Product reviews for The Philosophy Foundation: The Numberverse

Thinking and teaching mathematically can sometimes seem very black or white. Answers are usually right, or wrong and thinking creatively can seem a challenge. In fact, Day wants to make pupils feel -˜stuck' and to get children comfortable with this feeling -” a necessity to give them confidence in working their way out of problems.

The book has its roots firmly based in philosophy, with some activities very well suited for p4c sessions -” which is an interesting notion, as not many educators will have thought to incorporate numeric thinking into their philosophical sessions.

Day offers great ideas of extending this, initially simple, idea into some philosophical and mathematical thinking that can get pupils to see alternatives to their original answer. From the original answer usually given (64), you should end up with over 200 as an answer (we won't share the exact figure here. See page 133!!!). Such activities, like this one, can help develop pupils resilience -” one of the key facets advocated within the book.

We love this book. Not only does it give educators activities which you can pick up and run with, but it also is a catalyst to get children to think beyond the mathematical boundaries which they have been taught and grown accustomed to. There are activities within the book for children getting to grips with early number concepts, through to activities which have no upper-age limit. What is key, for each exercise (and teaching generally), is the questioning and considered timing to extend thinking further.

View the original article here: http://ukedchat.com/2014/07/22/book-review-the-numberverse-by-andrew-day/