Benjamin D. Wood

Ben D. Wood
1917 graduation portrait University of Texas
Born	Benjamin DeKalbe Wood (1894-11-10)November 10, 1894 Brownsville, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 8, 1986(1986-07-08) (aged 91) Westchester, New York
Nationality	American
Other names	Ben D. Wood
Education	Brownsville Area Schools
Occupation(s)	Psychologist and educator
Employer	Teachers College, Columbia University
Known for	Modern educational psychology
Spouse	Grace T. Wood
Signature

Benjamin DeKalbe Wood (November 10, 1894 – July 6, 1986) was an American educator, researcher, and director / professor at Columbia University and an expert in the educational field.

Early life[edit]

Wood was born in Brownsville, Texas, on November 10, 1894.^[1] He attended the Brownsville area schools, Mission High School, and the University of Texas.^[2]

Career[edit]

Wood was a Phi Beta Kappa and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Psychological Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.^[2]

In 1928, he met IBM's leader Thomas J. Watson and joined the company as a consultant; IBM helped Wood to fund the Columbia Statistical Bureau and provided equipment. Their collaboration was also beneficial for IBM, as Wood helped IBM to develop more capable machines. This success led to further academic projects, including the Harvard Mark I, and Columbia invited Watson to join their board of trustees in 1933.^[3][4]

In academics, he was a curator of Stephens College, and the chair or director of 20 national education committees.^[2] He was a director of Eastman's teaching film experiment, the American Council of Education test service, and the Commonwealth Fund for research on measurement of achievement in college courses.^[2]

Wood served on the New York state board of regents' examining board, and on committees for the American Institute of Accountants.^[2]

Later life and death[edit]

Woods retired in 1960^[5] but remained active. In 1969, he was given the Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service.^[5][6] He received a honorary doctor degree from Union College in New York, from Lawrence College in Wisconsin, and from Colorado State Teachers College.^[2] Wood died at the age of 91 of a heart attack on July 8, 1986.^[7]

Legacy[edit]

Wood established the Elbenwood Fund for Education Research, the Ben D. Wood Fellowship Economic Fund and the Institute for Learning Technologies Fund.^[8] Twenty-six students had qualified through 2009.^[6]

Works[edit]

Books published by Wood are:

• The Measurement of College Work (1921)
• The Measurement of Law School Work (1924)
• Columbia Research Bureau American History Test (1926)
• Motion Pictures in the Classroom (1929)
• Study of the Relations of Secondary and Higher Education in Pennsylvania (1938)
• Our Air-age World: A Textbook in Global Geography (1945)
• Geography of the World (1959)

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Baker, R. Scott (2006). Paradoxes of Desegregation. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-57003-632-3.

Further reading[edit]

Books

• Branscomb, Lewis M. (7 May 1997). Confessions of a Technophile. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-1-56396-118-2.
• Goldstine, Herman H. (2 September 2008). Computer from Pascal to Neumann. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-2013-9.
• Schwartz, Daniel L.; Arena, Dylan (2013). Measuring What Matters Most. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-51837-6.

News

• "Famous Valley Son Visits Folks Here". Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. December 21, 1943. p. 8. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
• "School Confab Enters Third Session Today". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. Associated Press. July 8, 1942. p. 2. Retrieved March 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
• "School Methods Today are like Noisy Elevator". Coshocton Tribute. Coshocton, Ohio. January 19, 1930. p. 7. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
• "State Teachers Colleges Held to be Antiquated". Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. April 6, 1934. p. 23. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Calls Teacher's Colleges "Antiquated Institutions"". The Scranton Republican. April 6, 1934. p. 3. Retrieved February 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Columbia University Professor Ben Wood". Columbia University Computing History. Columbia University. 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
• "Automated Test Scoring". Icons in Progress. IBM. 2015. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
• "A Diploma tells Little". The Kansas City Times. Kansas City, Missouri. December 6, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Test Measures Chances of Accounting Students". Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. February 22, 1948. p. 11. Retrieved March 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
• Lowell, Robert (August 22, 1938). "Typewriter Now Recognized as Education Instrument". The Evening News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. p. 17. Retrieved March 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
• New York World-Telegram (August 17, 1932). "Best Editorial of the Day: Typewriters in Schools". The Independent Record. Helena, Montana. p. 4. Retrieved March 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
• EveryWeek Magazine (April 4, 1934). "Take a Letter, Toodles". Santa Ana Register. Santa Ana, California. p. 19. Retrieved March 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Would it be Advantageous to teach Children to use a Typewriter instead of a Pen?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. March 13, 1933. p. 2. Retrieved August 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
• "Experiments with Typewriter Kids Prove Machines Help in Learning". Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. August 19, 1954. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com .