August 1, 2025

Number Sense and Nonsense

A Conversation with Jo Boaler About Learning Math(s)

 

Question: Why do so many people write off math as uninteresting if not downright unpleasant, and as something they just don't have a knack for? Answer: Years of traditional instruction with textbooks and worksheets and quizzes, memorization of math facts and algorithms, direct instruction of the approved technique for arriving at the right answer (followed by endless practice problems) that leaves you with no understanding of what you're doing, let alone why.

This extended episode of Kohn's Zone features a spirited conversation with math educator Jo Boaler of Stanford University, who explains how we're trapped by mistaken beliefs about how math should be taught - and what math is.

RESOURCES:

YouCubed.org -- Boaler's center for innovative math teaching

Books by Boaler: Math-ish, Mathematical Mindsets, What's Math Got to Do With It?

A chapter by Kohn (from The Schools Our Children Deserve): "What Works Better than Traditional Math Instruction" (https://tinyurl.com/54mzvu69)

 

A note from Alfie Kohn:

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PRODUCTION SUPPORT: Ultraviolet Audio

ART: Abi Kohn