Overview of A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even if You
Flunked Algebra) by Barbara Oakley
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Prepared by Melinda Kreth and Lynn Sweeney
Despite the explicit mention of “numbers,” “math,” and “science” in the title and of “teaching methods” in
the biographical blurb, this book has nothing directly to do with any of those subjects. So if you expect to
learn a mnemonic device for factoring polynomials, you will not learn it from Oakley’s book. On the
other hand, the book does focus on the mind, or rather the brain, and provides copious information and
practical applications to help readers develop habits of mind and behaviors that lead to successful
learning not just in STEM fields but in any subject or skill.
As indicated in the “To the Reader” section, Oakley intends the book to appeal to a broad range of
general readers, and, for the most part, she does a fine job of accommodating the needs of general
readers. She uses plain language that anyone can understand, and when she does use specialized terms,
she defines them and often includes an end note in case readers want additional information from
primary sources. She has kept chapters relatively short, 20 pages or fewer, with Chapter 4 the longest at
31 pages. Each chapter is structured similarly, including short sections with topic headings and visuals
and ending with a list of “Summing it Up” bullet points and a list of questions and/or activities titled
“To Enhance Your Learning.” All chapters include quotations from students and professionals attesting
to the effectiveness of the strategies Oakley describes, and each chapter ends with an extended vignette
about the learning experiences of a specific professional in a STEM-related field.
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Below are brief summaries of each chapter.
Chapter 1: “Open the Door.” Oakley traces her academic and professional history from mathphobe to
professor of engineering. By reviewing her personal journey from expert in Slavic languages to
revamped STEM career path, Oakley shows that “the brain is designed to do extraordinary mental
calculations” (6-7). She foreshadows subsequent chapters, including some findings from the field of
neuroscience that readers can apply to expand their skills and creativity in STEM fields and beyond.
Chapter 2: “Easy Does It: Why Trying Too Hard Can Sometimes Be Part of the Problem.” The pitfalls of
“trying too hard” are explained and illustrated through numerous examples. Oakley defines two primary
modes of thinking—focused and diffuse—and shows how each is important for different types of learning
and problem solving. She asserts that we must learn not only how to use each mode but also how and
when to shift between these modes.
Chapter 3: “”Learning is Creating: Lessons from Thomas Edison’s Frying Pan.” Oakley describes the
mental habits of two creative giants--Thomas Edison and Salvador Dali—to support her claims about
the successful uses of focused and diffuse modes of thinking. She also emphasizes the importance of
working memory and long-term memory for creativity and problem solving, because these two forms of
memory build multiple and novel connections that can lead to novel outcomes.
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New York: Tarcher/Penguin, 2014. Note: This review/summary is based on an uncorrected proof for limited distribution, which the publisher
provided to members of CMU’s Teaching & Learning Collective (TLC) in preparation for Dr. Oakley’s visit to CMU on October 1, 2014. Biographical
blurb from back cover: “Barbara Oakley is a professor of engineering at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Concerned about the lack of a
minority representation in engineering classrooms at inner-city schools in nearby Pontiac, Dr. Oakley introduced teaching methods that launched
the school district to the top in math performance on statewide tests. Dr. Oakley’s previous books, Evil Genes, Cold-Blooded Kindness, and
Pathological Altruism have been lauded by Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Pinker, and Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson.”
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STEM is the commonly-accepted acronym for “science, technology, engineering, and math.”
