Teacher recruitment: High-fliers in the classroom | The Economist. My comment: I’m a former math professor and have seen how the corrupted American system of higher education has caused so much of high school education to be a sham. That’s right, higher ed dumbs down lower ed. Here is one important way. For decades, […]
Teaching Effectiveness is NEGATIVELY Associated With Student Evaluations
November 28, 2014 by
That is a partial quote from an important new paper by Philip B. Stark and Richard Freishtat. Here is a more complete version of the quote. These experiments found that teaching effectiveness, as measured by subsequent performance and career success, is negatively associated with [student evaluations]. (from page 12) This paper is important – especially for parents […]
“Teaching Teaching” A Start on the Right Track
July 29, 2014 by
A few days ago I posted a comment on a Times Magazine article about teaching math (by Elizabeth Green). Today, Joe Nocera published an op-ed on Ms. Green’s forthcoming book that the magazine’s article was excerpted from. Teaching Teaching – NYTimes.com. To readers of this blog, there is nothing new in my commen, which is […]
“Why Do Americans Stink at Math?” (From NY Times Mag.) My View – The 800 Pound Gorilla
July 27, 2014 by
This is an excellent article. (Why Do Americans Stink at Math? – NYTimes.com.) Most articles that I read about school reform don’t address the fact that our higher education system must be reformed first. (I have explained my view in the category “University Education Dumbs Down High School”.) To read the part of the article that addresses the […]
Prof. Teaches Stats But Doesn’t Seem to Have a Clue About the Most Fundamental Notion
July 6, 2014 by
(At a regional public university) This is from a “teacher evalaution” (of me) by a tenured professor who regularly taught statistics. First, here is a little background about the class. (Math now, then I will try to explain non-mathematically.) I was talking to the class about the sample mean. The previous day, I had showed them that […]
Ralph Had Trouble With Continuity – But Why?
July 1, 2014 by
Statistics Prof. Kevin Doesn’t Understand Basic Math, or Statistics
June 30, 2014 by
(Another story from the same regional state school – the math is in color) Prof. Kevin was a full professor. He was about 70, very nice and pleasant. I was teaching a graduate course (Intro to Complex Variables). He asked to sit in and he took notes. Early in the course I wrote something on the board in a […]
That’s What You Mean When You Say “Think”!
May 17, 2014 by
That’s a quote from a student. My wife likes the story and thought I should post it. It’s from when I taught at Southern Illinois University back in the eighties. First, you need a little background. I would tell calculus students that there is a special method for solving many math problems. When they asked what it […]
If We Don’t Test Students, How Will We Know Which Colleges Don’t Teach?
Duncan lays out priorities for education law: Testing, preschool funding, teacher evals – The Washington Post. I commented. I’m a former math professor. I have seen firsthand why so many high school students don’t have a chance to learn. It all starts in college. Here is how it happens, what to do about it, why […]