New books make math magical

SMART READ—Camarillo mother of two Nausheen Ahmed authored and self-published a pair of storybooks earlier this year that use a narrative tale about a wizard and concept-based lessons to teach students the fundamentals of math. Nausheen Ahmed remembers being a young student in math class frustrated by a blackboard packed with numbers and equations.

Ahmed said she struggled with math at her elementary school in Pakistan before coming to the U.S. with her family at the age of 10. It was the learn-by-repetition approach that made understanding numbers both painstaking and fruitless.

But Ahmed's 91-year-old grandfather, who had earned his master's degree in mathematics, began to sit down with her after school and change the way she thought about numbers.

Ahmed's grandfather used everyday items found in his home and garden to teach her about basic math concepts and help her understand how numbers work together.

"My grandfather told me not to focus on the drill-based portion of math but said, 'Let's just focus on the concept,'" said the 27yearold Camarillo mother of two. "Once I understood the concepts, the drill-based (method was) easier because I understood the concepts behind them."

Her grandfather's approach opened a new world of understanding for Ahmed, who not only mastered math but went on to earn a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.

To help other students grasp the mysteries of math, Ahmed wrote and self-published a pair of storybooks earlier this year. The books, which center on a wizard named Mathlin, tell stories to teach the concepts of arithmetic.

Ahmed said she was motivated to write the books—"The Mathlin Kids: Addition & Subtraction Made Easy" and "The Mathlin Kids: Multiplication & Division Made Easy"—after the birth of her 3-year-old son, Zohair.

A former bank manager who is now a stay-at-home mom, Ahmed said she wanted to introduce her son to math using a children's storybook.

Why a story about a wizard?

"I just thought a wizard would be cool because kids are always fascinated with the idea of magic, wizards and different lands," Ahmed said.

After three years of working on the books, Ahmed said, she thought they were good enough to publish.

Ahmed used her personal savings to finance the publication of 350 copies of each book. Her investment is beginning to pay off.

Later this month, officials with Fillmore Unified School District will use the books as part of a case study with a group of third- and fifthgraders from Piru Elementary School who are testing below grade level in math.

Susan Jolley, an academic coach at Piru, said Ahmed will meet with the two groups after school twice a week for eight weeks, using her workbooks to help the students grasp mathematical concepts.

Following the eight-week trial, the students will be retested and their scores will be compared to a test they were given at the start of the program. Based on the results, Jolley said, the school may begin using the books to help underperforming students.

Jolley said she and Kristin Lairson, a special projects coordinator with the Fillmore district, were as impressed with Ahmed's enthusiasm for math as they were with the workbooks.

"We haven't seen how the books are going to work yet, but we think that her enthusiasm and her organization have a lot of promise for us," said Jolley, who added that it's important for students to understand the basics of math in order to succeed in high school and beyond.

Ahmed admitted she's nervous about the case study but said, "I'm looking forward to the kids' feedback because they might have seen something that I haven't seen."

In the end, she said, it's about getting students to enjoy learning math and to feel less frustrated when confronting an equation.

"You don't have to be really good at (math), but as long you don't fear it, you'll be able to pick up the concepts and apply them to your daily life," she said.

For more information about the "Mathlin Kids" book series, visit www.baby-knows.com or call (805) 504-4832.