Reflection On Experience And Learning

Both of these articles show important theories on how the adult learns, but the second article resonates with my own personal experiences better. Merriam explains that there is a

When I was younger, I would often return home to a familiar question: So, what did you learn today? My answer would always be "nothing" or "stuff." As I look back, I never lied, yet, I never told the whole truth. Many people think that you don't know anything with only 18 years of experience; I think they're wrong. I've learned a lot about myself and others from the relationships I have built throughout the years. I believe my most important lessons were "people" lessons. Those are the ones which could never be taught out of a book or in a lecture; you have to go out and experience them for yourself.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that there are different theories based on how an individual learns. These theories are based on individuality rather than a group as a whole. I will compare and contrast the different learning theories as previously determined by educators Malcom S. Knowles which used Andragogy and Pedagogy compared to David Kolb which uses Experiential learning, through interactions and research of this subject.

Learning as defined by the American Heritage dictionary as “the act, process or experience of gaining knowledge or skill (ahdictionary.com, 2017). Many have tried to further define learning by describing just how one gains knowledge or skill. Malcolm Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory of Andragogy, David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory are three such models of the experiential learning process that will be discussed here.

Ever since I was a little girl my education has been something that I held very close to my heart. My family always explained education to me as something vital to a successful life and as something you couldn’t simply just do the bare minimum to get by. They always encouraged my learning and presented it in a fun, enjoyable way. To say the least, I took this lesson my family instilled in me very seriously. Because of this, I have spent the majority of my life doing the most I can and giving my best, hardest effort to become more knowledgeable about anything and everything around me.

Going into the Teach Live session I was very excited and could not wait to experience what it would be like to teach a real lesson. At first when hearing about the assignment I thought to myself this was going to be hard for me to do. This is so because I am a very shy and closed off person, my voice gets shaky when I have to speak in front of a group, and I have never done anything such as a Teach Life lesson before. The day of the Teach Live I was jittery and elated that whole day, I just knew I was going to kill it. I arrived 15 minutes early and Mr. C made sure I felt very comfortable and was ready. While sitting there preparing to teach the lesson I had chosen, fear and nervousness swept over me and I began to worry. A few minutes before I began the Teach Live session all the fear and negativity left my mind and body. Then when the session began and I saw the virtual students a smile grew on my face, sending a cooling, calm sensation through my body.

Education has always been a huge influence on my life. The process of learning and growing as an individual was

My first key point comes from Dirksen, where it discusses how “learning experiences are like journeys.” You begin this journey in the now and the end of your journey is when you reach success. “The end of the journey isn’t learning more, it’s doing more.” One thing that comes to mind in this particular example is college. College is a journey, you begin the journey when you start your first semester of college as an eager freshman, and your college journey ends when you graduate. When you graduate college a new journey begins as you are entering the world on a job search and ends when you have reached your goal and landed the job. You have to decide if that job is really the

This immense diversity of experiences including the phase I am now going through, has shaped me into who I am today. I have become an even more mature, determined and understanding person, who is more driven than ever, while not losing sight of nicety and kindness as a living principle.

When I first decided to continue my education, I needed more than a normal academic training. I was looking for something with a more meaningful reason to existence, a higher purpose, and to fulfill the prodding determination to finish what I have started years past. A huge part of it may also be the unimaginable maturity level I had reached which withholds the unforgettable lessons learned, especially the losses of love ones.

Reflection is thought by linking recent experience with early experience to promote more complex and interrelated mental models or patterns. The thinking involves looking for commonalities, differences, and interrelations beyond their superficial elements. The goal is to develop higher order thinking skills.

Reflection means deliberately taking time to review the happenings of a certain matter and processing how that matter was handled, how it could have been better handled, and how it should be handled in the event that it happens again. This is a practice that I have made a part of my daily life. I reflect over my day on my twenty minute drive home. It allows me to process my day with a critical eye. Often, I feel that I could have handled things differently. There are also days that I feel that I have handled situations remarkably, and I am proud of myself. By critiquing my behaviors and the occurrences that have happened throughout the day, I am able to learn the areas in which I need to grow.

From being 18 to being 31 now, there are some major differences for one an adult learner is goal oriented, adult learners are not just goal oriented but are interested and want to know why they should learn things. These things are explained through David Kolb” who identified a four-part learning process based on firsthand experience in which knowledge is created” (Kolb, 1984). As a learner, I am different than others some people learn through concrete experience, some through

"…reflection in a mirror is an exact replica of what is in front of it. Reflection in professional practice… gives back not what it is, but what might be, an improvement on the original…" Biggs (1999).

Every now and then I think about my education from kindergarten through senior year of high school and I wonder where I would be and who I would be without it. I have realized that those thirteen years of my life were essential to my development as an individual, for they have shaped me into the person I am today.