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I'd argue that not all brains are good at math but that they can be trained to be good at math. That's the problem we treat math like it is some innate talent,

I'd argue that not all brains are good at math but that they can be trained to be good at math. That's the problem we treat math like it is some innate talent, it's not it just requires certain ways and forms of thinking. Example: I was decent at math in HS, I didn't do very well because I didn't like doing the homework and quite frankly most people good at math aren't going to end up being public school teachers, so the explanations were always lacking. Well I went on learning programming on my own got a job as an SWE, then a couple of years later ran into a situation where I had to learn some new math. It was world's easier this time, because of my work with programming it all jelled immediately and suddenly clicked it all became very logical. I don't believe I suddenly became better at math, but rather I had developed certain thought patterns and ways of thinking that could be applied to mathematics.

syzar 4y ago
Not everyone can learn calculus or even basic algebra. A person with a severe intellectual disability isn’t going to be able to learn these subjects. Between severely intellectually disabled and Einstein is a boundary between those who can and those who can’t. I don’t know where the boundary is but it exists.
- roey2009 4y ago
  A more accurate concept would be the bell curve, and range. Remember, shades of grey.
- technothrasher 4y ago
  It doesn’t just have to be severe disability. I’m pretty sure I’ve got what is now called NVLD (because my son is diagnosed with it and I share most of his symptoms). It doesn’t cause general intellectual issues, in fact I scored above 130 on the WISC IQ test as a kid. But one of the things it does cause is poor working memory. Trying to keep numbers in my head in order to calculate things is pretty much impossible. Give me calculator and I have no issue with the higher math concepts. But leave me on my own and I’ll give you the wrong answer due to bad calculation every time. Anyway, this all led to me doing very poorly in math at school, and it’s entirely because my brain just isn’t good at it. Luckily these days the educators are smarter and my son has always been allowed a calculator for math class.
  - stonecolddevin 4y ago
    I had no idea this had a name. Sure wish I'd have known this while I was in school.

syzar 4y ago

Not everyone can learn calculus or even basic algebra. A person with a severe intellectual disability isn’t going to be able to learn these subjects. Between severely intellectually disabled and Einstein is a boundary between those who can and those who can’t. I don’t know where the boundary is but it exists.

roey2009 4y ago
A more accurate concept would be the bell curve, and range. Remember, shades of grey.
technothrasher 4y ago
It doesn’t just have to be severe disability. I’m pretty sure I’ve got what is now called NVLD (because my son is diagnosed with it and I share most of his symptoms). It doesn’t cause general intellectual issues, in fact I scored above 130 on the WISC IQ test as a kid. But one of the things it does cause is poor working memory. Trying to keep numbers in my head in order to calculate things is pretty much impossible. Give me calculator and I have no issue with the higher math concepts. But leave me on my own and I’ll give you the wrong answer due to bad calculation every time. Anyway, this all led to me doing very poorly in math at school, and it’s entirely because my brain just isn’t good at it. Luckily these days the educators are smarter and my son has always been allowed a calculator for math class.
- stonecolddevin 4y ago
  I had no idea this had a name. Sure wish I'd have known this while I was in school.