Page 189 - A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science

Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his pioneering
surgical innovations, was initially flunking and gently urged to leave medical school. Carson knew
he learned best through books, not in-class lectures. He took a counterintuitive step and stopped
attending lectures to give himself time to focus on learning through books. His grades soared and
the rest is history. (Note that this technique would not work for everyone—and if you use this story
as an excuse to simply stop attending classes, you are courting disaster!)

In the fields of science, math, and technology, many individuals had to carve
their own path in learning, either because they had no other way, or because for
whatever reason, they’d thrown away previous learning opportunities. Research
has shown that students learn best when they themselves are actively engaged in
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the subject instead of simply listening to someone else speak. A student’s ability
to grapple personally with the material, sometimes bouncing it off fellow
learners, is key.
Santiago Ramón y Cajal was horrified when he had to learn college calculus
as an adult, after he had become serious about becoming a doctor. He’d never
paid attention to math in his youth and lacked even a rudimentary understanding
of the material. He had to go rummaging back through old books, scratching his