Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 478, an interview with Ben Orlin, a math teacher turned full-time writer who's on a mission to make mathematics engaging and accessible to all and the author of the book Math for English Majors: A Human Take on the Universal Language.
In this episode, Ben offers insights into his teaching and writing journey, the challenges in teaching math, the unexpected success of his first book "Math with Bad Drawings," and how he balances teaching with his writing career. He also touches on the broader implications of mathematical thinking in various fields, from business to everyday life.
Whether you're a math enthusiast, an educator, or someone who's always found math intimidating, this conversation will give you a fresh perspective on the beauty and relevance of mathematics in our world.
Ben Orlin is a math teacher who can't draw. His book Math with Bad Drawings (2018) has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide, and has since been followed by Change is the Only Constant (2019), Math Games with Bad Drawings (2022), and most recently, Math for English Majors (Sept 2024). His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Popular Science, Slate, Vox, and The Los Angeles Times; he himself has appeared in the lines to ice cream stores everywhere. BBC star and leading mathematician Hannah Fry once described him as "terribly bad at drawing" before kindly adding “he’s also fantastically clever and charming.”
Get Ben’s new book here: https://rb.gy/ode008
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