ABSTRACT

This book offers an innovative introduction to the psychological basis of mathematics and the nature of mathematical thinking and learning, using an approach that empowers students by fostering their own construction of mathematical structures.

Through accessible and engaging writing, award-winning mathematician and educator Anderson Norton reframes mathematics as something that exists first in the minds of students, rather than something that exists first in a textbook. By exploring the psychological basis for mathematics at every level—including geometry, algebra, calculus, complex analysis, and more—Norton unlocks students’ personal power to construct mathematical objects based on their own mental activity and illustrates the power of mathematics in organizing the world as we know it.

Including reflections and activities designed to inspire awareness of the mental actions and processes coordinated in practicing mathematics, the book is geared toward current and future secondary and elementary mathematics teachers who will empower the next generation of mathematicians and STEM majors. Those interested in the history and philosophy that underpins mathematics will also benefit from this book, as well as those informed and curious minds attentive to the human experience more generally.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

Mathematical Empowerment

chapter 1|15 pages

What Is Number?

chapter 2|16 pages

Reflections Upon Reflections

chapter 3|18 pages

Getting With the Program

chapter 4|18 pages

New Actions, New Units, New Numbers

chapter 6|15 pages

The Power of Symbols

chapter 7|14 pages

Seeing Angles From a Different Angle

chapter 8|19 pages

The Geometry of Numbers

chapter 9|17 pages

What Doesn't Vary as Variables Covary?

chapter 10|22 pages

What's So Special About Special Triangles?

chapter 11|17 pages

Calculus the Old-Fashioned Way

chapter 12|16 pages

The Wonderful Gift of Mathematics