Former Educator Releases Ground-Breaking New Book That Reveals Flaws in K-12 Textbooks

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Dec 22, 2010, 07:50 ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Educator and science editor David Rudel is getting to the root of what is lacking in the modern school learning environment.

Rudel's new, highly anticipated Volume 1 of "Science Myths Unmasked: Exposing Misconceptions and Counterfeits Forged by Bad Science Books," just released on Amazon, examines the myths found in "reliable" school textbooks, pointing out misconceptions perpetuated in these books -- which are often the foundation of the school learning environment.

"Teachers and students have a reasonable expectation that the state-adopted textbooks are dependable tools they can rely on for accurate accounts of scientific explanations, theories and facts -- yet closer examination has shown that this is decidedly not the case," Rudel said.

In addition to informative discussions of common errors in today's textbooks, Volume 1 critiques the attitude of textbook publishers in its introduction.

"The problem is that publishers, in their zeal to hammer home lesson objectives, are willing to make untrue claims and present counterfeit accounts," said Rudel. "Myths hamper comprehension of the key ideas they are intended to demystify, and further muddle students' conceptions of related, lower-priority topics. But they help pupils pick the right answer on standardized tests, so they persist."

This new book will greatly appeal to teachers, especially science teachers, as well as anyone with a thirst for valuable science knowledge not readily found in most school textbooks.

Advance reviews by educators are very positive.

Waco, Tex. science teacher Don Densmore said that the book clearly examines science misconceptions and "presents the actual science concepts in a clear and concise manner with understandable examples."

For more information or to buy Rudel's new book (Gadflower Press, $8.99), visit http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935776010.

About David Rudel

David Rudel is an author, published mathematician, professional math modeler, chess writer and theologian. He has taught middle school, lectured at Dartmouth College and won national math contests and state-wide science and math contests. As senior editor at the acclaimed science and math education software company ExploreLearning, Rudel helped to write the curriculum content that was lauded with the AEP's Golden Lamp Award earlier this year. The author of three chess books, Rudel's chess book "Zuke 'Em" was recently named a finalist for the Chesscafe's Book of the Year. Rudel's education began at Grinnell College (Grinnell, Iowa), after which he transferred to Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, Calif.), graduating with high honors in 1999 with a B.S. in mathematics. He earned a master's in mathematics from Dartmouth College in 2002, where he also lectured before joining the ranks of middle school teachers.

Rudel is based in Charlottesville, Va.

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