Extreme Math: Real Math, Real People, Real Sports
Marya Washington Tyler holds a master's degree in gifted education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a multidisciplinary bachelor's degree from Michigan State University. She has four gifted children, and has taught gifted students in Michigan, Wisconsin, Idaho, Alaska and Washington over a period of 20 years.Near the beginning of her teaching career, when the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) began calling for real world mathematics in the curriculum, Marya looked for such materials, but found only feeble efforts. Her neighbors in Marshfield, Wisconsin, willingly shared with her the math puzzles they regularly face as farmers, administrators, firemen, veterinarians, archeologists, detectives, etc., and their words became her first book,Real Life Math Mysteries. Marya then tapped the humor and insight of son David, and his friend Asa, both gifted elementary students, to writeIt s Alive!andIt's Alive and Kicking!, books which restore the warm tingle of life to even the driest mathematical computation. Within a year, Marya joined two more friends to produceAlien Math, a self-guided tour of number bases (as they are used around the galaxy).Marya continues to lead the movement to enliven the study of mathematics with the odd, the incredible, the wild and the real. She and husband Kip collaborated onExtreme Mathafter intense meetings with champion mountain climbers, whitewater kayakers, hang gliders, scuba divers, bronco riders, and adventure racers. Their latest book,More Real Life Math Mysteries, presents photos and as-real-as-it-gets math problems, as explained by the dog mushers, elephant trainers, kayak guides, beekeepers, float plane pilots, and more.