The more I talk to people about math, the more I realize this one simple fact: Math ability hinges on confidence. If you think you can do it, you can. And even though I don’t know you at all, I know for sure that you can do the math. Promise. Check out the video for details.

Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #icandomath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

Do you think you can do math? What I teach you in this book will give you self-confidence.

The post You Can Do Math, Promise. (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

Math is black-and-white, all about right and wrong answers. Right? Well, not really. In fact, math is a lot more like writing than hitting on the correct answers. Turns out, focusing on the concepts might just help you learn to like math a little more! Check out the video for details.

Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #norightanswers and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? What do you think about math being a competition? Tell us!

The post Math is about Concepts, not Right Answers (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

If you’ve ever been stuck in a grocery store wondering if you have enough cash in your pocket to cover what you need, you’re probably pretty familiar with the power of estimation. In this video, I show you how to estimate and why it’s such a big deal.

Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #powerinestimation and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? How do you use estimation in your everyday life? Tell us!

The post Estimation is a Powerful Math Tool (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

Oh, the math competitions! From speed math to scrambling to get the correct answer, competing with math can be a very bad idea. In this video, I talk about when competition and math are a bad mix. Take a look!

Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #slowmath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? What do you think about math being a competition? Tell us!

The post Math is Not a Competition (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

What’s the best way to learn new math ideas? The answer might surprise you. But like learning a foreign language or that the little brake light on your dashboard means get to the mechanic — now! — getting the hang of math may require a little bit of discovery, rather than listening to boring lectures or reading books. And getting your Christopher Columbus on means failing a few times too. Here’s how discovery and failure play an important role in math education.

More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #failureisok and #discovermath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? What do you think about having to fail in order to learn? Share in the comments section!

The post We Learn Math Best Through Discovery — And Failure (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

If your hands get sweaty, heart starts to race and your brain shuts down at the thought of doing math, you might have math anxiety. This is a very real condition with very real consequences — from making more mistakes to avoiding math altogether.

But there’s really great news. You can get over math anxiety. And, if you have kids, you can help them avoid getting it in the first place. This video shares a few tips. And if you want more, sign up for my free resource, Multiply Your Math Moxie: A Painless Guide to Overcoming Math Anxiety. Check out the yellow box to the right!

More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #mathanxiety and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? Do you have your own stories to share about your or your kids’ math anxiety? Share in the comments section!

The post Math Anxiety Is Bad News, and You Can Get Over It (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

I never was fond of the step-by-step process many of my math teachers favored. But by the time I reached high school, I figured out that math is pretty darned flexible. And in college, that lesson really took hold.

You may think that math is black and white, but honestly? There are many different ways to solve simple and complex math problems. And that’s what I explain in my latest video. Check out how you can be creative with your math solutions — and still arrive at the correct answer!

More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #flexiblemath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video (like how you solved the problem I propose)? Do you have your own stories to share about how you learned to find your own way to answers? Share in the comments section!

The post There’s More than One Way to Skin a Math Problem (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

By now, most of us know that girls have great math skills. Still, there are some folks out there who are holding on to the bias that boys naturally have better math abilities than girls.

In my latest Math Manifesto video, I go through some of the recent research on gender and math. It’s good news for girls and boys!

More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #mathgirls and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. After watching the video, are you convinced — as I am — that both girls and boys have math brains? Why or why not? And to all of you grownup girls, how has your gender affected your affected your math learning and doing? Did you ever buy in to the idea that you could not do math as well as your brothers, father, husband or male classmates? I would love to hear your stories!

The post Girls are Great at Math! (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

Think you don’t need math? Think again! Math is everywhere, and much of the time you might not even realize that you’re doing it.

If you remember wondering when you’d ever use math as a grownup, click on my next Math Manifesto video above.

And don’t miss out on other videos, including: Everyone Has a Math Gene.

More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups.  Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #idomath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. After watching the video, are you convinced — as I am — that you do math every day? Why or why not?

The post Everyone Does Math, Every Day (Video) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

As I announced earlier this week, I’m retiring Film Friday.  While I had a lot of fun looking for videos to share with you, the posts didn’t get a lot of traffic.  Remembering that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results, I’ve decided to get off this merry-go-round.

That doesn’t mean I’ll never include videos again.  In fact, I’d like to do video posts where I’m actually on screen to teach you a few things.  But for now, I’m taking a different route.  (Get the details here.)

So for today, we bid adieu to Film Friday here at Math for Grownups.  And as a parting gift, I share my favorite videos with you!

This video is so gorgeous.  I could watch it over and over again. (And I have.)

Ursus Wehrli is both infuriatingly precise and hilarious.

Do you remember the difference between the deficit and the debt ceiling?

The post Film Friday: Last dance appeared first on Math for Grownups.