(At a regional public university) That’s right, he really doesn’t. I know because he told me. I will tell the story here. It is not nice to make fun of Prof. Alfred (a real person but made-up name), and that is not my purpose. (He is actually a very nice person.) But it is important […]
Calculus on the Road
October 5, 2013 by
I’m sitting in a Starbucks in NorthCarolina next to three young community college students who are studying calculus on a Saturday morning. They were nice enough to answer my two questions. The fist was “What is the definition of the derivative?” Two said they don’t know, then one said it is a rate. I pressed him […]
UPenn Vice-Provost Encourages More Tests But There is a Rub.
September 26, 2013 by
Prof Emanuel, Vice Provost and Professor at the Univ. of Penn., has a nice article on testing in The New Republic http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114793/american-schools-need-more-testing-not-less He has a good idea. But will it really be testing when put into practice? I directed his readers to my article. Here is what I wrote. “As someone who taught mathematics for […]
Important Paper on Value of Good Teacher May Be a Game Changer
August 30, 2013 by
If the news in this WSJ article is true, I think it could be very important. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324324404579043311787197976.html?mod=WSJ_article_comments#articleTabs%3Dcomments “If it is really true that “…colleges of education will be required…to track graduates’ performance in K-12 classrooms and ensure they are contributing to student growth, as measured by test scores or other factors.”, then this is great […]
Financial Times Commentary on Higher Ed in America
“Price has come unmoored from the value and even the cost of an education, says Mark Vandevelde” is the subtitle of the comment http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8d502756-327e-11e3-91d2-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=intl#axzz2hhZ4SDOY It is well written, to the point, and cites Nobel Prize Wnner Michael Spence for an explanation for why buying no education is still worth it economically. Its just a tax.