Week 7: Theories of Learning: Comparison

As we get farther along in this course, the evolution of theories of learning and learning principles and best practices are getting more geared toward student-led, authentic learning. I've been trying to link these learning principles to my own experiences, for other than a year off in between each program (undergrad -> masters -> doctorate), I have been a student since entering Pre-K. One thing that has really jumped out at me is that only as I've gotten farther along in my education, almost entirely post high school, have I gotten to experience these theories of learning in practice, and even then only intermittently. I had one teacher in high school who taught the best biology course I've ever taken, where we put our ecology learning into practice by putting on waders and planting baby oysters in the Chesapeake Bay to help slow the spread of algae blooms. That will be seared into my memory for life. Then in my undergraduate courses, I had more opportunities to experience behaviorist and constructivist learning, but again not in every course. I had a beloved Economics professor who believed what we learned should be applicable to our futures, and spent an incredible amount of effort to show us why economics was so pivotal, so important, while also imparting useful life skills like higher level Excel use and practice giving public presentations. He would even grade based on our speaking, and it took me an entire semester to get my voice out of a "vocal fry", where my voice would drop to a gravelly bass note from nerves. In my master's program, there was a surprise winner in all the elective courses I took, Intro to Accounting. Learning how to be in control of my own finances (a project in the course) and feeling the power that comes with better financial understanding ignited a love of finances I didn't even know I had. Now, as I have passed the midpoint of my first semester of a doctoral program, I realize how precious these different types of learning are. Even if one has begun to eclipse the other in our understanding as learning designers, I recognize my experiences in learning as incredible moments. It reminds me that while we may look at these theories as ideologies to academically dissect and study, in practice it is incredibly difficult to put into practice every day for our teachers. Those who do it, despite the perpetual lack of resources and funding many teachers experience, make indelible impacts on their students. I will never be a biologist, because I'm not a fan of being outdoors in nature and getting wet and muddy and dealing with bugs. But I will never forget that I have a responsibility to our environment to help heal the damage we humans have done, and it has helped shape how I see the natural world, how I give to charity, how I vote. I did get a minor in Economics because of that professor, but I don't know that I ever use it other than to have a better understanding of bias in statistics, particularly in politics. I do, however, use those public speaking skills almost every day, and I credit my professor with teaching me how to find my own voice. Because of him, I started teaching last year with no vocal fry in sight. Accounting I will use for the rest of my life, for my own finances and investments, but even more important to me was the empowerment that came with understanding the basics of accounting. I'm now part of a group whose mission is to help empower women financially, and this has influenced both my charitable giving and my personal investments, focusing on businesses owned by women and minorities, and/or businesses giving back to their communities and engaging in ethical financial practices. All of this is to say that things I consider pieces of my identity were influenced heavily by teachers who engaged in student-led, authentic learning. There were more than I have listed here, but the impact of the experience of learning over a lifetime can never be underestimated. Now as I continue down this journey in the final formal stage of my education, reflecting on my own student experiences has helped me solidify why I am choosing this path for myself, to help create better learning experiences for students who come after me, and better support for teachers.