Close Up Radio

South Orange, NJ – Dr. Frank Gardella is a Professor in Mathematics Education and Mathematics at Hunter College – CUNY. In addition, he has devoted his career to the improvement of the education of mathematics. He has accomplished this by serving as a teacher, supervisor, an educational consultant, and as an author of several books related to mathematics education. ?In my working with teachers as a consultant, I try to become part of the school community to advance the learning of mathematics on the part of children,? summarizes Frank. ?Students come first, mathematics come second,? asserts Frank. At Hunter College, Frank has a program called the Elementary Mathematics Specialist Program. With this program, elementary teachers study mathematics and how it is effectively taught. Frank identifies one of the main concerns regarding the education of mathematics the top-down approach that is often utilized, especially with national standards and national curriculums. The main problem is that there is no middle management support for elementary teachers. Elementary principals often do not understand the teaching of mathematics. As for the future, Frank is looking to publish his newest textbook, titled What We Call Middle School Math. While he explains that this is only a working title at the moment, he ultimately feels that he will use this as the permanent title. The book is intended to explain what is currently involved in the middle school math curriculum. ?All children can learn mathematics,? concludes Frank. ?We just have to figure out a way to get them to learn it.? You may also visit his page on LinkedIn

Bowie, MD - Film historian and academic scholar Dr. Rory Palmieri is a man on a mission—a mission to bring long-overdue recognition to Miklós Jancsó, the Hungarian filmmaker who is the most under-appreciated major filmmaker of the 20th century. Despite devoting four and a half years of his life to this monumental project, Palmieri acknowledges he still has two more years to go before he can complete his manuscript. He emphasizes that Jancsó's work is almost entirely unknown outside of Hungary, despite the filmmaker's critical acclaim domestically. ?Jancsó's films are rarely seen; even scholars and critics who attended international film festivals often missed them,? Palmieri laments. Although the director is mentioned and briefly discussed in numerous textbooks and articles in English, only a few early masterpieces have made it into film festivals and home video in the U.S. The bulk of this great artist's work is unavailable anywhere in the world, except perhaps in the Hungarian Film Archive in Budapest. Rory Palmieri is an accomplished film historian and language expert with a doctorate in English focused on American literature and film. He has worked in government service as a translator and has a long-standing passion for literature, cinema, and languages. In addition, he is an amateur filmmaker and has worked on other amateur films and as an extra on Hollywood productions. He is now dedicated to bringing attention to Miklós Jancsó, through his upcoming manuscript. For more information about Dr. Rory A. Palmieri, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-palmieri-a7a79176 and http://www.roryapalmieri.com

St. Louis, MO -- At an early age Karen Barney learned about a profession that helped people with disabilities--whether physical or mental health In nature--to learn, grow, improve function and achieve true quality of life. That is why she pursued a career in the Occupational Therapy field. While working on her dissertation, she had a personal experience that led her to focus her efforts on incarcerated persons. Today Karen J. Barney is a professor emeritus at St. Louis University, where she launched The Transformative Justice Program, a multipronged effort and educational program. This initiative is aimed at helping individuals who are currently incarcerated to learn professional/life skills that can help them transition more effectively into mainstream society, The program is a grant-funded initiative and by appearing on the radio, Karen hopes to raise awareness of the program and opportunities to support it. Karen and her team collaborate with City, State and Federal criminal justice initiatives and work strategically toward organizational and social change. These groups also utilize evidence based transformation services, and engage community, university, and systems, in the transformative justice model. The program was envisioned In 2010 and established in 2014. It is an interdisciplinary effort within the University though Karen herself is affiliated with the SLU Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, within the College of Health Sciences. As a professor, Karen is also involved in teaching and publishing endeavors that bring notoriety to the University. For more information about Karen or the initiative, please visit: www.slu.edu/mission-identity/initiatives/transformative-justice