Saturday, September 14, 2013

What Can We Learn from our "A-ha" Moments of Learning?

by Nancy Evans


Think back to some of the most extraordinary learning moments in your life. Think of one moment in which something became suddenly very clear, or you had a realization that changed the way you would think or feel forever, or opened you to something unimaginable and exhilarating.

Take your time. I can wait.

Now think about the circumstances of that moment.  Was anyone instrumental?  Were you at home, school, work?  What were you doing at the time?  How did you feel?  Were you aware of the significance immediately?

I would wager that many transformative learning experiences don't even happen in the classroom.  Wherever it happens, it is in the moment of being fully awake and engaged that authentic learning is so powerful.  When students are engaged, they own their learning.  What can we learn from our own moments of transformative learning that we can bring to the classroom?

6 comments:

  1. 1. I am afraid I do not usually have those learning revolutions (i.e. extraordinary learning moments or "A-ha" Moments of Learning). Mine tend to be (gradual) learning evolutions with a lingering dose of skepticism.

    2. I agree "that many transformative learning experiences don't even happen in the classroom;" but that may be partly because of environmental difference between the classroom and the life outside (the classroom).

    3. The preceding remarks, if true or acknowledged, have some bearing on the answer to the question "What can we learn from our own moments of transformative learning that we can bring to the classroom?"

    4. One answer, apparently, is that the transferability of learning is a function of the similarity of subjects and conditions: What "we can bring to the classroom" depends on the similarities or dissimilarities between the classroom and the life outside (the classroom).

    5. In this regard, it is noteworthy that many of my students appear to be in college primarily to have fun rather than to have an education and seem to be in class not so much to learn something as to avoid being penalized for the lack of attendance. I hope I am wrong about this.

    6. In the end, you may be right that "When students are engaged, they own their learning." That, in the light of the foregoing, may be the best answer to your question "What can we learn from our own moments of transformative learning that we can bring to the classroom?"

    7. If I am right, you may have provided the best answer to your question. If I am wrong, however, I am sure that others will be quick to point that out. I look forward to dissenting comments.

    Safro Kwame

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  2. What an interesting question! I am still waiting for that big “a-ha” moment, I guess, but when I thought about smaller a-ha moments (many connected with trying to force my 20th century brain around 21st century technology skills, like the triumph --after hours of frustration-- of realizing, “A-ha, that’s the command I can use to get that picture to go to that point on that webpage”) I realized that they seem to occur when I am working on my own, on a project that is important enough to me to persevere through the painful hours of failure.

    So applying that to my own teaching, I guess it means that one of my most important roles is making sure that my students have authentic learning opportunities: projects that they want to do, the motivation to want to succeed, and the basic resources required for eventual success. I guess that is the point that Kwame is making: if we can get students to “own their own learning,” we have done our job. Then, of course, the question is how. I’d be interesting in hearing what kinds of assignments other faculty have created that have led to a-ha’s in your students and what techniques you use to help motivate students to stay engaged long enough to experience success.

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  3. What I like about teaching the Internship course in the MHS program is that at the beginning of each class, I ask my students how did they feel (affective learning) about what was learned in the previous class and was there anything in particular that resonated for them in small/large group discussion. Affective teaching and learning (e.g., emotional intelligence) is critical because we actively discuss sensitive issues (e.g., relationship severance, intersectionality of identities, multiple addictions, etc.). My "a-ha" learning moments in the classroom come when students openly share what they learned and how counselor education is woven into who they are as individuals and who they are as professionals. Moreover, these two simple questions can be a nice way of engaging in indirect assessment.

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  4. We are engaging students' minds and hearts when we try to cultivate a love for learning and authentic learning experiences, as well as those that feel personal to students, seem to lead to a-ha moments.

    Students who connect their learning with themselves and know what they know and don't know may be more comfortable with ambiguity and more able to analyze, synthesize and create - all higher order thinking skills.

    The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) published an interesting article in 2007 detailing authentic learning, http://bit.ly/PkkDoB , and why it is important, examples of authentic learning practices, and assessment strategies.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We are engaging students' minds and hearts when we try to cultivate a love for learning and authentic learning experiences, as well as those that feel personal to students, seem to lead to a-ha moments.

    Students who connect their learning with themselves and know what they know and don't know may be more comfortable with ambiguity and more able to analyze, synthesize and create - all higher order thinking skills.

    The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) published an interesting article in 2007 detailing authentic learning, http://bit.ly/PkkDoB , and why it is important, examples of authentic learning practices, and assessment strategies.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We are engaging students' minds and hearts when we try to cultivate a love for learning and authentic learning experiences, as well as those that feel personal to students, seem to lead to a-ha moments.

    Students who connect their learning with themselves and know what they know and don't know may be more comfortable with ambiguity and more able to analyze, synthesize and create - all higher order thinking skills.

    The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) published an interesting article in 2007 detailing authentic learning, http://bit.ly/PkkDoB , and why it is important, examples of authentic learning practices, and assessment strategies.

    ReplyDelete