Lyn Taylor inspired many people, including me. So I was very sorry to see her obit in Monday's Rocky Mountain News. Dr. Taylor was a math instructor extraordinaire who taught others
how to be better teachers. Without fail, she emphasized ways of showing what's concrete and practical, instead of concepts that are overly abstract or intellectual.
Also, it was from her that I learned about andragogy (educating adults*)... pretty ironic, since she was never the type to show up and start tossing out $2 words. Overcoming the habits we learned in grade school means changing our view of learning, recognizing the vast differences between educating children and adults. Dr. Taylor was the first person who taught me to look for ways of delivering information that help my audience get the most benefit -- instead of relying on what's most comfortable, convenient, or traditional for me.
*Nowadays, several providers of corporate learning technologies readily acknowledge the importance of these principles, including the folks at the Web Conferencing Zone: They explain that adults learn differently, and "this is the most basic principle behind the educational theory known as andragogy. The term means man-lead as opposed to child-lead, which is the literal meaning of the word pedagogy. Malcolm Knowles brought popularity to the andragogical approach. He boiled the theory down to four key concepts:
- Adult learners are self-directed -- they want their education to be relevant to their jobs and lives.
- Adult learners draw on life experiences in their learning activities.
- The learning focuses on problem-solving.
- Adults in a classroom setting want to be involved in their educational planning."
RIP, Dr. Taylor.
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