EducationNews.org

Barry Garelick - July 26, 2009
Columnist EducationNews.org
Making Meaningful Discoveries. To better explain the effectiveness (and efficiency) of carefully sequenced, well-posed problems, let me use my favorite example: my daughter.

Barry Garelick 7.22.09
Columnist EducationNews.org
By way of introduction, I am neither mathematician nor mathematics teacher, but I majored in math and have used it throughout my career, especially in the last 17 years as an analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Barry Garelick - November 7, 2007
Columnist EducationNews.org
Part III of III
The Decline of the Test Scores and my own Private Cuba
Just as there are many factors that contribute to the rise in test scores, there are also many contributing to the decline that started in the mid-60's—a decline that included not only Iowa test scores, but SAT scores as well.By mid-1975 the decline became headline news in the New York Times bringing about an examination by various experts, and government agencies to find out the reasons.

Barry Garelick - November 6, 2007
Columnist EducationNews.org
Part II of III
The Rise of Test Scores
A number of factors may be at play to cause an overall increase in all subjects in general, and mathematics in particular. Nibbelink, et. al (1986) suggests a few such as increased standards for teacher certification, better child health care, better snow removal equipment keeping rural roads to schools open, and a developing belief that mathematics and science was extremely important.

Barry Garelick - November 5, 2007
Columnist EducationNews.org
Part 1 of 3
Anyone who has been involved in the debates surrounding math education (and there are more than a few such people) have come across the arguments that “Traditional math doesn’t work” or “The old way of teaching math was a mass failure”. These are generally heard early and often at school board meetings or other forums at which math textbooks and programs representing a math reform philosophy are being debated.