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A review by ranahabib
A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science by Barbara Oakley
5.0
Rating: 10/10
Math (not so much science) has always been a weakness of mine. Throughout my life, it always felt like no matter how much effort I put into Math, I never quite fully understood it. This book changed that.
Oakley sets out to show readers that "being good at math" is a skill that can be acquired with the right learning tools and mindset.
I'll start with the things that I like most about the book:
Oakley shares her story and struggles with math and science all throughout her childhood. For once, it was nice to read a book about math from someone who wasn't just naturally gifted with numbers. Oakley claims that she "learned how to learn math and science" which helped her achieve a Ph.D. in Engineering. Using a mixture of learning theory, psychology, and neuroscience, she then goes on to teach readers her tried and true methods that helped her understand math & science.
Oakley is a major advocate for active recall & spaced repetition, so it was nice to see her incorporate these learning tools within her book to help the readers have a greater understanding. At the end of each chapter, there's a summary, recall, and question section, where readers can test their understanding of the chapter that they just read.
The book is really interactive and engaging with readers, with frequent visuals, graphs, and "now you try" questions and examples. I found that having a pen nearby and actively engaging with the book (as opposed to just mindlessly reading) helped a lot in understanding the concepts and made the book a lot more enjoyable.
Oakley doesn't just aimlessly make claims about the different learning methods that she uses. She incorporates a healthy amount of scientific research and examples to help back her methods, without making the book too scientific in nature.
And lastly, all the learning tools and methods that Oakley discusses aren't only exclusive to math and science. The methods can be easily applied across different domains, with some minor tweaking depending on the subject and your strengths/weaknesses.
Dislikes:
I honestly have no dislikes.
Math (not so much science) has always been a weakness of mine. Throughout my life, it always felt like no matter how much effort I put into Math, I never quite fully understood it. This book changed that.
Oakley sets out to show readers that "being good at math" is a skill that can be acquired with the right learning tools and mindset.
I'll start with the things that I like most about the book:
Oakley shares her story and struggles with math and science all throughout her childhood. For once, it was nice to read a book about math from someone who wasn't just naturally gifted with numbers. Oakley claims that she "learned how to learn math and science" which helped her achieve a Ph.D. in Engineering. Using a mixture of learning theory, psychology, and neuroscience, she then goes on to teach readers her tried and true methods that helped her understand math & science.
Oakley is a major advocate for active recall & spaced repetition, so it was nice to see her incorporate these learning tools within her book to help the readers have a greater understanding. At the end of each chapter, there's a summary, recall, and question section, where readers can test their understanding of the chapter that they just read.
The book is really interactive and engaging with readers, with frequent visuals, graphs, and "now you try" questions and examples. I found that having a pen nearby and actively engaging with the book (as opposed to just mindlessly reading) helped a lot in understanding the concepts and made the book a lot more enjoyable.
Oakley doesn't just aimlessly make claims about the different learning methods that she uses. She incorporates a healthy amount of scientific research and examples to help back her methods, without making the book too scientific in nature.
And lastly, all the learning tools and methods that Oakley discusses aren't only exclusive to math and science. The methods can be easily applied across different domains, with some minor tweaking depending on the subject and your strengths/weaknesses.
Dislikes:
I honestly have no dislikes.