Ben Preddy
Ben Preddy is a member of the Geometry Forum's Summer Institute. While his
interests are many and varied, he has an abiding interest in mathematics
and systems. With regard to systems he is especially interested in finding
ways in which education might work more intelligently than it currently
does. He tries to find a common language for talking about educational
issues, and finds much in the work of Jonathan Edwards Deming's that is
useful. He asks two parametric questions: (1) What are the goals of the
enterprise? and (2) How do we measure progress toward them?
Ben believes that much talk about reform in math education is just talk,
and that not even the purveyors themselves take their words seriously. So
he thinks of ways to tease out the implications for action of what it is
that people say. Having established these connections he works like
Socrates to demonstrate inconsistencies. His purpose is not pedantic; it
is to engender reflection and change established practise. He is, in every
way, a revolutionary. As he has said many times, 'the unexamined life is
not worth living!
Paul Doyle (Ben's biographer :-))
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