Zoneboy
08-15-2008, 08:27 PM
Video Link (http://cbs4.com/jimandjade/danica.mckellar.math.2.794015.html)
MIAMI (CBS4) ― Actress Danica McKellar is on a mission – help middle school girls who are afraid of math get over their fears. She stopped by the Jim and Jade Show Wednesday morning to talk about her new book that does just that.
"When I was in the 7th grade I used to come home and cry because I was afraid of trying my math homework," recalled McKellar.
With her runaway bestseller Math Doesn't Suck, actress and math genius McKellar swept the country, challenging the "math nerd" stereotype—and giving students the tools to ace tests and homework in her unique just-us-girls style. Now, after countless emails and encore requests from students, parents, and teachers alike, she's back with KISS MY MATH: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss.
McKellar said the new book is laid out like a teen magazine and gives examples of how math is relevant in everyday life.
"I give examples of how you might use math in life and I also teach the concepts in the context of things that kids are already thinking about at that age," said McKellar. "In Kiss My Math, I teach the associative property with popularity and cliques. So parenthesis around numbers look to me like little cliques, so I teach that."
Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, McKellar is also an internationally recognized mathematician and advocate for math education.
MIAMI (CBS4) ― Actress Danica McKellar is on a mission – help middle school girls who are afraid of math get over their fears. She stopped by the Jim and Jade Show Wednesday morning to talk about her new book that does just that.
"When I was in the 7th grade I used to come home and cry because I was afraid of trying my math homework," recalled McKellar.
With her runaway bestseller Math Doesn't Suck, actress and math genius McKellar swept the country, challenging the "math nerd" stereotype—and giving students the tools to ace tests and homework in her unique just-us-girls style. Now, after countless emails and encore requests from students, parents, and teachers alike, she's back with KISS MY MATH: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss.
McKellar said the new book is laid out like a teen magazine and gives examples of how math is relevant in everyday life.
"I give examples of how you might use math in life and I also teach the concepts in the context of things that kids are already thinking about at that age," said McKellar. "In Kiss My Math, I teach the associative property with popularity and cliques. So parenthesis around numbers look to me like little cliques, so I teach that."
Best known for her roles on The Wonder Years and The West Wing, McKellar is also an internationally recognized mathematician and advocate for math education.