[O]ur beliefs have incredibly strong effects. We're a society that only 50 years ago or even more recently thought that women couldn't do mathematics. We see people who can't do something and we automatically assume it's some kind of innate problem that's stopping them from doing it, that they don't have the right gift to do it. We just make those judgments constantly.
-- John Mighton
John Mighton, mathematician, playwright and founder of JUMP Math, presented at TEDxCERN this September. In this presentation (below) he shares insights into mathematics education.
In this interview with Scientific American, Mighton mentions how he “regained [his] sense of wonder and confidence through … reading Sylvia Plath's work” because Plath developed her “deep gift” through “sheer determination.” That renewed confidence led to Governor General’s awards and a PhD in mathematics.
John Mighton is a rare polymath in a world of narrow specializations. Perhaps his diverse expertise enables him to develop creative approaches to education that are both science-based and humanistic.
Regards,
Michael
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