Recording: Live Q&A with Paul Kirschner
A great conversation about learning + the larger forces shaping public perceptions of knowledge
Happy Friday, Bell Ringers—before we get to the main event, the great live Q&A we had with Paul Kirschner early today, and the culmination of the Summer of Knowledge—a little news:
* Definitely go read this great story by reporter Greg Toppo in The 74 about how cognitive science has taken hold in the UK but not in the US. You might recognize a lot of his sources!
* The Thomas B. Fordham Institute republished my interview with Sarah Powell on the importance of math knowledge in their newsletter, the Education Gadfly Weekly, and at their blog, Flypaper. Read the story here.
* The National Council on Teacher Quality’s president, Heather Peske, issued a statement this week in response to my recent story concerning NCTM’s curiously vague and research-lite suggestions for reforming the culture of math teaching I quoted heavily in the story from NCTQ research showing that elementary school math teachers are often unprepared and anxious to teach math. Peske said, “Holly’s right! Telling teachers to ‘value the community’ and other such platitudes won't improve math outcomes, but providing a solid understanding of the core math content they'll be teaching along with concrete guidance on how to teach math will.” Read the story here.
* Deans for Impact’s Cece Zhou and Gena Nelson, senior director of communications and former program director, respectively, penned an op-ed in The 74 this week regarding improving teacher prep for early math teachers. “Ensuring future teachers know how to teach math to young children is one of the most powerful steps we can take,” they wrote. They also linked to my story at The Grade from earlier this year highlighting the crucial role of foundational skills in math.
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