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.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Overcoming Math Anxiety

The speaker begins by addressing the common fear and anxiety students have towards statistics and math. They recount their experience teaching a university business statistics class where they had to find a way to help students overcome their dread. The speaker emphasizes that statistics is different from other math subjects and encourages students to approach it with a fresh mind. They share that by changing their mindset and believing in their ability to learn, 117 out of 120 students in their class passed with a C or higher. The speaker also discusses the societal labels that contribute to math anxiety, such as being labeled a 'math person' or not, and argues that everyone with a human brain and language ability is a 'math person'. The talk concludes with the speaker debunking the notion of being a 'math person' or not, stating that math is an inherent part of human cognition and that math anxiety is a learned phobia that can be overcome.

05:03

🌟 Cultivating a Growth Mindset for Math

In this paragraph, the speaker delves into the concept of a 'growth mindset' versus a 'fixed mindset' in relation to math skills. They discuss how societal and cultural beliefs about math ability can significantly impact performance. The speaker highlights the importance of breaking the cycle of math anxiety for future generations, given the increasing demand for math and numeracy skills in a technology-driven economy. They mention Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck's work on the fixed mindset and how it contrasts with the growth mindset, which encourages the belief that anyone can learn math with persistence and hard work. The speaker also touches on the historical and cultural stereotypes that have discouraged certain groups from pursuing math-related fields, such as the 'nerd' stereotype and its impact on women's participation in technology and math. The paragraph concludes with a call to action to change these stereotypes and foster a growth mindset to unlock the potential for math achievement across all populations.

10:04

🎓 Success in Math and Beyond

The final paragraph of the script is a brief conclusion with music and applause, indicating the end of the speaker's presentation. It does not contain any spoken content but serves as a marker for the end of the discussion on overcoming math anxiety and embracing a growth mindset for success in math and related fields.

Keywords

💡Confidence Interval

A confidence interval is a range within which a population parameter is likely to fall with a certain level of confidence. In the video, the speaker uses the example of a confidence interval around a proportion to illustrate basic statistical concepts. This concept is fundamental to understanding the video's theme of demystifying statistics and helping students overcome math anxiety.

💡Statistics

Statistics is a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation, and organization of data. The video emphasizes that statistics is different from other areas of math and can be more approachable, which is crucial to the speaker's message of redefining students' perceptions of math and their abilities.

💡Math Anxiety

Math anxiety refers to the feeling of tension, apprehension, or even fear that arises when an individual is faced with mathematical tasks or problems. The video discusses how math anxiety is a learned phobia that can be irrational and self-reinforcing, and it is a significant barrier that the speaker aims to help students overcome.

💡Numeracy

Numeracy is the ability to understand and work with numbers. The term is used by the speaker to highlight the societal acceptance of being 'innumerate,' or having difficulty with numbers, which contrasts with the expectation to be literate. This concept ties into the broader theme of societal attitudes towards math skills.

💡Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset is the belief that abilities are static and cannot be improved upon. The video contrasts this with a growth mindset, emphasizing that the belief that one is not a 'math person' is a fixed mindset that can hinder learning and achievement in mathematics.

💡Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. The speaker uses this concept to argue that anyone can learn math, and this mindset is associated with higher achievement in math across different cultures and populations.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes are widely held but fixed and oversimplified images or ideas of particular types of people or things. The video discusses how stereotypes, such as the 'nerd' stereotype, can negatively affect math performance and discourage individuals from pursuing math-related fields.

💡Cognitive Work

Cognitive work refers to jobs that require complex thinking and problem-solving skills, often involving the use of technology. The video mentions that in a technological society, desirable jobs often require math skills, highlighting the importance of numeracy in the job market.

💡U-shaped Economy

A U-shaped economy is one where automation and technology have reduced the number of middle-skilled jobs, leading to a concentration of low-paying service jobs and high-paying cognitive jobs. The video uses this concept to argue for the importance of math and numeracy in preparing for future job opportunities.

💡Language Evolution

Language evolution refers to the development and change of languages over time. The speaker mentions that the ability to deal with numbers abstractly is tied to the evolution of language, suggesting that our brains' capacity for math is deeply connected to our linguistic abilities.

💡Math Person

The term 'math person' is used in the video to challenge the notion that some people are inherently good at math while others are not. The speaker argues that everyone with a human brain and the ability to use language is a 'math person,' emphasizing the potential for everyone to understand and engage with math.

Highlights

The problem to be solved is a basic confidence interval around a proportion from a university business statistics exam.

The majority of students initially dreaded their statistics requirement.

The teacher's approach to help students overcome their fear of statistics by encouraging a fresh mindset.

117 out of 120 students passed the class by solving problems like the one discussed.

A student's emotional reaction to achieving a B in math, a first in her life.

The concept that there is no such thing as not being a math person.

The idea that math identity is formed and can be limiting.

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

The evolutionary connection between math and language in the human brain.

Math anxiety is a learned phobia that can be overcome.

The impact of math-anxious parents or teachers on students' performance.

The importance of breaking the cycle of math anxiety for the sake of future generations.

The u-shaped economy and the role of math in the job market.

Carol Dweck's concept of the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset in learning math.

The power of cultural beliefs on math performance, as shown in studies with Asian American women.

