We are born to love math w/ Dan Finkel

Math Therapy

Dan Finkel is an author/educator who believes that humans are wired to be curious from birth, and that play is the secret to maintaining that joy of learning throughout childhood. On today’s season 6 finale, he and Vanessa discuss how teaching kids about math can be so much more fun than we think; it can mean playing board games, counting on their fingers, anything that helps them develop an intuitive sense that there are patterns and structures in the world for them to discover. They also discuss how play-based approaches can even help grown-ups heal from math trauma!

About Dan (Website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Dan Finkel is the Founder and Director of Operations of Math for Love, a Seattle-based organization devoted to transforming how math is taught and learned. Dan is an author and game designer, develops curriculum, leads teacher workshops, and gives talks on mathematics and education. He contributes regularly to the New York Times Numberplay blog and hosts Seattle’s Julia Robinson Math Festival annually.

Show notes:

• Dan’s TED Talk: Five Principles of Extraordinary Math Teaching
• Martin Gardner’s “Mathematical Games” column in Scientific American
• earlyfamilymath.org
• Dan’s book: Pattern Breakers
• Upscale pattern blocks

Connect with us:

• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. We are born to love math (00:02:04)

3. Developing number sense in youth (00:14:28)

4. Hot take on memorization (00:21:42)

5. What's wrong with "play" in math? (00:26:33)

6. Does play have the power to heal? (00:29:51)

7. Is "math person" just BS? (00:34:45)

8. Q1 (00:39:20)

9. Q2 (00:40:00)

10. Outro (00:40:41)