How Math Education Can Catch Up to the 21st Century

Big Data Analytics is increasingly becoming a trending practice that society is adopting, and Daniel Kunin, a scholar at Stanford University and the creator of the online platform, Seeing Theory, is using creative and innovative ways to teach statistics and probability relevant to a changing world.

In a recent interview with CMRubinWorld, Kunin discusses math education today and how he believes it can be improved in order to both foster curiosity and be more relevant now and going forward. He argues that math should also be taught the same way that other subjects are taught so that it’s not just about learning the technical details but also about learning how to appreciate the “beauty” of mathematics.

Kunin advocates for more focus in curriculum on relevant topics such as statistics, which he believes is vital for youth living in the digital age of big data. Learning more about the multidisciplinary field of statistics will better prepare students entering the employment market. Kunin tells C.M. Rubin, founder of The Global Search for Education, that while “calculus is one of the greatest achievements of mathematics,” it is no longer as helpful for students in terms of understanding their “digital world”.

Daniel Kunin is a masters student at Stanford University where he studies Computational and Mathematical Engineering, and is also the creator of the online platform, Seeing Theory.