At the conclusion of this course, I am much more knowledgeable about how adults learn. In addition, I am much more cognizant of how my personal learning style and preference impacts my instructional pedagogy. Simply put, I can now put a name to my learning style and the adult learning theories that have manifested in my life. I came into the class with an understanding of and an appreciation for the diverse learning needs and preferences that students bring to the educational environment. In all, I am walking away with a clearer understanding of the accommodations that I must make in my pedagogical approach to ensure that my sessions are a learning opportunity for all students.
Now that I am revisiting my educational biography, I see that the life events that I referenced in the original biography affirm my belief that the humanistic lens, the experiential learning and self-directed theories have played a significant role in my formal and informal learning as an adult. I believe it is the nature of these theories that have shaped my personality, values, and learning experiences. Thanks to information learned in this class, I am even more in touch with who I am as an individual and an adult learner.
As a learner, I see the world through the humanistic lens. I share the optimism projected through this lens. This positive attitude and outlook was encouraged by both my mother and my grandmother. These matriarchs taught me to always put my best foot forward no matter what was going on in the world around me. I admired their glass is half full approach to seeing the world and have tried to immolate it as much as possible. They always taught me to see the positive in every situation. This attitude has allowed me to see the bright side in most situations. For instance, while many state employees complain about not having received a raise since December 2007, I’m happy to still be gainfully employed doing a job that I absolutely love. I truly believe that every cloud has a silver lining. It’s all a matter of perspective and my preference is to look at life through rose- colored lenses. I am a humanist!
Another key concept that has been pervasive in my educational experience is the experiential learning theory. As a learner, I have known for years that I learn best by doing. Taking the Kolb Learning Style Inventory confirmed my preference for learning by doing. This assessment was not a surprise to me because I have always had an affinity for learning by doing. Things just come to me better if I am able to relate them to prior experiences. One of my favorite quotes says that “none of us is as smart as all of us”. This quote always makes me think about my expertise and the skill-set that i bring to the table in every situation that I am involved. The quote reiterates the fact that everyone comes to the table with a diverse skill set, expertise, and something to contribute. I believe this is why I love working in groups or as a part of a project team. This type of learning has allowed me to not only learn from everyone in the group but to learn by active experimentation. I’ve found that group member contributions during in-class discussions and blog postings oftentimes have helped me to see concepts discussed from a new perspective and allowed me to expand my own thoughts.
As an individual, I have always planned my life out in three year intervals since high school. I would set a goal for myself and then take the necessary steps to accomplish the goal I’d set. I now know this to be self-directed learning. I believe this theory has been important to my educational development because of the voluntary nature of adult learning. My affinity towards being a self-directed learner has allowed me to take steps to advance my education and to seek out opportunities to enhance my skills. Part of being a self-directed learner is setting goals and then mapping out a plan for how one will achieve the goals. This is the process that I completed when I decided to pursue a career in librarianship, to learn a new computer software application, or any new concept or task. So in essence, self-directed learning has been a part of my educational experience for a very long time.
The Humanistic Lens, Experiential Learning and Self-Directed Learning theories have been key ingredients in my educational development and have allowed me to grow professionally and personally. Reflecting on my informal and formal educational experiences has helped strengthen my understanding of the learning theories that we discussed this semester. This experience has also allowed me to see how each of the aforementioned theories has manifested in my life. On one hand, my increased awareness about these theories will improve my ability to create engaging learning experiences for the students and on the other will enrich my own experience as a learner.
