A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)

"I highly recommend the course as a companion to this book. It can be challenging to get people to approach math because it is a topic that most people are afraid of, and Oakley does a great job of making it seem less intimidating. A few of the key concepts in this book come back to analogies. Oakley identifies two modes of thinking: focus mode and diffuse mode. We might be in focus mode when we’re learning math, crunching through arithmetic, and solving problems step by step. We are in diffuse mode when we’re looking for connections and analogies and trying to form a big picture. We need both of these modes. Most people think only about focus mode, because this engages us in the type of learning that prepares us for a test; however, part of learning requires getting familiar with diffuse mode. Oakley demonstrates that diffuse mode is equally integral to learning. If you’re explaining a topic (and particularly if this topic is new to the listener), you might share some of the analogies that have helped you and let people explore them instead of discussing it in purely technical terms. Another key concept she discusses is chunking, which involves breaking information or concepts into more easily digestible pieces. It is useful to look at the big picture in the beginning. Then, you work on these pieces or chunks and get to grips with them, and then step back and see how they connect. Chunking might involve using mind maps or making lists. You can isolate individual skills to work on and then come back to the big picture. Chunking effectively allows the learner to toggle between focus mode and diffuse mode. It’s important to have both halves. It would be difficult to be a chef if you didn’t taste the food you were preparing. As a communicator, if you’re always speaking and never listening, you might miss some of the insights. I think this course is about seeing the learning process from both sides. When you impart information, you have to put yourself in the place of the person who is receiving it. It all comes back to empathy . You have to remember what it’s like to see something for the first time. It is important to understand things from both perspectives. When I’m learning, I’ll make notes as I go along, especially of moments of confusion and a-ha! moments. I love those epiphanies, when something complex suddenly seems simple because you encountered the right example or the right metaphor. I’ll make note of that and think, now I have an example to use. I’ll be able to share what the difficulty was and how I resolved it. As the time passes between learning something and teaching it, the curse of knowledge sets in. You’re likely to forget some of the little steps you made, so I think it’s important to keep track of them. Having said that, I don’t feel comfortable teaching something until I’ve gone over it thoroughly and quizzed myself on it. We all make mistakes, but I try to minimize that as much as possible. While I won’t teach material I’ve only just learned, I want to keep in mind the sense of discovery I enjoyed during the process."