The Magical Power of Mathematical Storytelling

Sunil Singh argues that storytelling is essential to mathematics education, proposing that mathematical concepts should emerge from cultural narratives rather than abstract procedures. Drawing from Alfred North Whitehead's theory of learning, Singh contends that mathematics education skips the crucial "romance" stage and jumps directly to precision, creating a "house of cards" that leads to student disengagement. He demonstrates how mathematical concepts like the Fibonacci sequence can be taught through stories about Sanskrit poetry and African trade routes, connecting mathematics to its multicultural origins and human contexts.

"Mathematics is either a bridge or a barrier... currently for most students, knowingly or not, it's a barrier."

"Students would think that aliens dropped off mathematics in a test tube on a beach a hundred years ago - that's how inert it seems."

"The history of mathematics is about slow failure... every single problem kids do, at some point in the mathematical timeline we didn't know how to do it."

• Singh advocates for starting with "romance" and storytelling before precision, but educators face pressure to cover extensive curriculum standards. How might teachers balance the need for mathematical romance with institutional requirements for content coverage? Is it realistic to spend significant time on cultural narratives when standardized assessments focus on procedural skills?
• Singh criticizes "flat word problems" as trust-breakers while advocating for rich storytelling. However, creating authentic mathematical narratives requires significant historical and cultural knowledge that many teachers may lack. How can educators distinguish between meaningful mathematical storytelling and superficial "dressing up" of mathematical concepts?