What if everything we’ve been told about math education is backwards? In this episode of Trending in Education , Mike Palmer is joined by Ted Dintersmith ,venture capitalist, filmmaker, and author of the upcoming book Aftermath: The Life-Changing Math That Schools Won’t Teach You to discuss why our schools are still teaching low-level math mechanics that phones and AI already do perfectly. You can learn more about Ted’s work at What Schools Could Be .
Ted shares his journey from the world of high-tech innovation to becoming a “code red” alarmed citizen advocate for radical school change. We dive into how high-stakes exams are inadvertently training students to compete with AI in areas where computers are unbeatable, while ignoring the creative and conceptual math, like probability, decision-making frameworks, and estimation, that actually shapes lives.
From Moneyball statistics to the dangers of misinterpreting healthcare data, Ted explains why math should be a tool for empowerment rather than a metric for punishment. We also take a “lightning round” trip through Ted’s prolific career, including his work with the late Sir Ken Robinson and his influential documentaries Most Likely to Succeed and Multiple Choice .
Whether you’re a parent trying to preserve your child’s curiosity or an educator looking for a more relevant curriculum, this conversation offers a refreshing and urgent blueprint for what school could be. 📉💡
Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your podcasts to stay ahead of the curve in the world of learning. 🔔
Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction: Why Math Should Turn You On
🎙️ 00:41 – Ted’s Origin Story: From Carpentry to Venture Capital
02:18 – The Middle School Note That Changed Everything
04:02 – Making the Film “Most Likely to Succeed”
05:14 – Why AI Makes Most School Math Obsolete
07:03 – Previewing “Aftermath”: Math for Decision Making
11:00 – The Dunning-Kruger Effect and Iraqi War Predictions
12:45 – Why 90% of Doctors Misunderstand Test Results
🏥 15:35 – Teaching High Schoolers Decision Frameworks
18:14 – The Art of Mathematical Modeling
21:30 – Math as a Tool for Ranking, Sorting, and Punishing
25:15 – Can We Trust Economic Numbers? (The Estimation Problem)
28:43 – Moneyball and the Power of Creative Statistics
⚾ 34:10 – Lightning Round: Sir Ken Robinson and New Documentaries
39:53 – Advice for Families: Preserving Curiosity and Audacity
41:43 – Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Ted’s Work
Episode References
6673220
{6673220:UCX6JWZK}
1
apa
50
default
3735
https://trendingineducation.com/wp-content/plugins/zotpress/
%7B%22status%22%3A%22success%22%2C%22updateneeded%22%3Afalse%2C%22instance%22%3Afalse%2C%22meta%22%3A%7B%22request_last%22%3A0%2C%22request_next%22%3A0%2C%22used_cache%22%3Atrue%7D%2C%22data%22%3A%5B%7B%22key%22%3A%22UCX6JWZK%22%2C%22library%22%3A%7B%22id%22%3A6673220%7D%2C%22meta%22%3A%7B%22creatorSummary%22%3A%22Dintersmith%22%2C%22parsedDate%22%3A%222025%22%2C%22numChildren%22%3A1%7D%2C%22bib%22%3A%22%26lt%3Bdiv%20class%3D%26quot%3Bcsl-bib-body%26quot%3B%20style%3D%26quot%3Bline-height%3A%202%3B%20padding-left%3A%201em%3B%20text-indent%3A-1em%3B%26quot%3B%26gt%3B%5Cn%20%20%26lt%3Bdiv%20class%3D%26quot%3Bcsl-entry%26quot%3B%26gt%3BDintersmith%2C%20T.%20%282025%29.%20%26lt%3Bi%26gt%3BAftermath%3A%20The%20Life-Changing%20Math%20That%20Schools%20Won%26%23x2019%3Bt%20Teach%20You%26lt%3B%5C%2Fi%26gt%3B.%20Fast%20Company%20Press.%26lt%3B%5C%2Fdiv%26gt%3B%5Cn%26lt%3B%5C%2Fdiv%26gt%3B%22%2C%22data%22%3A%7B%22itemType%22%3A%22book%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22Aftermath%3A%20The%20Life-Changing%20Math%20That%20Schools%20Won%27t%20Teach%20You%22%2C%22creators%22%3A%5B%7B%22creatorType%22%3A%22author%22%2C%22firstName%22%3A%22Ted%22%2C%22lastName%22%3A%22Dintersmith%22%7D%5D%2C%22abstractNote%22%3A%22Whether%20you%20loved%20or%20loathed%20high-school%20math%2C%20Aftermath%20will%20change%20how%20you%20think%20about%20math%5Cu2014and%20life.Forget%20rote%20math%5Cu2019s%20dry%20formulas%20and%20abstract%20symbols.%20This%20book%20illuminates%20the%20fascinating%20math%20ideas%20that%20are%20essential%20to%20you%20and%20your%20loved%20ones%5Cu2014ideas%20totally%20ignored%20in%20school.%5Cu201cIn%20the%20age%20of%20AI%20and%20data%2C%20we%20badly%20need%20to%20rethink%20the%20way%20we%20teach%20math%20in%20U.S.%20schools.%20Dintersmith%20has%20joyfully%20illustrated%20how%20we%20can%20pull%20the%20subject%20out%20of%20irrelevance%20in%20the%20eyes%20of%20our%20students%5Cu2014a%20must%20read%20for%20teachers%20and%20parents%20alike.%5Cu201d%5Cu2014Steve%20Levitt%2C%20Co-Author%2C%20Freakonomics%20and%20SuperFreakonomics%22%2C%22date%22%3A%222025%22%2C%22originalDate%22%3A%22%22%2C%22originalPublisher%22%3A%22%22%2C%22originalPlace%22%3A%22%22%2C%22format%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ISBN%22%3A%229781639081776%22%2C%22DOI%22%3A%22%22%2C%22citationKey%22%3A%22%22%2C%22url%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ISSN%22%3A%22%22%2C%22language%22%3A%22English%22%2C%22collections%22%3A%5B%22BUDT7K5D%22%5D%2C%22dateModified%22%3A%222026-02-20T14%3A23%3A56Z%22%7D%7D%5D%7D
Dintersmith, T. (2025). Aftermath: The Life-Changing Math That Schools Won’t Teach You . Fast Company Press.
