Stanford professor labels ‘math brain’ a myth

A New Yorker obituary of the first woman to ever win the Fields Medal - math’s highest honour - contained a surprising detail. At school, Maryam Mirzakhani was told she wasn't that good at math. While this sentiment is particularly incongruous in Mirzakhani's context, it is also discomforting, and pervasive, elsewhere. Jo Boaler aims to correct that. A professor of mathematics education at Stanford University, she recently shared her 'maths is for everyone' approach with Australian teacher audiences in Adelaide and the Gold Coast. They listened, enraptured, as the youcubed co-director explained how poor teaching methods impact on math's perception and therefore, its results.