Why Everyone is a Math Person — Including You | Connie Vaughn | TEDxDayton

Summary

In this video, the speaker addresses the common fear of statistics among university students, emphasizing that everyone is capable of understanding and solving statistical problems. They discuss the psychological barriers, such as math anxiety and fixed mindsets, that hinder learning and suggest that a growth mindset can lead to better math performance. The speaker also touches on cultural stereotypes and their impact on math achievement, using examples like the 'nerd' stereotype and the historical undervaluation of women's contributions to math and technology. The message is one of empowerment, encouraging viewers to embrace their innate mathematical abilities.

Takeaways

• 📚 The script discusses a business statistics problem from a university course, highlighting the importance of understanding and solving such problems.
• 👨‍🏫 The speaker, a teacher, emphasizes that statistics is different from other math subjects and encourages students to approach it with a fresh mindset.
• 🎓 The majority of students in the class overcame their fear and passed, including one who achieved a B, a personal best in math.
• 🧠 The speaker argues that there's no such thing as not being a 'math person,' suggesting that anyone with a human brain and language ability can do math.
• 🔢 The concept of 'innumeracy' is introduced, comparing it to illiteracy, and the speaker points out societal acceptance of being 'numerate'.
• 🧬 Math ability is linked to language evolution, indicating that our brains are naturally equipped to handle numbers abstractly.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Math anxiety is described as a learned and irrational phobia that can be overcome, often influenced by parents or teachers.
• 🌐 The script touches on the U-shaped economy and the importance of math for future job prospects, especially in a technological society.
• 🌱 The 'growth mindset' is presented as a key to overcoming the fixed mindset that many have about their math abilities.
• 📊 Cultural beliefs and stereotypes can significantly impact math performance, as demonstrated by studies on Asian American women and gender stereotypes.
• 🏛️ The historical context of math and technology as male-dominated fields is discussed, along with the impact of stereotypes on career choices.

Q & A

What problem was discussed in the university business statistics class?

The problem discussed was about creating a confidence interval around a proportion.

What was the initial reaction of the students towards the statistics class?

The majority of the students, both male and female, dreaded their statistics requirement, with grim faces staring at the teacher.

How did the teacher approach teaching the subject to help students overcome their fear?

The teacher shared facts to help students understand that statistics is different from other math and encouraged them to approach the subject with a fresh mind and no baggage.

What was the success rate of the students in the class?

117 out of 120 students passed the class with a C or higher.

What did the teacher realize about the students' perception of math?

The teacher realized that students form an identity about being able to do or not do math, often influenced by labels given by themselves or others.

What term did mathematician John Allen Paulos coin to describe illiteracy with numbers?

John Allen Paulos coined the term 'innumeracy' to describe illiteracy with numbers.

According to Keith Devlin, how is math related to the evolution of the human brain?

Keith Devlin suggests that math in our brains is related to language, as our early numbers sense combined with the abstraction of language to create a brain that deals abstractly with numbers.

What is the concept of a 'growth mindset' as described by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck?

The growth mindset is the belief that anyone can learn and improve at math with persistence and hard work, contrary to the fixed mindset which assumes abilities are innate and unchangeable.

How did the cultural beliefs about math performance impact the scores of Asian American College women in a study?

In a study, when Asian American College women were reminded that they are Asian, their math scores went up, suggesting that cultural beliefs can positively impact performance.

What role did professional societies play in shaping the stereotype of 'math people' according to the script?

Professional societies propagated math and technical skills as related to 'nerd-like' traits, discouraging many from pursuing math-related fields and preserving status and resources.

What was the teacher's final message to the students about their capability in math?

The teacher emphasized that because they are human, they are math people, and over ninety-seven percent of them succeeded in the class.