5 Must-Watch TED Talks if Your Child Hates Math

Math can be one of the most frustrating subjects to teach! However, math is used everywhere in our lives. What happens when you are homeschooling and your kids hate math? Math may always cause some frustration, but math doesn’t have to be boring.

I hope these TED talks will inspire them to enjoy math a little bit more, or at least make it tolerable.

5 Must-Watch TED Talks if Your Child Hates Math

Math Class Needs a Makeover by Dan Meyer

Dan Meyer talks about everything the math curriculum is missing, or doing wrong and why this will keep the students largely disinterested. According to him, the curriculum teaches the kids to excel and expect painting by numbers classwork and this robs them of the skill that is more important than solving mathematical problems.

This is the skill of formulating problems. Meyer states that if our kids are allowed the chance to formulate problems instead of solving them, the curriculum would spark a level of interest in math and enable these kids to think independently.

A Brief History of the Numerical Systems by Alessandra King

Get the kids excited about learning math by solving simple stuff in a fun way. King talks about the math numerical from 1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,9 and 0 and their significance in creation of other numbers. He explores where these numbers came from and why we use them to derive others. It is an interesting and thought-provoking talk.

Why is ‘X’ the Unknown? by Terry Moore

We all see the questions that ask us to ‘find x’. Why ‘X’ and not any other alphabet? Terry Moore seems to know the answer to this and in this quirky and educational video, he explains in a simple way why we use ‘x’ as a common unknown factor. Kids will love this talk and the jokes thrown into play by Terry.

Symmetry, Reality’s Riddle by Marcus du Sautoy

According to Marcus, the world turns on a symmetry but there is a lot more to that. He explores the magic and power of invisible numbers that make this symmetry a possibility. Kids will enjoy getting into the depths of what is possible with numbers and try to make sense of how things in the universe operate the way they do. Marcus makes this a simple to understand and a fun talk.

How Stats Fool Juries by Peter Donnelly

It is scary to learn that based on a miscalculation, a jury can convict someone wrongly. Peter Donnelly explores the use of numbers and statistical facts in the establishment of errors among reports that are presented in court during trial. Wrong statistical data and numbers can result into wrongful convictions.

As a certified data analyst himself, Peter speaks of situations where he identified mistakes and gaps in statistical information that was key in a court trial and how this would have confused the jury, leading to wrongful conviction.

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