How I Understand Myself As A Learner

The More I Learn The Less I Know

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know” – Albert Einstein, is the perfect statement of how this semester has taught me to approach learning. Throughout this semester, I am being challenged to rethink who Chad is as a learner and professional. I started this class with the understanding that I only was learning to please society and to advance my career, however, have come to appreciate learning in a whole new way due to understanding myself more. Learning is more than reading and writing, but how a person comes to appreciate the world around them and grows as a citizen. This paper will discuss how I understand myself as a learner today and what influences have impacted me the most. Using active and experiential learning, Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development, and Baxter Magolda’s Theory of Self-Authorship I will discuss who I am as a learner. I will also discuss how Spiritual Development has “slowed/challenged” my development as a learner.

The most important concept I have learned this semester comes from the readings on active and experiential learning. Ambrose & Poklop (2015) discussed how students take away different parts from their experience inside the classroom. They also discussed how students would apply their experiences differently and learning cannot be standardized to fit every student the same way. When thinking about my own learning in the classroom, I found that I was held to a “set standard” that everyone was required to reach. It was a similar situation when it came to standardized test or statewide testing. Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton and Renn (2010) suggested, this type of assessment is skewed because not all students can learn in the same way. I found my...

... middle of paper ...

...do not completely agree they play a major role in student development. I also still need to define my understanding of what these terms mean to both my personal identity and my professional identity.

In conclusion, I go on slowly learning theory and how it impacts student on college campuses but am quickly learning I have much more to learn when it comes to holistic student development. In my personal development, active and experiential learning and self-authorship are the two biggest components when discussing my self-growth. When it comes to my professional development Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development and defining my understanding of religion, faith and spirituality. As I student, professional, and learner, I have barely scratched the surface of who I am as a learner and need to continue diving into literature and open conversations to grow as an individual.