A Silver Lining Math Book: A Multi-Disciplinary Look at Learning

Matthew Deren, Diploma Programme (DP) Mathematics teacher, and Gerardo Flores-Pacheco, Middle Years Programme (MYP) Music Teacher, recently published Matemáticas Sin Límites, a Spanish version of Deren’s A Silver Lining Math Book, published in 2019.

Over his time teaching, Deren saw the need for a supplementary book that connected classroom subjects and learning in a comprehensive way. “We needed a book of all of the things textbooks leave out in order to comply with testing,” Deren said, “The wall between all of the subjects and the wall between the learners and the teachers are all superficial. We need to break those walls down.”

In his book, Deren explores how math, art, science, and other subjects are all connected.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme prioritizes cross-discipline learning. The IB website states that “The IB learner is positively challenged to think critically and to learn in a flexible environment crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries.”

While this is IB’s focus, it is also an intersection that Riverstone International School prioritizes in the classroom every day, be it experiential learning in the field or cross-disciplinary connection. It is just one part of what makes Riverstone International School so unique.

In 2021, Deren approached Gerardo Flores-Pacheco about writing a Spanish version of the book. They did not want the book’s meaning to get lost in translation, so they set out to rewrite it through the lens of a native Spanish speaker. Deren also worked with Meichun Lin, Mandarin teacher, and Meichen (Michelle) W. (‘23) on a Mandarin rewriting of the book. These collaborations are yet another example of how Deren attempts to break down artificial walls by making students and his teaching peers a part of the translation process.

These books are excellent resources for High School students looking for supplemental reading. The book reads like a story, with the math content simplified to forwards and backward counting.

While these books are the first of their kind, Deren hopes they are not the last of their kind. He believes this way of learning is critical to a better understanding of the world and a love of learning. To his students, Deren says, “Pay attention to yourself, link it all together, love thinking.”

Matemáticas Sin Límites can now be purchased on Amazon, along with its Mandarin and English counterparts.