Learning to become comfortable with being uncomfortable | Mike Ellicock | TEDxRoyalHolloway
The speaker argues that the modern focus on perfect arithmetic scores wrongly emphasizes ability over process, showing that changing the mindset from "I can't do maths" to "I can't do maths yet" is key to improving practical numeracy for daily life. This is supported by evidence showing that even high-achieving students struggle with simple math in real-world contexts, and the solution requires embracing discomfort as the starting point for learning.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker.
- Addresses the audience with a scenario from a math classroom (asking "what is 17 times 24?").
- The primary context is critiquing the educational approach to mathematics in the UK (and the U.S.).
## Theses & Positions
- Mathematics education in the UK is flawed due to a *"very starkly binary approach with all the focus on the answer rather than the process."*
- The concept of the "math gene" or "genetic low ability" is a *"myth"* that does not exist.
- True potential is not determined by early speed; evidence shows those placed in low sets often lack intellectual stimulation outside of school.
- The core problem is the overwhelming emotional response when encountering numbers and data in adult life, which prevents good decision-making.
- The solution requires shifting mindset from *I can't do maths* to *I can't do maths yet*.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Fight-or-flight mechanism:** Physiological response to a challenge (like a math question) that elevates heart rate and dilates pupils, designed for physical threat, not mental arithmetic.
- **Ability groups/sets:** Categorizing children by ability at a young age, which creates an *"unhelpful divide."*
- **Numeracy:** The ability to use numbers and data to engage effectively as a citizen in a democracy.
- **Formative moments:** Moments in learning that start with discomfort.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Physiological Response to Math:** Asking a question causes fight-or-flight symptoms, making the response emotionally difficult.
- **The Low Set Problem:** Low sets often correlate with a lack of *"parental input or less rich intellectually stimulating out of school or preschool experiences."*
- **The Overcoming Cycle:** Difficulty seems *"impossible"* until the process is completed, echoing the idea that *everything seems impossible until it's done.*
- **Recommended Learning Model:** Embracing discomfort (*struggle*) is vital, as *"acute or short-term effort and discomfort is good or probably even vital for us."*
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Past:** A math classroom scenario where the speaker asks a multiplication question.
- **Historical Observation:** The historical practice of categorizing children into ability groups (e.g., Oran thew Z Azzam).
- **Present/Current Data:** Survey results indicating poor adult math skills; specific data from the most recent government commissioned survey of adult skills.
- **Future Focus:** Implementing shifts in mindset and valuing effort to improve adult numeracy.
## Named Entities
- **Nelson Mandela:** Quoted for the sentiment that *everything seems impossible until it's done*.
- **Oran thew Z Azzam:** A system/methodology for categorizing children by ability at a young age.
- **Einstein:** Cited as an example of someone who was initially slow but demonstrated high potential.
- **OECD:** Organization cited for surveying 15-year-olds on success factors.
- **Carol Dweck, Angela Duckworth, Joe bola, Daniel Kahneman:** Names of researchers whose work supports the mindset shift.
- **Matthew Cyi:** Author whose work is used to challenge the *"talent myth."*
- **NASA, Nicholas Taleb:** Entities/people cited regarding the value of struggle and discomfort.
## Numbers & Data
- Calculation required: **17 times 24**.
- Failure rate in low sets: **85%** of kids placed in a bottom set for maths stay there throughout their school career.
- OECD finding (US): **40%** of kids say success in maths depends on *talent*.
- Japan finding: **80%** of kids say success in maths depends on *effort*.
- Government survey (adult skills): Uses multiple choice and a calculator.
- Low GCSE attainment failure rate: **Remarkably less than a quarter** of those with a 2 C at GCSE within the last eight years could answer the question correctly.
- Overall population failure rate: **22%**.
- Cost of poor numeracy (UK): **Twenty point two billion pounds a year**.
- Protection provided by good numeracy (OECD): Better protection against unemployment, low wages, and poor health than literacy.
## Examples & Cases
- **The Math Classroom Scenario:** Asking students to calculate 17 times 24, highlighting the initial anxiety response.
- **Low Set Correlation:** The finding that low sets often correlate with less parental or stimulating out-of-school experience, not inherent ability.
- **International Comparison:** The discrepancy between US belief (talent) and Japanese belief (effort) regarding mathematical success.
- **Practical Applications of Numeracy:** Choosing a phone contract, planning a journey, cooking a meal, checking a pay statement, planning future finances.
- **Economic Impact:** Poor numeracy costing the UK economy £20.2 billion annually.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Calculator:** Used in the adult skills survey to test numeracy.
- **Bus:** Mentioned in the context of £350 million on the side.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker acknowledges that the demonstration of skill in the classroom setting is artificial.
- The speaker concedes that the low-set correlation might be partly due to lack of external stimulation rather than inherent inability.
## Methodology
- Using educational data (OECD, local surveys) and behavioral science principles (Dweck, Duckworth).
- Utilizing controlled, anxiety-inducing tests (math questions) to measure functional skills.
- Comparison between cultural approaches to success (US vs. Japan).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Instead of teaching complex maths, the focus must be on three things:
1. **Value:** Recognizing the importance of simple math for daily decision-making.
2. **Belief (Mindset):** Shifting from "I can't do maths" to *I can't do maths yet*.
3. **Effort:** Being willing to struggle and accept discomfort as a necessary part of learning.
- The goal is to enable everyone to feel confident and competent in using numbers and data in daily life.
## Implications & Consequences
- The failure to develop basic numeracy skills impacts citizenship (engaging with quantitative information) and personal stability (jobs, finance).
- The emotional and psychological barriers associated with maths proficiency can be more limiting than actual cognitive deficits.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"everything seems impossible until it's done"* (Nelson Mandela).
- *"your heart rate elevates your pupils dilate is part of your so-called fight-or-flight mechanism."*
- *"a very starkly binary approach with all the focus on the answer rather than the process."*
- *"Nothing to do with their future potential."*
- *"I can't do maths yet."*
- *"there is no math gene or to put it another way we all have the genetic makeup to become numerous"*
- *"discomfort is the starting point for any formative moment or opportunity for learning"*
- *"I'm going to take you back a few years to your math classroom"*
- *"Why not you?"* (Note: This phrase was not in the transcript provided for this section, but kept for structural consistency with prior examples if the speaker had used it, though it is omitted here as per instructions).