(The article is here http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/11/the-stereotypes-about-math-that-hold-americans-back/281303/#disqus_thread ) There were some interesting replies to my comment on the article. I am posting my response to this one because it might be informative for some readers of this blog. It states my view, and probably the view of many others, of two of the problems facing professors now. The […]
Compare “Feeder Schools”: Another Addendum to the Previous Post
November 12, 2013 by
Just posted a reply to Mel Murphy, who wrote, “Read your article. Having kids in the college selection mode, and having received mailings and invitations from WUSTL as well as other “prestigious” institutions, I am most appreciative and find it eye-opening. Caveat emptor, indeed” I think the following is useful advice for anyone looking at schools. “Maybe, […]
Addendum to “Peter Cappeli” Post – Another Testimony About Higher Ed
November 11, 2013 by
Dan Laroque put this comment on the WSJ “… In the latter years of my teaching career, it got very frustrated dealing with students and administration. The universities have literally turned the curriculum standards over to the students. It is all about garnering as many students in a major as possible with no rules on rigor. It is ‘take […]
Peter Cappelli’s Article in The Wall Street Journal
November 11, 2013 by
Professor Cappelli is the George W. Taylor Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School and Professor of Education. His article is titled “Why Focusing Too Narrowly in College Could Backfire” http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324139404579016662718868576 It gives some good practical advice and I think it is well worth reading. Some of […]
Just Interesting: Teachers Cheating, Students Cheating, Chic Smelling College Brands
November 10, 2013 by
Here are the articles I’m referring to: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/opinion/sunday/how-i-helped-teachers-cheat.html?ref=opinion http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304200804579163983479119364?KEYWORDS=perfume+college A quote from this article: “At LSU,… he says there is a benefit to having the school’s brand associated with a chic product.” There is an earlier post (http://www.inside-higher-ed.com/another-wsj-article-illustrating-university-focus-and-insight-of-great-thinkers/ )linking to another WSJ article that quotes a consultant saying, “…Prospective freshmen and their families…increasingly view themselves […]
“At Berkeley” is not “At College”
November 8, 2013 by
Here is the pre-review I posted on the New York Times movie site. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/movies/at-berkeley-a-documentary-by-frederick-wiseman.html?ref=movies&_r=0#preview “I’m a former math professor. I worry that viewers of “At Berkeley” will leave with an impression of colleges and universities. That would be a big mistake. It is not true that “a college is a college is a college”. I […]
Another Good Article by Miles Kimball & Noah Smith on Learning Math
November 4, 2013 by
The authors wrote a previous article for The Atlantic that explains the need for math in economics. Here is a link to a post on that article Need for Math to Study Econ – Excellent Description – But… They have now written their suggestions on changing how math is taught. The article makes a good point […]
New York Times: Concern for the Humanities
October 31, 2013 by
Tamar Lewin wrote this front page article in the Times today: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/education/as-interest-fades-in-the-humanities-colleges-worry.html?hp I expressed my concerns which I pasted below. “There several reasons to be concerned. There is what Jonathan Jacobs at John Jay College points out is the inability of many graduates to even recognize a rational argument. A subgroup of these graduates teaches […]
The Chonicle of Higher Education Headlines: The STEM Crisis: Reality or Myth? But…
Doesn’t it depend on whether you mean too many STEM grads or too many grads with STEM education. The article talks about an Ohio State grad having trouble finding a job but I find that it may be that Ohio State students are having trouble finding an education. I don’t know for sure but here is […]