Mid Program Reflection Paper

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Mid Program Reflection Paper By Joyce Jacobs

When I think back to my years of schooling, I wasn't one of the "smart ones", but also wasn't one of the "dumb ones". I always seemed to fall in between. I was labeled a "good student", but it was more in relationship to that fact that I followed the rules, didn't make trouble and came from a "good family". My grades were OK, I was average, I was the "C student".

I think that the position of being "in between" felt comfortable for lots of reason, but the main one was that being in between, meant you basically got along with everyone, which was always important to me. Maybe because that was stressed in my family - that you "get along". Being in between meant that I got along with the "smart kids" and the "dumb kids" and our class definitely was grouped. We were part of the era when you were divided into groups for reading, for math, for anything academic. There were the "smart" groups and the "dumb" groups - oh I'm sure the teachers had different terms for them, but the labels the students gave the groups were really the only ones that mattered.

For whatever reason, when they divided us into the "dumb" and "smart" groups, it appeared that there was a strong correlation to the "band" and "non-band" members. There was also a correlation to the "trouble makers" and "good kids". So, since I was in between, what happened to me? Well, since I wasn't "dumb" I was put in the "smart group" even though my grades didn't get me there. But when it came to "band time", I wasn't a member, so was left as part of the "dumb group" as all the other "smart kids" were in band. So, being part of both groups left me the opportunity to be in between.

I do remember knowing inside that I wasn't "dumb" but also knowing that my grades sure didn't qualify me to be "smart" either. The thing that I do remember is that I always did well on projects and not so well on tests. Classes like Home Economics were wonderful because you go to "do" to show that you knew your materials. Classes like History where you had to memorize and spew forth the right answers were very hard for me - and I had a hard time understanding why I really needed to know all of that. I was what I would call a "practical" learner - if it seemed like something I would need to know for life, it made sense to learn it, but if I couldn't see any use for the information, then why would I possibly need to memorize the information.

When I think about my learning style, it is easy for me to understand why I was attracted to Home Economics and to the 4-H Program. They both provide "hands-on learning" and teach young people "life skills". Programs that teach practical, useful information that young people will use through out their lifetime - what more could the "practical" learner want? So, when I think about being in my position, it is really no mystery or surprise as to how I got here. Now, the fact that I am in a Master's program - that is a surprise and a mystery!

If someone would have told me when I graduated from college that I would someday get my masters, I think I would have laughed a laugh that would have been heard from the Iowa boarder to the Northern Shores of Minnesota. Because, I was the practical learner and getting your masters was something for academic learners - the types that did lots of thinking, the ones who could memorize facts and figures and remember them years after learning them, the "deep" ones! As for me, I was too practical. Would having a master's help me be a better educator? Would my ability to work with young people be increased? Would I be a better teacher? To be honest, when I started this program, I'm not sure that I would have answered "yes" to any of these questions.

But, I think this "transformative learning" theory might have infected me. According to Patricia Cranton, "Transformative learning occurs when, through critical self-reflection, an individual revises old or develops new assumptions, beliefs, or ways of seeing the world" (Cranton, 1994, p. 46). Well, I have definitely revised some old beliefs. I never thought of my self as "smart", or as a "deep thinker" - now I realize that I am "smart" and I am a "deep thinker" but my belief in what those terms mean has changed or been revised.

After reading and learning about the different types of learning styles, I realize that I grew up in a system that didn't give many options for learning styles. You either fit, or you didn't. If you did, you were "smart" and if you didn't, you were "dumb".

When I think about how I work as an educator in the 4-H program, in a non-formal educational setting, I would have a hard time identifying which young people are "smart" and which ones are "dumb". Fortunately, the 4-H program looks at the learners and evaluates them on what they "have learned" - we don't evaluate them on what they haven't learned. In a way, that really sets young people up for success - we want to focus on what they did learn! The program also allows them to be very involved in their own learning - "hands on" as we call it. We base a lot of our teaching on the Experiential Learning model - a "learn by doing" model that I believe works for many types of learners.

Now that I am well past the mid point of this program, I would still say that I consider myself a "practical" learner, but I know that my perceptions about myself as a learner have changed. I also know that the questions I asked earlier about would having a master's help me be a better educator? Would my ability to work with young people be increased? Would I be a better teacher? To be sure - those questions would now bring a very different response. I know that I have learned so much about my own learning that it has opened my eyes to different perspectives. Will I be a better teacher - yes - if for no other reason than that I have had a wonderful educational experience which makes my personal reflection on lifelong learning a more positive one. I think this program has also helped me realize that learning is so much more than academic and that it's OK. Knowing that, it makes me even more passionate about the learning that takes place in the 4-H program - the "practical" learning that will stay with young people for a lifetime! My experience in this program has only helped me validate one more time that the 4-H program provides a learning climate that sets young people up to succeed - a climate that I want to be part of!

Reference List: Cranton, P. (1994). Understanding and promoting transformative learning: a guide for educators of adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.

-- Anonymous, February 02, 2000


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