On RussianMathTutors.com, a site promoting a Soviet-era style of math instruction, a sample question involves Masha, a mom who bakes a batch of unmarked pies: three rice, three bean and three cherry.

For as long as I can remember, math has been challenging for me. I always dreaded going to math class, so the thought of a college math class seemed terrifying to me. This semester I was required to ...