What happens when statistics is taught not through formulas and abstract graphs, but through the lens of movie trailers, design projects, and student-led storytelling? In this episode, we sit down with Haseeb Shaikh who reimagined an introductory statistics course for students in the social sciences, humanities, and design. We explore the roots of math anxiety in non-STEM fields, the creative pivot from cricket scores to cinema, and the power of scaffolded, hands-on learning. Tune in to hear how this innovative approach turned fear into curiosity—and what lessons any educator can take away to make numbers less intimidating and far more engaging.

Haseeb Shaikh is an EdTech entrepreneur and a pre-doctoral learning sciences researcher from Pakistan. He is interested in designing both classroom and online learning experiences guided by the nature of human cognition. His ongoing work explores the role of visual context in conceptual cognition, working towards the development of a conceptual cognition model embodied in real-time. Haseeb can be connected with through his Gmail account at "haseebshaikh.pk", or via LinkedIn.