Why Is It Better For Problem Solving?This is the third installment of the 4-part series "Singapore Math Demystified!" from The Daily Riff,
Why Are Visualization & Drawing As Important As Numbers?
Teacher Bill Jackson Gives Us Answers
Plus Bonus Video Below
Math-phobia is one of the more challenging issues for our students and for this country's educational make-up and there is much to learn from other leading countries such as Singapore.
guest posted by Bill Jackson, Math Helping Teacher, Scarsdale, NY Public Schools, one of the highest performing districts in the country, due to the remarkable interest expressed by parents and schools. We are delighted to share his wealth of knowledge on this subject with us!
If you missed Bill's fascinating journey, from Japan to Germany, discovering and pursuing Singapore Math, see Part 1 Why I Became Interested in Singapore Math, click link HERE. For Part 2 - click link HERE.
From Bill Turque on the growing mystery surrounding Rhee's fascinating game:So does the $34 million surplus Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee described to the D.C. Council Tuesday actually exist?
This is the money she said was now available in the FY 2010 budget, three months after laying off 266 teachers, to underwrite part of the five-year, 20 percent pay package in the proposed labor contract. It's ultimately up to Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi to make that call.
Rhee said again Wednesday night that she has been assured by a staff analysis that the cash was there. But e-mails obtained by D.C. Schools Insider show that as recently as March 31, one week before the tentative agreement was announced, Rhee was raising significant doubts about the existence of the windfall.
On March 29, she received an-email from George Dines, Gandhi's assistant assigned to DCPS. He reported evidence of a surplus estimated between $36 to $53 million in the schools budget for FY
TALLAHASSEE — After weeks of protest and a deluge of messages, Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday vetoed a bill that would link teacher pay to student test scores and wipe out tenure for new teachers.
"I know in my heart it's the right thing to do,'' Crist said of his veto.
His decision, announced shortly after noon in a Capitol news conference, came as little surprise. Although Crist initially voiced support for the bill, he had distanced himself over the past week as protests mounted.
"I say we must start over,'' the governor said. "This bill has negatively affected the morale of our parents, teachers and students.''
Under the bill, half of a teacher's evaluation would depend on what kind of learning gains their students made. Those evaluations would determine their pay. New teachers would have been hired on annual contracts with no chance of tenure.
Within minutes of his announcement, the reactions began flowing in from both sides of the aisle.
"I'm disappointed that after sending his top policy staffer to the House Committee to testify in support of the proposal, Gov. Crist would change his mind and now veto the bill," House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, said in a statement.
"It's something for teachers to be proud of," said Kim Black, president of the Pinellas Teachers Union. "Somebody is listening, despite what many people up there think."
Crist, a Republican, has been inundated with messages about the bill in recent weeks, receiving more than 109,000. Though about 49,000 were still unread, almost 58,000 of the messages that had been logged were against the bill.
Even former governor Jeb Bush, an ardent supporter of SB 6, left a voicemail.
"He encouraged me to sign the bill," Crist told the Associated Press. "Shocking. God bless
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist has just vetoed SB 6, ending a week of suspense and protests against the controversial teacher tenure bill sponsored by the chairman of Crist's own political party.
Crist's action goes against conservative leaders, including former Gov. Jeb Bush, and will likely spur more speculation that he plans to break from the party and run as an independent for U.S.
