Stuart J. Murphy (born 1942) is a visual learning specialist and children’s book author. Murphy was born and raised in
Rockville, Connecticut, and studied illustration at the
Rhode Island School of Design
The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
(RISD).
Before co-founding Ligature, a Chicago-based design firm that developed Social Studies, Reading, Science, and Math textbook programs for educational publishers with his business partner Richard Anderson in 1980, Murphy worked as Art Director at Ginn and Company, a Boston-based publisher. While at Ginn, he took a company-sponsored sabbatical to advise on art restorations in
Venice, Italy
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...
in 1973-74.
In 1995, the first three books in Murphy’
63 book MathStart serieswere published by
HarperCollins Children’s Books. MathStart books teach mathematical skills such as identifying patterns, skip counting and solving for unknowns through a combination of storytelling and visual learning strategies. The series is divided into 3 levels for children ages Pre-K through Grade 4. Taken separately
the 21 Level 1 bookscomprise one of the largest Pre-K math series available.
The MathStart books have received many honors, including being named a Top Ten Nonfiction Series for Young Children b
Booklist magazine a publication of the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
, in and awards fro
The Bank Street College of Educationan
The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Murphy’s story on negative numbers, '
Less Than Zero'', was named a "Best Book of the Year" b
AAAS Science Books & Films magazine MathStart stories have been translated into Spanish, Korean, Arabic and Chinese and in 2013, sales topped 10 million books.
'
The Main Street Kids’ Club'', an original musical based on six of the MathStart books, was workshopped at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
under the aegis o
Rives Collins Playwright and directo
, who also adapted and directed ''School House Rock Live!'' led the workshop, collaborating with compose
on music.
Music Theatre International
Music Theatre International (MTI) is a theatrical licensing agency based in New York City.
Description
MTI was founded in 1952 by American composer and lyricist Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker. Along with the licensing rights to Lo ...
(MTI) coordinates licensing for regional theaters and school tours.
Murphy’s second series, '
Stuart J. Murphy’s I See I Learn'', focuses on Social, Emotional, Health and Safety and Cognitive skills for children in Pre-K and Grade 1. Published b
Charlesbridge the stories feature the students in Miss Cathy’s class at Ready Set Pre-K in See-and-Learn City. Visual learning strategies and a special section for parents and teachers calle
“A Closer Look”support the learning. Each book has been vetted b
a team of early childhood experts
The series is also available as an educational program with teacher guides, videos and games through
Pearson Education
Pearson Education is a British-owned education publishing and assessment service to schools and corporations, as well for students directly. Pearson owns educational media brands including Addison–Wesley, Peachpit, Prentice Hall, eCollege, ...
as '
I See I Learn at School''.
Murphy has been a featured speaker at several educational conferences including
NCTM
Founded in 1920, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is a professional organization for schoolteachers of mathematics in the United States. One of its goals is to improve the standards of mathematics in education. NCTM holds an ...
, NCSM
IRA NAEYC
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a large nonprofit association in the United States representing early childhood education teachers, para-educators, center directors, trainers, college educators, families o ...
an
NHSA.He also served on the executive committee for the Advisory Council to the Arts in Education Program at the
Harvard Graduate School of Education
The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first Harvard school ...
and is an Honorary Trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design after serving 19 years o
the Board
Murphy lives with his wife Nancy in
Boston, Massachusetts and Prota, Italy. They have two children and three grandchildren. The elder two have MathStart books named after them ('
Jack the Builder'' and '
Mighty Maddie''), while the youngest
Camille provided the inspiration for her namesake character in the I See I Learn books.
Related Reading:
How to Read a Book Using Visual Learning Strategiesby Stuart J. Murphy (handout)
Math Boring? Not at All! The New York Times Editorial, MathStart and the Importance of Early Childhood Educationby Stuart J. Murphy
''vizlearning''post)
Preparing Preschoolers for the Common Coreby Stuart J. Murphy (BookLinks magazine)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Stuart J.
Living people
1942 births
Rhode Island School of Design alumni
People from Rockville, Connecticut
American children's writers