Why ain'tcha better at math

From Issawiki
Revision as of 02:06, 15 May 2020 by Issa (talk | contribs) (Created page with "I feel like one response people might have, if they hear that I think I have new and exciting way to learn math, is to ask why I personally am not the best at math. There are...")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

I feel like one response people might have, if they hear that I think I have new and exciting way to learn math, is to ask why I personally am not the best at math. There are a couple responses to this:

  • math is pretty interesting, but it's not my main interest. People who are into math enough to become mathematicians are really into math in a way that I am not. I am too much of a generalist to ever become a mathematician.
  • I'm more interested in the psychological aspects of math than in pushing the field forward. I like to think about pedagogical and foundational stuff (like how to best teach something, or how to look at very basic stuff in a new way) more than I like pushing forward into the most advanced thing I can get my hands on. I spend time writing solutions manuals for newcomers, writing wikis about the psychological aspects, experimenting with Anki, writing expository pieces, etc. So even within math, the parts that I like don't involve me going super deep into the most advanced stuff.
  • my baseline ability/raw processing power isn't as high compared to people who are really good at math.