William Arthur Brownell (May 19, 1895 – May 28, 1977) was an American educational psychologist.[1]

William Arthur Brownell
Born19 May 1895
Died28 May 1977
Known forHis work on the teaching and understanding of school maths.
PartnerKathryn K.

Early life

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Brownell was born in Smethport, Pennsylvania on May 19, 1895. He graduated from Allegheny College in 1917. He received a Ph.D. in 1926 from the University of Chicago.[1]

Academic career

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From 1930 to 1949 he was a professor of educational psychology at Duke University, where he did his most important research.[1]

From 1950 to his retirement in 1962 he was the Dean of the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Education.[2]

While at Berkeley he wrote he wrote the elementary school Math textbooks used by many states, including California and Hawaii.

In 1965 he received the E. L. Thorndike Award.

Personal life

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He married Kathryn K. (1903-2001) and they had three children.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kilpatrick, Jeremy, and J. Fred Weaver. "The place of William A. Brownell in mathematics education." Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 8.5 (1977): 382-384.
  2. ^ T.R. McConnell T.L. Reller L.F. Scott L.H. Stewart J.C. Stone. "William Arthur Brownell, Education: Berkeley ". University of California: In Memoriam, September 1978. Pages 27-29.