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As human beings, we love a good challenge. Solving puzzles and winning games is deliriously exhilarating, especially when it's the right level of difficulty. Video game companies know this psychological formula all too well and use it to their benefit to design wildly entertaining yet addictive games. But when we frame mathematics within puzzles and allow students to have fun in this context, we rip away the negativity inherent in video games while providing students with an emotionally safe environment in which to hone their math chops.
Nix the time constraints, remove the academic pressure, and peel back potentially unproductive teacher-student relationships. Give students a challenge and allow them to either fail or succeed, but in either case, provide a clear and concise explanation that brings forth a beautiful "aha" moment. Math puzzles achieve this objective brilliantly. They can kindle a love for mathematics regardless of the student's history with the subject matter. I have witnessed this again and again throughout my time in this field, and the implications are profound.
That is precisely why I created this book for you.
I teach math because I love math, and sharing this love and excitement with students is my purpose in life. Nothing beats the feeling that accompanies the emboldening of a young mind in mathematics. As a tutor, I get to quell math anxiety and build a joy for math on a routine basis. Witnessing a student develop confidence in this subject is very powerful, and not simply because such confidence enables the earning of a solid grade and a pat on the back. It's overwhelmingly powerful because it sparks a paradigm shift. When a student conquers what they thought was unconquerable, a great deal of self-doubt is vaporized. What emerges in the aftermath is an empowered and confident young mind with a revised sense of what is possible.
This book is a piece of my educational arsenal that I deploy to help students build a fruitful and positive relationship with mathematics. These pages contain a colorful mixture of fun and exciting math puzzles that will stretch curious minds to unlock new logical reasoning abilities. What makes this book unique is that each puzzle has a free video explanation that can be accessed via the QR codes placed inside. That means that students can use this book independently to learn math! My hope is that these puzzles can now be shared all over the world to help anyone and everyone dissolve math anxiety so long as he or she has a desire to learn and thrive. For each and every reader who picks up this book, I wish you the best of luck on your math journey.
