Week one...more reflections on prior learning

Individually, think about a course that you have taken in the past. Consider the following questions:

• What did you like about the course? What did you dislike about it? Give reasons for your thinking.
•   What underlying beliefs or values prompted your answers?
• How may your personal philosophy influence the way you design curriculum?
• How do your values and beliefs about curriculum design relate to your philosophy of learning and facilitation?
• How may what you already know affect what you will and should do?

This past spring I took a course on learning in the digital context. I liked the way that it was laid out, with different activities to do and new applications to consider. I liked that there were more than one choice of tools to use for each task that we were asked to do, which led to a discovery process and critical thinking as to which tool would fit best for me. I liked that there was a strong emphasis on sharing and that we were asked to share our blogs, emails and Twitter info so that we could take a look at what others were doing and thinking about. The focus on collaborative learning was evident and I enjoyed most aspects of it. I did feel uncomfortable with the group project that we completed as I found it difficult to understand the context from which my colleagues were working from and how their thought processes were working. They just seemed so different than me and had different ideas. I learned a lot about working with others and the exercise was a success not only in the grade that we achieved but in what I took away from it. Patience, a sense of open mindedness and learning how to let just enough of the control over the final outcome to be comfortable but still allow others to contribute in the way that was meaningful to them. Finally, although I began the course by liking all the choices for tools, by the end of the course it became overwhelming. I wondered if there could have been less introduction to new tools at the end of the course.

So, in a nutshell, I liked learning about new tools to a point and I enjoyed seeing what others were doing but was uncomfortable about handing over control of the outcome of the collaborative project. Nevertheless, I learned much about the subject matter an in particular about myself. I would say that the lessons that I learned about myself were more valuable. 

I believe that the personal journey that we take when we are learning and how the learning transforms us is the most important aspect of the learning. Of course we must meet academic standards and achieve outcomes set out by the institutions that educate us in our formal learning environments, but the drive that we have as humans to make meaning our of our lives is not left behind as we study. Mezirow et al (2000) states that in adulthood we learn how to "negotiate and act upon our own purposes, values, feelings and meanings" to find ways to better understand the world. His theory of transformative learning resonates with me. I have been greatly transformed by education. My views of the world have expanded. My ability to think critically and to make sense of my world has increased greatly. My sense of self and my self esteem has grown exponentially. 

I believe that curriculum design should allow for reflection, collaboration and critical thinking. A well designed course and the lessons within it should give the learner opportunities to make personal meaning that she can relate to and integrate into her world. This goes beyond rote learning and speaks to the learner as an adult. Adults need to see how the learning can be immediately applied to their goals or problems (Knowles) and are constantly trying to connect their learning to existing/previous experiences (Belenky et al). This is what I am doing right at the moment as I reflect and write here in this blog. :)

As I learn more about learning and educating others in any subject, I apply it to my role as educator and become and better one. I also apply much of what I learn to my personal life as an individual. As an example, while learning how to work well with others this spring in my digital learning course, I also learned how to let go of some control issues I have in my life. I have struggled so much in the past to get to where I am today that I have a hard time letting go. The experience I had this spring taught me that I could let go and the outcome would still not only be positive but it would be enhanced by the personal transformation that occurred along the way. Oprah Winfrey once said that when we know better, we do better. It's so true. 
C.


image source: http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wealthclinic.com%2Fuploads%2F2%2F5%2F7%2F1%2F25715823%2F2465034.jpg%253F295&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wealthclinic.com%2Ftransformative-learning.html&h=163&w=293&tbnid=mG0or8nwWgsiOM%3A&zoom=1&docid=NDoods0Dd7Wn-M&ei=B-0OVIP_PNK3yASh_4LgAg&tbm=isch&ved=0CFgQMyhQMFA4yAE&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=1497&page=13&start=260&ndsp=22

Information retrieved from:
http://healthsci.queensu.ca/assets/ohse/new_article_tl.pdf (transformative learning)

http://www.stephenbrookfield.com/Dr._Stephen_D._Brookfield/Workshop_Materials_files/HELPING_ADULTS_LEARN_Packet.pdf (adult learners)