caption statements and framing essay
Name: Matthew Smith
Course Department, Number & Title: D505 Adult Learning through the Lifespan
Semester & Year Enrolled: Fall 2015
Document: Framework Essay and Caption Statement on My Understanding of Adult Learning
The selection of caption statements and a framework essay from my second course in the adult education program is fitting for two reasons. First, it marks my first exposure to how our experiences impact learning. Second, it is when I begin to truly grasp how emancipatory dialogue can be used as an agent in the initiation of change.
To the first point, I spent the entirety of the semester looking at self-concept and self-esteem, how being ill-equipped to process new information motivates cognitive development (disequilibrium) and how self-efficacy manifests within communities of practice. As a whole, these came together through the theory of situated cognition, or how the sum of personal experiences needs to be accounted as it relates to the construction of knowledge and meaning-making. This is powerful insomuch as too often the work educators do is often tied to a specific subject matter and taught within that specific context. Not taking other factors into consideration, unfortunately, means some of the message is naturally lost in the learner’s experience. To combat this, dialogue between learner and educator must be established to take into account the whole of a person’s experience. We must be reactive to learning opportunities as they arise. This is the second reason I chose this artifact. Simply, I progressed, albeit slightly, from believing dialogue can foster greater levels of learner buy-in to recognizing dialogue can actually tie a person’s life experiences into current efforts. And by doing this, I am closer to seeing how adult education can be used to expose oppression and incite radical change.
If there is one thing I would have done differently, I would have brought my work in the community through political organization into the conversation more. This was not a paper dedicated to one task as my first artifact was. Rather, this assignment’s intention was to identify what I believed to be driving themes in learning and development as tied together in a framework for learning. At this point in the program, however, I was still applying everything to the professional space. I do speak briefly on community and family, but woven into almost every paragraph of the paper and each caption statement is training and development designed to increase productivity and organizational outcomes. And though one can see a move toward deeper levels of faith in dialogue as a liberatory tool, I am not at the point of emancipation. My understanding of the political nature of adult education is still in its early stages. One thing I was able to immediately apply from this artifact is the leveraging of informal learning in the workplace through communities of practice. This proved quite valuable in helping me add layers to training and development so that concepts found reinforcement in multiple ways. Again, though, I am still looking at adult ed as a workplace tool. This begins to change as my time in the program progresses.
Course Department, Number & Title: D505 Adult Learning through the Lifespan
Semester & Year Enrolled: Fall 2015
Document: Framework Essay and Caption Statement on My Understanding of Adult Learning
The selection of caption statements and a framework essay from my second course in the adult education program is fitting for two reasons. First, it marks my first exposure to how our experiences impact learning. Second, it is when I begin to truly grasp how emancipatory dialogue can be used as an agent in the initiation of change.
To the first point, I spent the entirety of the semester looking at self-concept and self-esteem, how being ill-equipped to process new information motivates cognitive development (disequilibrium) and how self-efficacy manifests within communities of practice. As a whole, these came together through the theory of situated cognition, or how the sum of personal experiences needs to be accounted as it relates to the construction of knowledge and meaning-making. This is powerful insomuch as too often the work educators do is often tied to a specific subject matter and taught within that specific context. Not taking other factors into consideration, unfortunately, means some of the message is naturally lost in the learner’s experience. To combat this, dialogue between learner and educator must be established to take into account the whole of a person’s experience. We must be reactive to learning opportunities as they arise. This is the second reason I chose this artifact. Simply, I progressed, albeit slightly, from believing dialogue can foster greater levels of learner buy-in to recognizing dialogue can actually tie a person’s life experiences into current efforts. And by doing this, I am closer to seeing how adult education can be used to expose oppression and incite radical change.
If there is one thing I would have done differently, I would have brought my work in the community through political organization into the conversation more. This was not a paper dedicated to one task as my first artifact was. Rather, this assignment’s intention was to identify what I believed to be driving themes in learning and development as tied together in a framework for learning. At this point in the program, however, I was still applying everything to the professional space. I do speak briefly on community and family, but woven into almost every paragraph of the paper and each caption statement is training and development designed to increase productivity and organizational outcomes. And though one can see a move toward deeper levels of faith in dialogue as a liberatory tool, I am not at the point of emancipation. My understanding of the political nature of adult education is still in its early stages. One thing I was able to immediately apply from this artifact is the leveraging of informal learning in the workplace through communities of practice. This proved quite valuable in helping me add layers to training and development so that concepts found reinforcement in multiple ways. Again, though, I am still looking at adult ed as a workplace tool. This begins to change as my time in the program progresses.
caption_statements_and_framing_essay.pdf | |
File Size: | 80 kb |
File Type: |