Jerry Kaplan

Jerry Kaplan

Dr. Kaplan is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Education at Seton Hall University. Previously, he taught at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the University of Tel Aviv, Israel. He has conducted research and written widely on many areas of teaching and learning mathematics, applying research to the practical needs of the mathematics curriculum and classroom.

Among his many interests in mathematics education, one stands out-- the interplay of problem solving with new and changing curricula and standards. He feels that quality problem solving has been neglected and should be part of all subjects.

Starting 35 years ago, he designed and wrote special math books for Triumph Learning, Inc. to help students prepare for state and national tests. These books, all bearing the title “Coach”, were tailored to students who had difficulty with math tests. Easy to read and understand, the Coach series taught by example, explained concepts by means of easy-to-master steps, and offered immediate practice to reinforce the examples. The Coach was adopted in 20 states and for three national tests, teaching directly to the specific standards underlying the tests. But missing were good problems for students to grapple with, discuss, and maybe think about over a period of days.

Professor Kaplan has led many workshops, seminars, and classes on how to implement problem solving into the curricula. He recently spent more time trying to broaden the idea of problem solving to people of all ages and settings from schools to camps to offices to senior centers. The idea is to TRY IT by yourself or with others.

Several beneficiaries of his work over the years have been the Job Corps Program, the Ford Foundation, Educational Testing Service, and the Ministry of Education, Israel.

He has been the author or co-author of a set of books for McGraw-Hill, a major textbook series for Harcourt School Publishers, high school books for SRA, and a management learning system for Random House.