his own textbook. It turns out that the students were on to something and
the lucidity of his calculus textbooks garnered him millions of dollars in
royalties. What would an eminent professor do with his earnings? Design a house
that pays homage to his passion, of course. The result is the House that Math
Built, an architectural marvel clinging to the edge of a Toronto ravine.
Students
may have already heard of mathletes, but I can think of classes that would also
be interested in the idea of a math “rock star”. A quick virtual tour of this
building could lead to conversations about the different math-related careers mentioned elsewhere on this blog (not to mention their potential remuneration). James Stewart has some interesting views on
how textbooks should be crafted here. Who knows, maybe one of us will create
our own math Xanadu one day.
Read more about James Stewart's life and career here.
This is a great post, James Stewart is an example of how math isn't just about memorizing formulas or practicing the same questions over and over. His creations are amazing representations of how math can be visual and creative. I also really like how he used talents to pay it forward to others. Great example for all educators and students.
ReplyDeleteHey Roddy,
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. Love how humble this guy is giving credit to his students for the inspiration of his texts. I guess he really listened to his students and it paid off.
When I was studying my masters in Australia, I had a great math professor: George Booker. He has written his own textbook, "Teaching Primary Math". He was a great lecturer and expressed his ideas clearly in class, however it was much harder to read his work. I took a lot away from his classes but the textbook I gave away. If only George had discussed his work with James, maybe he could have built a math house on the side of Mt. Gravatt in Brisbane, Australia.
S