Aftermath
Book Club Questions
1. When you hear the word “math,” what’s your gut reaction?
Facilitator note: You can just go around the room. Or you might have everyone first jot down what comes to mind, and then share.
2. Was there a specific moment — a teacher, a test, a grade, a class, someone’s reaction — that shaped how you felt about math . . . and yourself? How did that play out over the years?
3. Page xvii of the book presents several of the core topics of advanced high-school math. How many do you use – or can explain? Why do you think this math stays in the curriculum?
4. Aftermath argues that our education system has weaponized math. Its principal role is to rank and sort children – not enlighten and empower them. Scores profoundly affect a person’s future, with millions on the wrong end of the Bell Curve. Did your math performance open or close doors for you? How did it affect your self-esteem?
5.Aftermath quotes an expert (p. xx) who states that math ALWAYS has one right answer. Yet the book is full of math challenges that beg for creativity. Did this surprise you?
6. For school-age children in your life (especially those in grades 7-12), is math a source of joy or angst? Most Aftermath chapters start with something that kids as young as age 10 can dive into. In the next few weeks, would you try some with kids in your life?
Facilitator note: This is an important question for your group. Encourage members to reach out in advance to children they care about. Ask these kids about their math experiences in school. Share with the group what you learned.
7. The author wrote this book because he believes we teach the wrong math, tested in the wrong way, causing far more damage than good. Is he right to wage war on the status quo? Does this book motivate you to challenge the role of rote math in your local schools? Have you explored the “Take the Quiz” challenge on this website?
8. Did Aftermath change how you view math? Life? If so, how?
9. Chapter 2 pulls back the curtain on the math behind headline numbers. Take unemployment: How would you define it? How would you estimate it? Critique a few recent news articles about last month’s BLS unemployment report. Does this lens shift how you consume news?
Facilitator note: You may want to provide in advance links to 2-3 recent stories.
10. Looking back, how much weight have you put on USNWR rankings and SAT test scores in forming an opinion of a school’s quality? Did Chapter 3 change your thinking about how to gauge these rankings? What would you look for in gauging the quality of a school?
11. Chapter 4 invites you to set 80% Confidence Intervals for twenty phenomena — set upper and lower bounds that you think have an 80% chance of bracketing the truth. Review some of the items and compare notes. This exercise is consistently eye-opening; it’s human nature to be overly confident in the face of uncertainty. Are people surprised by the results?
Facilitator note: For this discussion question, best to have participants set bounds in advance without peeking at actuals (see pp. 75–77 and Appendix A). Then you might go quickly through the twenty actuals, letting each participant track whether it falls within, or outside of, their bounds. Very revealing and fun!
12. Chapter 5 closes with several positively correlated phenomena (p.109). Are these correlations coincidental, causal, or driven by a shared underlying cause?
Facilitator note: For this question, best to focus on just one item, and have participants read the relevant story in advance. Encourage debate; reasonable people will disagree, and that’s the point.
13. Chapter 6 explores the constraints that limit our life choices. If your group is comfortable going deep: What do you perceive as holding you back from an important personal goal? Can the group help brainstorm ways past it?
Facilitator note: This one requires trust. Let people opt in rather than putting anyone on the spot. Or skip it if it’s not a good fit for your group.
14. Chapter 7 discusses the U.S. Constitution as our nation’s defining algorithm. If you could snap your fingers and make one change, what would it be? Why?
15. Think back to an important past decision that didn’t work out — a career move, a relationship, a financial bet. In light of Chapter 8, did you account for risk appropriately? Did you think too narrowly about options? Did you minimize regret? Or did this fall into the category of sound decision – regrettable outcome.
16. Chapter 9 describes ant mills (or death marches), making the point that we often follow what’s in front of us, failing to realize we could be the lead ant. Are there aspects of your life where you feel like you’re caught in an ant mill? What would it take to step out and become the lead ant?
17. Chapter 10 delves into the role of the Bell Curve in our high-stakes exams? Discuss its impact, and consider alternatives.