You ARE Good at Math: Encouraging learners and educators to reconsider their relationship with mathematics with Kelly Jonelis

We need to break the paradigm on math education because it helps our young people unlock a richer understanding of their world and a deeper level of critical thinking.All my life, I’ve described myself as “not a math person.”If we think about this statement, it doesn’t actually make much sense.Math is a symbol system, much like language, that humans have developed to understand the world and the phenomenon we see around us. I use math every day, to some capacity, as does nearly everyone.The reason why so many of us see ourselves as “not math people” is not because the discipline of math is obscure or particularly difficult. Rather, it’s because traditional math teaching alienates most people from truly understanding and internalizing its use.We think of math as endless worksheets with right or wrong answers that can only be graded by a teacher. We need to think of mathematics education as the development of the mathematical mind which promotes critical, independent thinking and which supports human development.I am so lucky to know Kelly Jonelis, my latest podcast guest, who is a math educator who gets it: that the purpose of math (like all education) is to support human development and can be driven by student intrinsic interest and real-world application.This podcast episode is for everyone: from those who claim that they’re “not a math person” to those who can’t understand why the rest of us groan whenever we think of our math education. And the fun is only just beginning. Stay tuned for part two!Breaking the Paradigm of Traditional Education is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Join The Enlightened Educator Project!The Enlightened Educator Project is on a mission to to develop mindful, reflective, and resilient educators to make education more humanizing and sustainable for all.If this resonates with you, we are always looking for schools and individuals to join our cohort of educators who are building community and resilience together. Cohorts start in the Fall and Winter.Check out our website at www.EnlightenedEducatorProject.org and learn more about our school cohort model here!https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lE1Z3lQFkiZ9YZtPlvkSutdverMrBcz_/view?usp=sharing This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit breakingtheparadigm.org/subscribe

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