Mary Everest Boole

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Mary Everest Boole

1832-1916

English mathematics educator who invented the use of "string geometry" to illustrate the principles of angles and shapes. Mary Everest Boole worked as a librarian at Queens College, which was the first women's college in England but where women were not permitted to teach. She began to tutor students informally, and was eventually widely recognized for her teaching skills. Boole became interested in the psychology of the learning process, and her book Preparing the Child for Science (1904) had a major impact on progressive education in England and the United States.