



Math Mind
The Simple Path to Loving Math
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A national bestseller!
Bust the math myths that are holding you and your kids back and learn the importance of numeracy with this one-of-a-kind resource for parents, educators, and policymakers
Shalinee Sharma is one of the world’s top experts on math learning, but when she was in school, she sat in the back row, unsure if she could ever master the subject. Many of us buy into the idea that some people are innately good at math and others just won’t ever succeed at it—but it’s not true, and numeracy is as important as literacy when it comes to opening doors in life.
Sharma shows how complex problem solving and puzzle solving, abstract and logical thinking, developing fluency with numbers, and cultivating persistence in math are crucial skills for success that can be taught to everyone and how math, far from being a dry, dull exercise, shares common ground with art and creativity. She also debunks the myths that prevent us from learning and enjoying math, with chapters dedicated to the three roadblocks that discourage adults and kids from learning.
With instructive line drawings throughout, Sharma explains the math instinct that all humans have from birth, and better, more intuitive ways to solve math problems that are both rigorous and accessible. For anyone who has ever thought you’re “bad at math” but wants to get good—for your children and for yourself—Math Mind contains the guidance, takeaways, and specific approaches you need to learn to love numbers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"We can all be math people," according to this encouraging debut. Sharma—founder of Zearn, a nonprofit organization that creates educational software—argues that contemporary math instruction places too much emphasis on speed and memorizing formulas rather than understanding the underlying concepts. Expounding on more effective ways to teach math to elementary and middle schoolers, Sharma recommends using "pictures and objects" to illustrate concepts and describes how one Zearn program shows video of a teacher cutting two oranges into quarters to visualize how fractions can represent sums greater than one. Sharma calls for institutional change, urging schools to commit more resources to assist struggling students instead of funneling them into remedial tracks. She also entreats parents to find organic opportunities to develop their child's math skills outside the classroom (helping a kid determine "how long it will take him to save enough money to pay for a new toy," for instance). Assertions that technology can "democratize access to an excellent education" come across as plugs for Sharma's nonprofit, but the recommendations otherwise provide pragmatic ideas about demystifying math. It adds up to a sensible reassessment of how to improve math education.