Learn like royalty for next to nothing
John O. Andersen
During the Middle Ages, the royals and other upper class people frequently
hired private tutors to teach them about subjects in which they were
interested. Those tutors were recognized experts in their fields. Their
instruction was one-on-one; a splendid arrangement if you could afford it.
Sadly, only the privileged could.
Today, such arrangements are more possible than ever before, yet relatively
few people take advantage of them. What's truly amazing is that this
superior way of learning is often available for next to nothing.
Frequently, all it costs is a bit of curiosity and time out from a busy
schedule.
Yesterday, as a family, we went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
(OMSI) (http://www.omsi.edu). This is one of our favorite places, so much
so that we have been members since arriving in Oregon two years ago.
One of the special events on yesterday's program was a demonstration on
skulls. Even though the museum was packed with people, my daughter and I
were the only ones to attend this particular demonstration. For nearly an
hour, we learned all about skulls from an enthusiastic and well-informed
graduate student in physical anthropology. He led us through an exercise in
which we examined specific patterns on two skulls to determine which
belonged to a male and which to a female. We learned how to tell the
difference between skulls of young people and those of the elderly. We also
compared the human skull to a gorilla skull, noting the differences and why
those differences exist. Our mentor answered our specific questions and
gave us additional information which further illuminated the concepts.
It was complete intellectual stimulation.
OMSI is just one example of a community resource which can bring eager
learners and enthusiastic mentors together. There are zoos, art museums,
historical houses, history museums, wildlife preserves, special
exhibits--the list is endless. At nearly every one of these, you can
usually find knowledgeable people (just like the Medieval tutors in their
day) who, more often than not, are hoping that someone stops long enough to
take an interest in their work and ask questions. If you take advantage of
these opportunities, you may find (as we have) that some of the best
learning available is either free or very inexpensive--a much better
arrangement than how it was during the Middle Ages!
John Andersen
http://members.xoom.com/joandersen
hired private tutors to teach them about subjects in which they were
interested. Those tutors were recognized experts in their fields. Their
instruction was one-on-one; a splendid arrangement if you could afford it.
Sadly, only the privileged could.
Today, such arrangements are more possible than ever before, yet relatively
few people take advantage of them. What's truly amazing is that this
superior way of learning is often available for next to nothing.
Frequently, all it costs is a bit of curiosity and time out from a busy
schedule.
Yesterday, as a family, we went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
(OMSI) (http://www.omsi.edu). This is one of our favorite places, so much
so that we have been members since arriving in Oregon two years ago.
One of the special events on yesterday's program was a demonstration on
skulls. Even though the museum was packed with people, my daughter and I
were the only ones to attend this particular demonstration. For nearly an
hour, we learned all about skulls from an enthusiastic and well-informed
graduate student in physical anthropology. He led us through an exercise in
which we examined specific patterns on two skulls to determine which
belonged to a male and which to a female. We learned how to tell the
difference between skulls of young people and those of the elderly. We also
compared the human skull to a gorilla skull, noting the differences and why
those differences exist. Our mentor answered our specific questions and
gave us additional information which further illuminated the concepts.
It was complete intellectual stimulation.
OMSI is just one example of a community resource which can bring eager
learners and enthusiastic mentors together. There are zoos, art museums,
historical houses, history museums, wildlife preserves, special
exhibits--the list is endless. At nearly every one of these, you can
usually find knowledgeable people (just like the Medieval tutors in their
day) who, more often than not, are hoping that someone stops long enough to
take an interest in their work and ask questions. If you take advantage of
these opportunities, you may find (as we have) that some of the best
learning available is either free or very inexpensive--a much better
arrangement than how it was during the Middle Ages!
John Andersen
http://members.xoom.com/joandersen