Dr. Jo Boaler shares her groundbreaking work in mathematics education, exploring how beliefs shape learning and how we can transform math instruction to help every student succeed.
• Starting her career in London schools where she discovered anyone can learn math with the right opportunities
• Joining Stanford and later collaborating with Carol Dweck to spread growth mindset ideas through YouCubed.org
• Explaining how neuroscience reveals five brain pathways used in math thinking, with two being visual pathways
• Discussing how beliefs about math physically shape the brain's ability to learn
• Highlighting the damage caused by fixed mindset praise like "you're so smart"
• Describing how math anxiety activates the same fear center in the brain as seeing snakes or spiders
• Advocating for celebrating struggle as essential for brain growth and learning
• Explaining why standards should be organized into big, connected ideas rather than isolated skills
• Sharing how integrated math instruction (rather than separating algebra, geometry, etc.) mirrors real-world math
• Introducing Strugly.com, which rewards persistence and connection-making rather than speed or accuracy
About our guest
Dr. Jo Boaler is a Stanford Professor. Formerly, she was the Marie Curie professor of mathematics education in England, and a mathematics teacher in London comprehensive schools. She is the author of 19 books, numerous articles and a White House presenter on women and girls. Her latest book is: Math-ish: Finding Creativity, Diversity and Meaning in Mathematics. She co-founded www.youcubed.org and www.Struggly.com. She was on the
writing team for the 2023 California Mathematics Framework and was named as one of the 8 educators “changing the face of education” by the BBC.

Connect with Jo
Visit YouCubed.org, Strugly.com, and Mathish.org to learn more about Dr. Boaler's work and access free resources for teaching and learning mathematics.

Got a story to share or question you want us to answer? Send us a message!

About the podcast
The KindlED Podcast explores the science of nurturing children's potential and creating empowering learning environments.
Powered by Prenda Microschools, each episode offers actionable insights to help you ignite your child's love of learning. We'll dive into evidence-based tools and techniques that kindle young learners' curiosity, motivation, and well-being.

Got a burning question?
We're all ears! If you have a question or topic you'd love our hosts to tackle, please send it to [email protected]. Let's dive into the conversation together!
Important links:
• Connect with us on social
• Get our free literacy curriculum

Interested in starting a microschool?
Prenda provides all the tools and support you need to start and run an amazing microschool. Create a free Prenda World account to start designing your future microschool today. More info at ➡️ Prenda.com or if you're ready to get going ➡️ Start My Microschool