Barbara Oakley
| Barbara Oakley | |
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| Born | Lodi, California, USA |
| Fields | Engineering, learning, altruism bias |
| Institutions | Oakland University |
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Website www |
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Barbara Oakley (born Barbara Ann Grim, 1955) is a Professor of Engineering at Oakland University. She is involved in multiple areas of research, ranging from STEM education, to Engineering education, to learning practices.
Most recently, Professor Oakley has co-created and taught Learning How To Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects, the world's most popular online course, It is available on Coursera.
She also wrote a book, A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra). This is a standalone book, though it is also recommended for those who wish to learn more about the ideas presented in the MOOC.
Oakley has recently been featured in the Wall Street Journal with an op-ed article entitled How We Should Be Teaching Math.
Oakley was born in Lodi, California, in 1955. She was born to parents Alfred and Constance Grim. Alfred was in the US Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot during World War II. After the war, Alfred became a veterinarian, and then went on to get a Master in Food Technology from MIT. He went on to head the Air Force program to develop food for astronauts. Oakley moved frequently with her family as a child, moving to ten different places by the time she was in tenth grade.
After leaving high school, Oakley enlisted in the U.S. Army. The Army sent her to study at the University of Washington, where she completed a B.A. in Slavic Languages and Literature. Oakley went on to serve as a Signal Officer in Germany for four years, achieving the rank of Captain.
After her Army duties ended, Oakley decided to challenge herself and see if her brain, more used to the study of languages, could be 'retooled' to study mathematical subjects. She chose to study engineering, in order to better understand the communications equipment she had been working with in the Army.
Oakley completed a B.S. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Washington in 1986. While she was studying for the degree, Oakley worked as a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers in the Bering Sea. She also wrote a book about her experiences during this time, entitled Hair of the Dog: Tales from Aboard a Russian Trawler.
Oakley went on to spend a season as the radio operator at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. It was here that she met her husband-to-be, Philip. They married shortly afterwards. They have four children; two daughters, and two adopted sons who were previously refugees from Kosovo.
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