Research & reflections

The best ideas often begin as questions.

Here you'll find reflections from my teaching, research and everyday conversations with students, shared in the hope they spark new ways of thinking about learning and education.

Mathematical thinking

Do Dogs Know Mathematics?

A small moment with Ruby opens a bigger question about intuition, experience and the mathematics in how we understand the world.

Gil Sher9 September 20261 min read
Teaching Ideas

Before You Start the Test: Take a Moment to Breathe

A finger-click counting exercise opens a conversation about breathing, concentration and self-regulation before a test.

Gil Sher6 September 20263 min read
Teaching Ideas

Why Does Subtracting a Negative Give a Positive?

Signed numbers through direction and movement. A teaching idea about changing an abstract rule into an experience students can see, move through and discover for themselves.

Gil Sher3 September 20262 min read
Fundamatics

Where Ideas Connect

Ideas become more powerful when they connect. A short reflection on mathematics, learning, technology and the idea at the heart of Fundamatics.

Gil Sher17 August 20262 min read
Teaching, Learning Experience, AI in Education

What Students Remember Most

Students rarely remember what we explain. They remember what they experience. As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly capable of delivering information, the true value of great teaching becomes clearer than ever.

Gil Sher7 August 20263 min read
Learning Psychology

Beginning with I Don't Know

For many learners, I don't know is not a neutral sentence. It is emotionally charged. What if learning begins not by escaping uncertainty, but by learning how to remain within it?

Gil Sher28 July 20262 min read
AI, Education, Teaching, Human Potential

Let AI Be the Servant, Not the Master

As Artificial Intelligence reshapes education, perhaps we are asking the wrong question. Instead of asking what AI can do, we should ask what should remain uniquely human. This Research Insight explores why the future of education depends not on replacing teachers, but on empowering them.

Gil Sher26 July 20264 min read
AI in Education

The Adjacent Possible: What Sir Clive Sinclair Can Teach Us About AI in Education

What can a failed electric vehicle from 1985 teach us about artificial intelligence in education? More than you might think. History reminds us that successful innovation is not about adopting new technology as quickly as possible it is about introducing it when people, systems, and society are ready.

Gil Sher18 July 20264 min read
Football Mathematics

The Hidden Mathematics Behind Alexis Mac Allister's Shot

Can a football shot become a mathematics lesson? In this episode of Football Mathematics, we use Alexis Mac Allister's shot against England to explore linear functions, slope, angles, and trigonometry through an interactive mathematical model. Discover how a memorable football moment can reveal the mathematics that has been there all along.

Gil Sher17 July 20262 min read
Cognitive Science

What if Lionel Messi's greatest talent isn't football?

For years we've admired Messi's goals, passes and dribbles. But what if we've been looking at the wrong thing? What if his greatest gift is something we rarely notice?

Gil Sher14 July 20262 min read
AI Education

Why I'm Starting to Share My Thoughts Publicly

For years, I've been fortunate to wear several hats: mathematics educator, technology professional, and now researcher in AI and education.

Gil Sher9 July 20261 min read
AI Education

AI Shouldn't Replace Teachers. It Should Help Them Understand Students Better

For almost thirty years, I've walked into classrooms as a mathematics teacher. During that time I've taught thousands of students, and one lesson has become clearer every year:

Gil Sher8 July 20263 min read
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