STAFF & FACULTY DIRECTORY PROFILE
Dennis Taylor
Job Title:
Math Teacher
Department:
Mathematics
Email:
Phone: (510) 577-9100
ext.
356
Started at O'Dowd:
2024
Degrees:
BS Mathematics University of California, Davis
Originally from:
Sacramento, CA
Why I Teach:
I was not really happy with the math instruction I was exposed to before college. Eventually I decided that I would try to be the teacher I would have liked to have.
Most powerful teaching technique:
Experience first, formalize later. This is especially true in Statistics.
Why are the subjects you teach important?:
Mathematics is one of the most beautiful and powerful subjects that humankind has ever developed. The fundamental theorem of calculus is as beautiful as poetry and should be studied for the same reason. Statistics teaches us practical skills about data, information, and evidence. It is one of the most powerful baloney-detecting skills we can give our students.
Favorite quotes:
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it's too dark to read.
Favorite trivia:
The first call for reform in Calculus education was less than 10 years after the invention of the subject.
Recommended visual media:
The Big Sleep, Big Night, and Cold Comfort Farm
Recommended reads:
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami
Hobbies or outside interests:
When I have a chance I like to listen to music without doing anything else.