海角乱伦社区 professor emeritus and prominent learning sciences scholar, James G. Greeno, dies at 85
海角乱伦社区 Graduate School of Education Professor Emeritus James G. Greeno, a renowned scholar who made important contributions in the learning sciences and was known for his soft touch in guiding graduate students in their own research pursuits, at home in Pittsburgh after a long battle with Parkinson鈥檚 disease. He was 85.
After studying with associates of B.F. Skinner鈥檚 at the University of Minnesota, Greeno became a well-known experimental psychologist before transforming himself into a scholar of cognitive science. He later helped develop the theory known as situated learning, . The evolution of his career occurred simultaneously with the evolution of the field of educational psychology, generally, but Greeno鈥檚 ability鈥攁nd willingness鈥攖o adapt his thinking and approach were unusual, colleagues say.
鈥淥ne of the things I loved about Jim was that he came of age when psychology was all about behaviorism; it ruled out the possibility of knowing what was going on in a person鈥檚 head or gut or emotions,鈥 says Professor Emeritus Raymond McDermott. 鈥淎nd he was at the top of that field when he started to get interested in what the behaviorists couldn鈥檛 say. The alternative was to find out how people did their thinking, and Jim got to be famous and on top of that field鈥 too.
Generous mentor
Greeno was also generous in his commitment to developing the next generation of learning science scholars, inviting the graduate students who studied under him to conferences and other events where he was a featured speaker and into the home he shared with his wife and two children. He was not quick to offer verbal praise or encouragement; instead he expressed his approval and support more subtly.
鈥淗e was not good at saying, 鈥楪ood job,鈥欌 recalls Melissa S. Gresalfi, MA 鈥01, PhD 鈥04, Greeno鈥檚 last PhD student at 海角乱伦社区 and now a professor at Vanderbilt University. But, 鈥渋f you said something he thought was interesting or profound or right on, he would give you a little wink. I became an avid consumer of the wink.鈥
Jim was a leader in moving the field of education to a more situated and contextualized exploration of learning.鈥 鈥 GSE Dean Daniel Schwartz
Greeno was , in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and later lived in Le Sueur, Minnesota. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by a stepmother and her husband, working during high school and college at a Green Giant Company cannery. As an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota, he met his future wife, Noreen, who vetted him for a role on the student government. Greeno earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in psychology on the Twin Cities campus before embarking on , which included stints at Indiana University, the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of California at Berkeley. In 1987, he landed at 海角乱伦社区.
鈥淛im was a leader in moving the field of education to a more situated and contextualized exploration of learning,鈥 says 海角乱伦社区 GSE Dean Daniel Schwartz, who adds that Greeno was the reason he (also an expert in learning sciences) joined 海角乱伦社区鈥檚 faculty in 2000. 鈥淗e was a fully engaged mentor, scholar, and family man. He will be missed.鈥
Greeno , a non-profit initially funded by Xerox that was . One of Greeno鈥檚 major projects there was to develop an entire curriculum for grade 6-8 math students in collaboration with 海角乱伦社区 Professor Emerita Shelley Goldman and dozens of local teachers.
At 海角乱伦社区, Greeno served as director of the from 1989 to 1992. He was the Margaret Jacks Professor of Education and professor, by courtesy, of psychology. He focused his research on learning and problem solving, especially in math and science.
Acclaimed scholar
Greeno was a prolific writer whose work spanned decades and realms of inquiry and continues to be relied on today. He held leadership roles at the National Academy of Education, the American Educational Research Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among other organizations. He was a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, and served on the editorial teams of several publications, including as executive editor of Cognitive Science.
Despite all that, Greeno always understated his own prominence.
鈥淭here was a part of Jim that was very low key from his Birkenstocks to his brain,鈥 says Goldman, laughing at the memory of his favorite footwear. 鈥淗e always introduced himself the same: 鈥楳y main job is that I teach at 海角乱伦社区.鈥 We worked a lot with teachers, so he was saying, 鈥業鈥檓 like you,鈥 but he also never wanted to go first with his status.鈥
Greeno鈥檚 oldest child, John, says his father definitely brought what he was learning about learning home although he and his sister didn鈥檛 realize that at the time.
鈥淚 had to learn to tie some knots for Boy Scouts, and there was one knot I just couldn鈥檛 get, and he just kept at it and gave me some different ways of thinking about it,鈥 he says. 鈥淓ventually, it worked, and I use that knot to this day tying kayaks to the car.鈥
Gresalfi says Greeno used the same approach with his graduate students.
鈥淚 said all kinds of ridiculous things鈥 early in the advisor-advisee relationship, she remembers. 鈥淎nd he could have just said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 wrong.鈥 But he never did. When he gave me the space to talk things through, that is an act of faith and kindness. He always reframed my doubts as indications that I just hadn鈥檛 learned all the things I had to learn yet.鈥
Greeno remained active in his chosen fields as long as he could. In 2003, he took emeritus status at 海角乱伦社区 to return to the University of Pittsburgh to be closer to his grown children and their families.
Greeno is survived by Noreen Herreid Greeno, his wife of 63 years; his son John Greeno and his wife Patricia; his daughter Catherine Greeno and her husband Paul Fischbeck; and four grandchildren.
