Summary
In this conversation, Dave Cole and Anastassia explore the pervasive issue of math anxiety, particularly in the U.S., where a significant portion of the population experiences severe anxiety related to mathematics. They discuss strategies for making math more engaging for learners of all ages, emphasizing the importance of games and storytelling in education. The conversation also touches on gender dynamics in math education, the impact of AI on learning, and the necessity of Math Literacy in today's society.
Dave shares insights from his experiences running math camps and writing educational books, highlighting the need for creative approaches to teaching math and the intersection of math with creative writing. Anastassia highlights how math dominates AI and robotic architectures.
Dave Cole is a math teacher, author, and lifelong problem solver who has dedicated his career to showing kids that mathematics is a source of wonder, not worry. Fascinated by numbers from an early age, he earned degrees in mathematics and computer science and spent years in highly technical roles—writing missile guidance equations, designing monitoring systems for Facebook data centers, and founding software companies—before turning his focus to education and writing.
Today, Dave is best known as the creator of “The Math Kids,” a middle‑grade mystery series in which four friends use patterns, logic, and creative reasoning to crack real‑world puzzles. The books introduce topics like prime numbers, probability, Fibonacci sequences, and Pascal’s triangle through storylines that feel like adventures rather than lessons, helping children see math as a powerful tool for thinking rather than a set of drills.
Takeaways
Chapters
03:58 Understanding Math Anxiety
07:04 Making Math Engaging for All Ages
09:16 The Role of Games in Learning Math
13:06 Gender Dynamics in Math Education
16:02 Creative Problem Solving in Math
18:01 The Impact of AI on Math Learning
21:08 Cognitive Laziness and Reliance on Technology
24:01 The Importance of Math Literacy
27:01The Intersection of Math and Creative Writing
Dave’s and Anastassia’s Hyperlinks:
Dave Cole at Simon and Schuster
First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (1/3)
First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (2/3)
First Public Reading, Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep (3/3)
Books about Math Anastassia is obsessed with:
“The Number Devil” by Hans Magnus Enzensberger,
“Is Maths Real" by Eugenia Cheng,
“Zero. The Biography of a Dangerous Idea” by Charles Seife,
“Once Upon a Prime” by Sarah Hart.