How I learn and how this has changed...

I have been thinking a lot about how I learn. The way that I best take in new knowledge. Honestly, for me, I have learnt that it really depends on the task that I am doing at the time… 

When I was creating my blog it was something that I had never done before and really didn’t know anything about. I utilised the knowledge that I have about the Web and other Social Media sites such as Facebook to help get me started. Having experience using similar sites did help and I managed to navigate my way around ‘Blogger’ pretty quickly. Posting a blog was kind of like posting a status, and commenting on someone else’s blog is similar to commenting on a Faecbook photo or post. All of that felt very familiar and came almost naturally. However when actually creating my blog - personalizing it, figuring out how to change the display and order of things, well that took a little more time! On the Unihub there are videos showing us how to set up a blog and I know that if I had searched on google I would have found a step-by-step guide too. But if I’m being honest…I didn’t use these resources! I’m not quite sure why I chose not to…I definitely saw the video on the Unihub and was aware that if I watched it, creating my blog may have been a much simpler process. But instead I wanted to play around and figure things out for myself. Explore the different links on the site and see where each one took me and what I could achieve from that. Although confusing at first, I found this really helpful and it wasn’t long before I had pretty much figured out how to make my blog just as I wanted it. 

Looking back on this now, it really surprises me! I like to think of myself as a very organized person – someone who likes to feel prepared before going into a situation. I like to know that I have all of the tools and knowledge needed to be able to complete a task without struggle. And I even have a touch of OCD; everything has to be perfectly in order!! If you had asked me what my preferred learning style is when it comes to learning a new skill, I would have said ‘abstract conceptualisation' without a second thought! I need to work things out in my head and gather information before I complete a task. But I totally proved myself wrong with this one! It seems that I went for ‘active experimentation’. I just tried different ways and explored the ‘blogger’ site until I had figured out how to use it. 

Because I was so surprised by this, I stopped to ask myself why I had initially assumed that I would have taken the time to work things out before attempting to create my blog. And I realized that this dates back to when I was in high school. Completing my school work, preparing for exams and writing course work, I always took the time to prepare. I didn’t like to go in blind, I liked to work things out in my head first and feel ready. But high school was 7 years ago now! I have come a long way since then and grown not only as a person, but also as a professional. I think that my experience in working as a dancer has helped to mold the way in which I think and learn. As a dancer we have to think quickly and on our feet (literally)! If I am in the middle of a show and a dancer gets hurt, I need to figure out how to fill that spot so that it is not noticeable to the audience. There is not time to sit and prepare and think up the best possible solution. I have to make quick decisions, on the spot, and trust that it will work out. 

I didn’t make a choice to adjust my learning style – it developed itself as I gained more experience in my profession. Not only did I not realise that it was happening, but I was also unaware that it was affecting areas of my life unrelated to my practice too! For example; creating a blog. This isn’t a live performance like when I’m dancing on stage. I don’t need to think quickly and make decisions based on my experience. I have time to work things out and think things through and look at other people’s experiences. But because I was so used to just getting on with things and figuring it out as I go and as things happen, that is what I subconsciously decided to do when creating my blog!

I think that this shows that the type of profession that we come from, what we practice, has a huge impact on how we learn and more importantly how we reflect. If I had chosen a different career I may learn now in a very different way or reflect on myself very differently. 

I am now realising that if I had started to create a professional journal a long time ago I may have seen this progression happen and realised the exact experiences that caused this change which would have been very useful in learning about myself and my development. This realisation has inspired me to be even more committed to writing in my journal and recording my experiences – even the small ones that I don’t think are relevant at the time. Because when all of these experiences are combined it creates change and development and I am excited to have documentation of this. 

Has anyone else noticed a past change in their professional development that they didn’t know about?? 

I’m interested to hear your experiences and thoughts! 

Meg