The class I had signed up for, ‘Introduction to Computers’, took place at my local college. It was years since I had been there, and it had changed a lot. Even though I went online and found a map of the campus, I still could not find the building and the room. I asked a man for directions. He said he was the instructor for the ‘Introduction to Computers’ course, and that he would take me to the classroom. He gave me his name, which I forgot. He also asked me if I had received his introductory email. I had not looked at my email for several days. I think I must have been nervous about starting the course (although I thought that I had been fairly relaxed about it all). I’m always forgetting names – especially of people who are new to me. When I got to the classroom, I found that it was called something like the ‘Learning Resources Centre’ and that it was filled with dozens of brightly lit computers. My instructor (I still could not remember his name) led me over to one corner. ‘Here’s your group,’ he said. And he started to introduce me to a dozen people. ‘This is Avril, this is Jade, this is Zoë, this is Steve …’ I was feeling worse and worse. I had forgotten the teacher’s name and now I had even more names to remember. ‘You can use this computer, Jim,’ said the teacher. I was really pleased to be able to sit down in front of it so I did not have to talk to any of the people whose names I had forgotten. The teacher gave me a sheet with a word-processing exercise that looked like something I could manage. What a relief this was. It was so much easier than having to talk to these people I had never met before. However, after a few minutes, I realised that most of the other students in what was supposed to be my group were all talking to each other. Some had met in another course last year and had decided to take this course together. And they all knew each other’s names! I slid slightly further down in my chair and concentrated on the screen in front of me.
Learning is involved in everything that happens to people and in everything they do.
What time is it? Three o’clock? No way! Where has the day gone? I did promise Grace her favourite meal today to cheer her up after her least favourite day at school. I don’t think she will ever be an Olympic athlete, even if she does get used to sports afternoon at her new school. I’m really not too fussy about what she eats. I think if you are, then children can get really picky about their food. What is her favourite at the moment? I suppose it’s pizza. I’m not totally happy about this. It doesn’t seem much like a balanced meal to me – there’s no fruit or vegetables for one thing, and it’s high in fat. Maybe I could add a salad to it – that would add some vegetables to her diet. (Some time later) ‘Mum, what are we having tonight? I’ve been looking forward to my dinner all day. They made us run around the track in this weather! I’ve been freezing ever since.’ ‘I’ve made your favourite, Grace – pizza. I’ve added a salad – it’s good for you.’ ‘Oh, Mum, I told you that was my old favourite. My friend Shona says it’s much healthier to be a vegetarian, so the salad is OK but I can’t have pizza – it’s got meat on it, doesn’t it? I told you last week I wanted to try those veggie sausages. Shona says they’re really good.’ ‘Well, I don’t have any of those, but you’re in luck! The pizza is tomato and cheese.’ ‘I guess that will have to do.’ ‘Is that all the thanks I get?!’
Learning is like food, ingest it and it will enrich the whole human being: unlike food, it is difficult to have too much … the processes of learning are a fundamental stimulus to life itself. (Jarvis, 2006, p. 3)
What do you think Jarvis means when he says that learning is a ‘fundamental stimulus to life’?
… the lifelong process by which every individual acquires and accumulates knowledge, skills, attitudes and insights from daily experiences and exposure to the environment – at home, at work, at play: from the example and attitude of families and friends; from travel, reading newspapers and books; or by listening to the radio or viewing films or television. Generally informal education is unorganised, unsystematic and even unintentional at times, yet accounts for the great bulk of any person’s total lifetime learning – including that of a highly ‘schooled’ person. (Coombs and Ahmed, 1974, p. 8)
My example is learning to drive a car. When I think about it, I learned to do this in many ways. I had a driving instructor who told me what to do. I also had written information about things like where the pedals (the accelerator, brake and clutch) were placed. My father also took me out in the family car. He told me things about driving – these were not always the same as the instructor, so I had to decide which was more helpful. Practice during lessons and with Dad was important.
Well, when I was a child-minder, I used to have to work with the children – I had to plan my own activities with them. Now that’s come into my work as well and, because I had to plan activities for the children with a time limit, that’s helped me in my courses, setting aside time to actually complete my assignments.
if one cannot arrange that an income of twenty-four hours a day shall exactly cover all proper items of expenditure, one does muddle one’s life definitely. (Bennett, 1910).
get used to feeling comfortable with a little discomfort and a little uncertainty alongside a great deal of positive expectancy. Turn anxiety into anticipation, fear into energy and worry into action. (Harrold, 2001, p. 281)
To live your best life you have to move out of your comfort zone and learn to manage your feelings. (Harrold, 2001, p. 281)
Now what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them … Stick to Facts (Dickens, (1854) 1989, p. 1)
The meaning of communication is the response you get. (O’Connor and Seymour, 1995, p. 18)
Activity | Example of my communication | Type of communication |
---|---|---|
Made breakfast | Asked my wife if she would like a cup of coffee | Verbal. Used gentle tone of voice. |
Drove to work | Raised hand to thank another driver who let me into traffic | Body language |
flat, unmodulated pitch can reflect a depressed mood, while high or fluctuating pitch can signal … anger, fear or excitement. (Thompson, 1996, pp. 83–84)
I think I have learned how to read body language when I am speaking to people – I’m more observant. People don’t always say how they are feeling, so if you can read their body language, it’s easier to pick up on things. I am probably more confident with my questioning. I am listening and taking in the messages I am receiving from people.
My communication skill | Confident/unconfident? | Happens when? |
---|---|---|
Talking | I tend to speak too quickly – so not very confident | Usually when I think people do not agree with or like what I am saying |
What academic skills did I use and how? | What other ways could I use this skill in the ‘real world’? |
---|---|
Focused reading: I read the section on PROMPT a couple of times to really try and understand the key points. | My daughter’s school has just been evaluated. I want to read the report to understand why the school did not do very well. |
Mind mapping: I used this in two activities. | I’m going to use this to help me decide where to go on holiday. |
It was assumed that any student coming from a poor or working class background would willingly surrender all values and habits of being associated with this background. Those of us from diverse ethnic/racial backgrounds learned that no aspect of our … culture could be voiced … I see many students from ‘undesirable’ class backgrounds become unable to complete their studies because [of] the contradictions between the behaviour necessary to ‘make it’ … and those that allowed them to be comfortable at home with their families and friends … (hooks, 1994, p. 182)
Deep approach | Surface approach | Strategic approach |
---|---|---|
Intention – to understand ideas for yourself by: | Intention – to cope with requirements by: | Intention – to achieve the highest possible grades by: |
Relating ideas to previous knowledge and experience | Treating the units as unrelated bits of knowledge | Putting consistent effort into studying |
Looking for patterns and underlying principles | Memorising facts and carrying out procedures routinely | Managing time and effort effectively |
Checking evidence and relating it to conclusions | Studying without reflecting on either purpose or strategy | Finding the right conditions and materials for studying |
Examining logic and arguments cautiously and critically | Monitoring the effectiveness of ways of studying | |
Being aware of understanding developing while learning | Being alert to assessment requirements and criteria | |
Becoming actively interested in the course content | Gearing work to the perceived preferences of lecturers |
By the end of the summer, I will have: mapped how much time I am spending each week on work, family, friends, the gym and my photography encouraged my partner to do the same discussed what we have each found out agreed what, if anything, we would like to change drawn up a plan of how we can help each other out more.
By the end of the year, I will have talked to a youth worker and a social worker to find out: whether or not either of those would be the right job for me (and/or get some other ideas) what qualifications and experience I would need to do them what sources of funding might be available for training.