Mid-Program Reflection Paper MEd Extension Cohort Kari Fruechte, Extension Educator January 27, 2000

Theories, styles and methods of learning are as varied as the individuals that learn. Participation in this Cohort Masters program has given me a chance to examine the ways I learn best and the ways I pass on learning to others as I teach. Becoming aware of the needs of those around me and trying to meet their needs as learners is a constantly challenging aspect to teaching that keeps me excited about the profession.

Perhaps my personal theory on experiencing learning is overly simple, but being immersed in child and youth development work tends to sway me toward keeping things as uncomplicated as possible. We can learn a lot from watching young children. Very young children have little concept of failure. They are apt to watch others try something, jump in and try it themselves, and then react to the consequences. If what they experienced felt good, theyll likely repeat the action. If not, they will likely shy away from the action. Is this learning? I think it is, and most of us wouldnt know so much today if we hadnt been able to jump in and experience many new things in life.

As we grow older, I think we develop a reluctance to experience learning. We become afraid to jump in and open ourselves up to new ideas or experiences. Our fear of failure is nurtured by those around us who note our shortcomings and try to steer us down the right path as we grow up. Some of that steering is very necessary and also provides learning, but our lives can become so structured and orderly that we are afraid to step out of our cozy little box. The greatest teachers in my life were those who were not worried about me failing. They tended to allow me a great deal of freedom in the directions I chose, whether that was in learning to bake dinner rolls with my Grandma, or in performing a solo in jazz band with the encouragement of my band director. Both teachers showed me that they believed in me and made me feel safe in opening myself up to new learning.

This Masters program has helped me renew my sense of adventure in learning. As I grew from a young child to a young adult, I remember an expanding feeling of insecurity because of the importance of doing something right or having the right answer. It became increasingly important to fit the mold and not rock the boat. I think Im gradually breaking out of that mold, and becoming more comfortable with who I am as an individual. I am learning that my own thoughts are O.K., even though they may not be in tune with others. I suppose some of that just comes with age and experience, but I strongly believe the transformative learning weve been exposed to has been an influence.

The cycle I feel I am going through in lifelong learning seems very similar to the history of education in the United States. What began as very informal instruction for most of our countrys population, gradually gave way to very structured, purposeful learning in the form of the public school system. Teachers were trained to feed students the information they needed to fit into their world. As society changed, the educational system changed functions, and continues to change. Controlled at various times by religions, government, industry and finance, our nations schools have evolved to fit the needs of the masses. In our current society, with the rapid changes in technology taking place, education seems to have no choice but to open the door to less structure, more creativity and more opportunities for self-directed learning. There is just too much information and such easy access to information that teachers must be willing to become facilitators and give students freedom to discover in ways that are less concrete. My hope is that this will give students the courage to continue stretching and opening themselves up to new ideas, like this Med program has done for me.

These new styles of teaching and learning can look very threatening to parents. My fifth grade son is fortunate to have a very project-oriented teacher this year. He has had some excellent experiences working on the projects that will prepare him for his future. He learned that once a due date has been given, he must pace himself so that the work gets done on time. Waiting to do the entire project the last couple days doesnt work! Hes also learned the importance of being part of a team, and that your fellow team members may choose to do things differently than you would. But some of the parents are not connecting the learning going on through these projects. One of them asked me what I thought of the kids using science time to work in their Kids Teaching Kids teams. She has yet to see a textbook and worksheets. I gave her my interpretation of how much I felt the kids were learning about drugs and alcohol and other health issues by preparing a lesson and going into the lower grades to teach. To me, this IS Science! Im not sure I totally convinced her, but she really hadnt thought of that as a way to learn the content.

I like the way Bernard Bailyn describes education as not just schooling, but as the entire process by which a culture transmits itself across the generations. When I think of all the ways I learn, school is only a very small part of that. My interest in project-based learning as a method that really gives value to many individual learning styles, stems from the fact that we work on projects with others all our lives. Learning never takes place in a vaccumn. Project-based learning can happen in many settings, formally or informally. Opening our schools, youth organizations and families to the benefits of many of the non-traditional methods weve studied in this cohort cant help but engage more learners in new, exciting ways.

A quote from an early elementary child that I think we, as educators, need to think about goes like this: I was good at everything  honest, everything! until I started being here with you (in school). I was good at laughing, playing dead, playing king! Yeah, I was good at everything! But now Im only good at everything on Saturdays and Sundays.

References: Jaeger, Richard M. (1997). Complimentary Methods for Research in Education, 2nd Edition. Washington, DC: American Education Research Association. Olds, Henry (1997). Of Chickens and Projects. From Now On, The Educational Technology Journal, 7 (3), 37-48.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2000