A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra)

by Barbara Oakley

The key is to do something else until your brain is consciously free of any thought of the problem.

Your “mind’s eye” is important because it can help you stage plays and personalize what you are learning about. Transfer is the

It’s important to grasp the chunked essence of a mathematical concept, because then it’s easier to transfer and apply that idea in new and different ways.

the data he was collecting. Persistence is often more important than intelligence.1 Approaching material with a goal of learning it on your own gives you a unique path to mastery. Often, no matter how good your teacher and

Taking responsibility for your own learning is one of the most important things you can do. Teacher-centered approaches, where the teacher is considered to be the one with the answers,

In any case, if you find yourself struggling with the “obvious,” don’t despair. Look to your classmates or the Internet for help.

Such undercutting is all-too-common, as people are often just as competitive as they are cooperative. When you’re a young person, mastering such dispassion can be difficult. We are naturally excited about what we are working on, and we like to believe that everyone can be reasoned with and that almost everyone is naturally good-hearted toward us.

Although we need to be careful about faulty and superficial “left brain/right brain” assumptions, we also don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater and ignore worthwhile research that gives intriguing hints about hemispheric differences.2 Fred reminds

When you are absolutely certain that what you’ve done on a homework or test is fine—thank you very much—be aware that this feeling may be based on overly confident perspectives arising in part from the left hemisphere.

The importance of working with others doesn’t just relate to problem solving—it’s also important in career building. A single small tip from a teammate to take a course from the outstanding Professor Passionate, or to check out a new job opening, can make an extraordinary difference in how your life unfolds.

The focused mode can allow you to make critical errors even though you feel confident you’ve done everything correctly. Rechecking your work can allow you to get a broader perspective on it, using slightly different neural processes that can allow you to catch blunders.

Improve your learning by ensuring that you really understand what you are explaining to others and reinforcing what you know. Build important career connections and help steer you toward better choices.

Criticism in your studies, whether you are giving or receiving it, shouldn’t be taken as being about you. It’s about what you are trying to understand.

“Often, it takes way less time to check your work than to solve a problem. It is a pity to spend twenty minutes solving a problem and then get it wrong because you did not spend two minutes checking it.

The more “Yes” responses you recorded, the better your preparation for the test. If you recorded two or more “No” responses, think seriously

when you start working problems, start first with what appears to be the hardest one. But steel yourself to pull away within the first minute or two if you get stuck or get a sense that you might not be on the right track.

The only challenge with this approach is that you must have the self-discipline to pull yourself off a problem once you find yourself stuck for a minute or two. For most students, it’s easy. For

If you’re a stressed-out test taker, keep in mind that the body puts out chemicals, such as cortisol, when it is under stress. This can cause sweaty palms, a racing heart, and a knot in the pit of your stomach. But interestingly, research finds that it’s how you interpret those symptoms—the

Not getting enough sleep the night before a test can negate any other preparation you’ve done.

TEN RULES OF GOOD STUDYING

Studying advice.