Category Archives: Uncategorized

Blabbing About Charters: The Myth of the “Bad” Public School

To me, when the “news” about a charter school is “good,” it usually has to do with a typical scandal about embezzlement or inappropriate “teaching” methodologies. However, when the “real” news outlet, The “Not-Failing” New York Times published an article about a Brooklyn … Continue reading

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Is This The End of Childhood As We Know It?

I was having lunch with a friend who works in app design (thank gawd his are only intended for adults) when he described an outfit called “Age of Learning” which puts out a very successful app for young children. I shook … Continue reading

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Andrew Hacker, The Math Myth and the Economics of Book Publishing

I’m no fan of how the New York Times covers mathematics education, but every once in  while they find someone who has an interesting voice and even an argument that stands up to even the most minimal scrutiny. Andrew Hacker … Continue reading

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Learning About Sex Through Porn: The Stock Market Game as Simulation

My 17 year old son goes to a pretty good high school, and for the most part, I have not interfered with the more nefarious activities so far as curriculum goes. It hasn’t been that easy: a few years back I … Continue reading

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You mean I CAN’T improve my brain playing video games????

This just in: ““Brain training” company Lumosity just settled deceptive-advertising charges with the Federal Trade Commission for $2 million. The company will have to notify its customers about the settlement and allow them to easily remove any auto-billing they have … Continue reading

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Why Singapore Math Will Not Put The US At The Top

As mentioned in my previous post, Robert subscribes to a homegrown philosophy of “good” math teaching that relies on some simple principles. His first one, The Vidal Sassoon Principle, focuses on making teachers look good through encouragement and “having their back” … Continue reading

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A Visit from the Language Police: Diamonds vs. Rhombi

I’m always amused when teachers try to censor correct children’s language, especially when it comes to mathematics. I remember observing a kindergarten teacher working with a child on the names of the pattern block shapes, and the child correctly identifying the … Continue reading

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No, you can’t “hate math” (even if you say you do)

I have an online “colleague” who makes no bones about the fact that she hates math. She’s expressed this opinion in numerous message threads on a community board to which we both post. She works in science education, and is … Continue reading

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Why Can’t Our Students Conduct Mathematical Research?

Every Thursday morning for the past 5 years I’ve been meeting with a 4th grade class to work on a variety of “puzzlas” to stretch their mathematical thinking. I pull these puzzles from a variety of sources, which is not … Continue reading

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Dear Amazon: 29 and 40 are not the same….

Everybody loves a story about children and their difficulty with numbers, but who knew it could filter all the way up to the higher echelons of commerce? I’m pointing my finger at you, Amazon! Sure, you can deliver anything the … Continue reading

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