Most students would probably rather get electrocuted than go to Calculus.
Thanks to modern medicine, this dream has moved one step closer to reality.
Transcranial direct current stimulation, or TDCS, basically involves running a painless electric current from one side of a subject’s brain to the other.
This treatment can give neurons a boost, and according to research from the University of Oxford, actually improve a subject’s mathematical abilities.
In a period of six days, researchers lead by Roi Cohen Kadosh alternated teaching subjects an imaginary numerical system and administering TDCS to their parietal lobe, the section of the brain associated with numerical understanding.
As the treatment progressed, subjects scored better on tests used to determine the mathematical aptitude of children.
Impressively, the test subjects still retained their heightened numerical skills after six months with no other detectable cognitive side effects.
Kadosh hopes to one day use TDCS on patients who struggle with basic math and calculations as a result of brain damage or stroke, but I’m sure most students would rather see this technology used to potentially improve their grades.
There’s no way to know if undergoing TDCS would improve a student’s calculating, but if the black market for Adderall and other illicit study aids is any indication, a TDCS practice would probably do quite well on campus.
There’s an obvious ethical dilemma here, but in practice, even if TDCS worked perfectly, it would have a minimal effect on student life.
Let’s face facts: Most of the students who would line up for TDCS want nothing
to do with math.
People who choose degrees in math and physics usually do it because they are good with numbers, and a little electric shock probably wouldn’t elevate them above their peers.
Business and kinesiology majors battling general education requirements are more likely TDCS candidates.
However, most majors simply don’t require many math classes.
Even if TDCS could boost these grades, they have a pretty insignificant impact on a student’s GPA over four or five years.
Even a “math-based” major like engineering only requires three or four dedicated math classes, and the math in many intense engineering classes often boils down to simple algebra.
Engineers have a reputation for being mathematical eggheads, but the reality is quite different.
Engineering is more about concepts and critical thinking than amazing math skills.
Engineers are notorious for their love of approximating and looking up values in a table rather than going through a lengthy calculation.
Overall, TDCS would have an insignificant impact on college students and their grades.
However, if the technology proves safe and effective, its effects on younger students could be enormous.
I personally attribute much of students’ opinion of math to the early years of their education.
We tend to attribute a child’s success to some innate mathematical ability, but we fail to acknowledge some children get a head start in school whether through early exposure to academic subjects at home or simply through age-related maturity.
Regardless of the reason, this initial ability gap is magnified over the years.
The good students succeed and receive praise that motivates them to work harder, while bad students are discouraged and reprimanded for their shortcomings.
This performance gap fuels a self-fulfilling cycle of underachievement as failing students blame their deficiencies on a lack of talent or ability rather than reapplying their energy to the subject.
TDCS could potentially level the playing field by giving lagging students a boost in ability and confidence.
Appropriate use of TDCS could help millions of students embrace math and majors founded on mathematical reasoning.
Enrollment in engineering programs around the country is declining, but maybe all we need to learn math is a little electroshock therapy.
Andrew Shockey is a 20 year-old biological engineering sophomore from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Ashockey.
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Contact Andrew Shockey at [email protected]