The historical stereotype of 'nerds' and its impact on pursuing math-related fields.

The role of stereotypes in protecting status and resources in the tech industry.

Encouragement for students that they are capable of mastering statistics and math.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

today we're going to solve a problem

this was on the second exam of the

university business statistics class

that I taught it's pretty basic a

confidence interval around a proportion

I I apologize for not bringing something

more challenging when I first started

teaching this class I was surprised to

find the majority of my male and female

students dreaded their statistics

requirement at the first lecture 60 grim

faces stared at me like I was their

executioner much like you all are now as

a teacher I couldn't veer from the

curriculum or dumb it down to inflate my

students performance I had to teach them

to understand and solve problems exactly

like this one so I did what all good

teachers do I shared some facts that I

thought would help I told them that

statistics is different from other math

and that they may find it easier that

they could put aside their bad

experiences and approach this subject

specifically with a fresh mind and no

baggage this helped them relax enough to

learn and in the end 117 out of 120

students that term passed my class with

a C or higher and in order to pass they

had to solve problems identical to this

one

in fact they solved this one one young

woman came into my office with tears in

her eyes and told me this was the first

time in her life she had ever gotten a B

in math or even understood it I came to

realize it goes beyond just anxiety we

form an identity about being able to do

or not do math we or others label us a

math person or not a math person and

then we tend to live up to that label

but there's no such thing as not a math

person

let me repeat that there is no such

thing as not a math person if you have a

human brain and can use language you are

a math person now I can tell some of you

are internally defending your status as

not a math person so let's talk

mathematician John Allen palace coined

the term in numeracy to describe

illiteracy with numbers in our society

we don't think it's okay to remain

illiterate but we do give ourselves a

pass if we're at numerous we even make

jokes about how bad we are at math but

think about it would we say I'm just not

a reading and writing type of person or

I'm more right brain and creative so I

really don't understand the alphabet

according to mathematician Keith Devlin

math in our brains is related to

language evolutionarily we have always

dealt with concrete numbers in our world

such as a pile of stones or a number of

enemies coming over the hill with spears

this early numbers sense later combined

with the abstraction of language to

create a brain that deals abstractly

with number for example we understand 1

2 3 and extrapolate that to infinity

meaning if we have language we have math

isn't that counterintuitive math and

language are a package deal so math

anxiety is a phobia like any other

phobia it is learned it is irrational it

is self reinforcing we become anxious

anticipating our own anxiety and it is

defeatable we learn math anxiety from

parents of teachers who have math

anxiety themselves even

don't verbalize it one study showed that

students math performance got worse

when they got help with their homework

from a math anxious parent they're

helping hurt this is how the cycle gets

passed down if we feel we're not a math

person we can probably trace it back to

a specific bad experience or authority

figure or time when we were told we

weren't good enough at it and even if we

think it's too late for ourselves or

doesn't matter anymore we owe it to our

children to break the cycle the world

our children will inhabit has a u-shaped

economy this means automation and

technology are hollowing out the middle

layer of skilled management type jobs

the choices our children face are

low-paying service work or high-paying

cognitive work and the desirable jobs up

here in a technological society require

math and numeracy is a cultural mindset

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck

describes the love affair americans have

with the fixed mindset the belief that

no matter what the ability we either

have it or we don't with regard to math

being a math person or not a math person

is by definition fixed because you'd be

born with that brain so you couldn't

change that research shows Asian parents

and teachers verbalize a growth mindset

to their students telling them anyone

can learn math with persistence and hard

work some may get it faster but everyone

will get it the growth mindset is well

known for producing cultures with math

achievement across the population not

just at the very top or in one gender

some clever studies have shown the power

of these cultural beliefs a group of

Asian American College women was given a

test and their scores were somewhere in

the middle when another group of

asian-american women was reminded first

that they are Asian their math scores

went up when a third group was reminded

first that they are female their math

scores went down nothing changed for

them except the stereotypes and it

changed their entire performance

speaking of stereotypes affecting math

performance dr. Seuss had the first

known use of the word nerd in his 1950

book if I ran the zoo eventually somehow

this word became the American stereotype

of everything uncool thick glasses plaid

high water pants pocket protectors and

oh yeah math people the nonfiction book

and movie hidden figures which documents

the space race reminded us that women

were the original computers doing math

by hand and later building software for

early computers was still seen as a

clerical job and attracted a lot of

smart women but from post-world War two

into the 1960s as historian Nathan and

Mayer recounts a class of men had an

interest in building computer technology

into a higher pay and prestige male

occupation professional societies

developed that propagandized math and

technical skill as related to nerd like

traits they aren't new employment tests

look for disinterest in people and

dislike of close personal interaction as

positive predictors of technology job

success are a social computer geek was

born this campaign was self-serving not

research-based and it effectively

discouraged not only most women but also

all

who didn't want to see themselves as

nerds from pursuing math related fields

the real Revenge of the Nerds but this

stereotype protects status and resources

and discourages competition for what are

now the top jobs do you want those nerds

to win back to my University students I

had told them that statistics is

different from other math and it is it's

harder I didn't tell them that part but

I'm telling you today because over

ninety seven percent of them succeeded

anyway because they are human and

therefore they are math people just like

each one of us

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]