"A Mind for Numbers" Book Discussion, Session 1

We recently held our first book discussion with Dr. Guardia around "A Mind for Numbers" by Dr. Barbara Oakley. Here's a summary of the event.

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Student Expectations: Bi-Weekly Meetings

1.) To read A Mind for Numbers by Dr. Barbara Oakley at a bi-weekly pace.

2.) To meet other OHS Students/Staff/Faculty beyond the regular classes.

3.) To participate in a dynamic and engaging book club whose outcome is to enhance your preparation for success in academia and life.

4.) To promote critical thinking, discussions, and conversations about long-term projects without focusing on grades.

5.) To understand Dr. Guardia's Philosophy of "The Right Path"

6.)To develop your own life's principles for self-improvement.

7.) To learn values about resilience, patience, and the natural outcome of doing the right things from the beginning. 

Introduction/Background to Starting this Book Club: 

• Great success with the book 

• The book was written by Dr. Oakley (a successful author and professor teaching learning techniques)

• Results of Book Club: Experience was a success! Huge improvement in terms of grades and, more importantly, students’ understanding of learning methods!

• What we are going to do: Today is a brief introduction to the book 

• The book has 18 chapters (2-3 chapters per week); we will be meeting biweekly!

• The book is filled with secrets and tips to improve your understanding of how to learn!

• Philosophy: Don’t worry about grades, focus on understanding the topics themselves! (This prepares you for everything you might encounter in your courses!)

• Dr. Oakley gives many tips such as: Choosing 3-4 goals per morning and spending 10-20 minutes on each goal without distractions.  After you finish your goal, take a 10-15 minute break (this is an example of the pomodoro technique!)

Preface, A Note to the Reader, and Chapter One: 

• This book is for everyone–both those who are struggling and those who wish to add more tools to their “mental toolkit” (KEY POINT)

• What the Best College Students Do by Ken Bain → this could be our next read!

• The author is writing as someone who despised math and science as a child (so she understands the frustration that may come with learning tough topics in these fields!)