You are not a math person is a lie you were told

#ai #programming #mathematics

“Learning math makes you smarter”

Last week, at the GOTO Copenhagen conference, my life long wish came true.

Not only did I get a change to meet Barbara Oakley, I got a chance to interview her. After her opening keynote, Grokking the Brain: What AI Reveals About How You Really Learn, I sat with Barbara Oakley.

We talked about the myth of math talent, Jensen Huang’s claim that kids can skip multiplication tables and long division, how junior engineers should spend their hours, and why you shouldn’t touch your phone right after you study.

Barbara Oakley, PhD, PE is a Professor of Engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Her work focuses on the complex relationship between neuroscience and social behavior. Dr. Oakley’s research has been described as “revolutionary” in the Wall Street Journal. She has won numerous national teaching awards, including the American Society of Engineering Education’s Chester F. Carlson Award for technical innovation in engineering education.

Dr. Oakley has adventured widely through her lifetime. She rose from the ranks of Private to Captain in the U.S. Army, during which time she was recognized as a Distinguished Military Scholar. She also worked as a communications expert at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. Dr. Oakley is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Her books include:

A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra), (Penguin, 2014);

Uncommon Sense Teaching (Penguin Random House 2021)

Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential (Penguin, 2017)

Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens (Penguin, 2018)

Terezija:

Thank you so much for finding the time for this interview.

I studied mathematics and worked for seven years teaching teenagers math and computer science before I moved into software engineering. For most of my life I was taught that you either have math talent or you don’t, and unfortunately I believed it. Your book changed how I approach students, and how I approach teaching my students and sharing knowledge to thousands of learners worldwide.

Check the full interview in my Math Mindset newsletter here: