Gene's Corner


The following articles were written by Dr. Eugene Maier, co-founder of The Math Learning Center.  Dr. Maier is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Portland State University and continues his writing, teaching, and research. He welcomes your comments at genem@mathlearningcenter.org.
 

2003

The Testing Pall    9/8/2003

Even with increasing scores, the current emphasis on testing foreshadows a gloomier day for education.
 

Teaching the Basics    6/10/2003

Who can object to teaching the basics? But the question is: What are they?
 

What Did You Get Out of That?    4/8/2003

Years later, what is retained from those college math courses.
 

Playing By The Rules    2/13/2003

Administrators, and others, learn to play the education game.
 

2002

Manipulatives and Metaphors    12/9/2002

A popular metaphor for the role of manipulatives seems wanting.
 

The Algebra Blues    10/8/2002

A granddaughter's description of her algebra class is dispiriting.
 

How to Make a Mathophobe    8/5/2002

Mathophobes—persons with an aversion to math—are easily produced in today's educational climate.
 

Math in the Lives of Two English Professors    6/24/2002

The autobiographies of two colleagues at the turn of the last century reveal a radical difference in attitudes toward math—attitudes that still prevail today.
 

Note to Myself - Some Reflections on Teaching    4/29/2002

A reprint of an article on mathematics teaching that appeared in the September 1984 issue of the Oregon Mathematics Teacher.
 

The Education/Business Connection    3/15/2002

The fortuitous occurrence of two news stories in the same issue of the local paper lead to reflections on the relationship between education and the business world.
 

College Football, the Postal Service and Bush-era Education    2/4/2002

Sophisticated schemes come up short.
 

2001

Everybody's Mad About Math    12/13/2001

A research study provides strong evidence that everyone's mad about math.
 

It Doesn't Make Sense    10/29/2001

Equating education with job training doesn't serve life's circumstances.
 

A Talk with the Mailman    9/10/2001

If you really want to know how well we're doing in mathematics education, talk with your mailman, or any other adult.
 

Dropping Out    6/12/2001

Dealing with dropouts is more than an educational problem; it's a societal problem.
 

Testing the Logic    4/19/2001

The President's logic won't lead to acceptance of his national testing program.
 

Taking Thought for the Morrow    3/9/2001

Focusing on the future steals from the present.
 

Four-Syllable Words    1/22/2001

"Education" is a four-syllable word. If you had to pick another four-syllable word to describe the educational process, what word would you pick? The choice of the powers that be seems to be "competition". There must be a better word. My choice is "expedition."
 

2000

Attending to the Subconscious    12/4/2000

The subconscious plays a significant, albeit mysterious role, in problem solving.
 

Math in the News    10/20/2000

The news about math isn't favorable--and requiring more math won't change that.
 

For the Fun of It    9/15/2000

Some fret about programs that want to make math fun. The concern ought to be math classes in which nobody is having any fun.
 

Why Education?    7/31/2000

Education ought to be viewed as an end in itself rather than preparation for a future many students will never realize.
 

Problem Solving    6/16/2000

Problem solving is an essential part of all mathematics and not just another topic to be included in a school math curriculum.
 

Who Gets What    5/5/2000

Getting students to learn may not be possible, but other things are.
 

What They Say About Math and What We can Learn From It    4/14/2000

The content of Dr. Maier's April 14th, 2000 presentation at the 78th annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers in Mathematics, Chicago, IL..
 

Assessing the Assessment    3/6/2000

Are state assessments accomplishing something of value, or do they waste time and money? Aren't classroom teachers still the most qualified to assess their students' accomplishments?
 

Not Fit For Human Consumption    1/31/2000

Is mathematics a nice predictable world where things always behave in a sensible, logical fashion, as many think, or is it actually a world of infinite possibilities and variety, where creativity and imagination are free to roam?
 

1999

The Life of Riley    12/1/1999

In response to An Open Letter to Secretary of Education Richard Riley, we question the stress the letter writers put on algorithms.
 

The Christopher Columbus Stuff    10/25/1999

Teaching the "Christopher Columbus Stuff" of mathematics— procedures that one can learn by rote and test on successfully— doesn't develop students' mathematical common sense or perception.
 

A Question About Algebra    9/20/1999

"Why do we try to teach algebra to everyone?" may be not so much a question of "Why?" but "How?"
 

What I Learned from Rusty    8/17/1999

What I learned from a confident student with all the right answers - but not the words to describe how he got them.
 

Reforming, Deforming, Transforming    7/16/1999

How assessment reforms can deform education. Might not the considerable resources spent on state assessment be better used for transforming the classroom?
 

The Big Lie    6/9/1999

Motivation for studying mathematics that focuses on future utility may, first of all, be untruthful and, secondly, belittle the innate intrigue and interest that the subject has for students
 

What's Basic?    5/7/1999

The dangers inherent in focusing teaching on lists of (debatable) "basic mathematical skills."
 

How The Mind Deals with Math (Special Presentation)    4/22/1999

By request, the text from talk given April 22, 1999, NCTM 77th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California.
 

Those Times Tables    3/23/1999

Activities which foster understanding of the grouping-by-tens nature of our numeration system and which help develop meaningful mental images need to precede children's work with multiplication facts.
 

The PTA Does Fractions    2/16/1999

A widely-held misconception is that the basics of mathematics consist of rules for carrying out procedures, rules that must be mindlessly memorized and practiced. Confusion reigns when, years later, adults try to recall and use these procedures that carried no meaningful mathematical understandings.
 

Influencing Instruction    1/8/1999

Tremendously expensive both in money and time spent, state assessments deflect teachers from developing students' mathematical abilities to developing their test-taking abilities.
 

1998

What Evidence Will You Accept?    12/2/1998

We seldom reflect on the validity of our own long-held positions and can endlessly discount "evidence" that goes counter to these positions. Asking "What evidence will I (you) accept?" sidesteps an interminable and ultimately useless "Yes, but..." discussion.
 

What's Missing    10/30/1998

Creativity, in mathematics or any other area of life, entails an encounter between a highly-involved individual and some aspect of his or her world. How does one facilitate creativity in the mathematics classroom and also deal with the anxiety that can ensue?
 

The End of the Trail    9/19/1998

Statistics show that 30 percent of U. S. workers earned less that $7.25 in 1995. Can these be the "well-paying," gratifying jobs students are told will be at the end of their educational trail? Might we better focus on the trail itself?
 

The Real World    8/10/1998

Expressions, such as "the real world" and "real-world problems," suggest that mathematics is not part of "the real world." The implications of this view are investigated.
 

Inner Mathematician    7/10/1998

Evidence of an innate mathematical spirit abounds. But often classroom practices stifle this inner mathematician. How can we avoid that, and how can a strangled spirit be resuscitated.
 

The Words of Education    6/9/1998

Looking at the original meanings of such words as student, school, test, discipline, and educate, suggests a number of fresh and helpful images for educators.
 

A Modest Proposal: Soqme    5/14/1998

Meaning-enhancing math processes and curricula joust with misguided "standard" practices and an uninformed public.
 

Long DivisionDead as a Dodo Bird?    4/27/1998

An examination of the tenacity with which long division holds sway in the classroom and the prejudice against the acceptance of the calculator.
 

Another case of Swindling    4/8/1998

Do we foster mathematical swindling - the too-common phenomena of students getting good grades in the subject, yet realizing they have minimal understanding—or the alternative: classroom practices that lead to true understanding?
 

Number Sense/Number Sense    3/17/1998

Results of recent research in the field of math cognition, as reported by Stanislas Dehaene in The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics, suggest "we should honor and nurture the vast amount of intuitive knowledge about numbers children bring to the education process."