As educators, we are programmed to self-reflect on our teaching practices, daily lessons, classroom management, philosophies, etc. Naturally, this self-reflection also occurs outside of our career and into our daily lives. Self-reflection even happens when you’re a student apart Michigan State University’s Masters of Educational Technology program. Weeks prior to this post, we were asked to begin a Networked Learning Project (NLP). My NLP involved learning how to crochet a blanket by only using YouTube and help forums to teach myself. (You can view my earlier blog post that dives deeper into my experience). Participating in a NLP inherently led to a lot of self-reflection. I watched a few videos to learn how to crochet a blanket. I was able to grasp the beginner techniques and start my blanket! However; as most educators know, learning is not a quick “one and done” process. As I progressed through my crocheting project, I noticed something had gone wrong. I returned to YouTube and found a video that identified my issue and also assured me that the mistakes I had made were very common for beginners. I talk more about this in my final update video for my NLP below.
Understanding how students learn is crucial for an educator. To build more sophisticated schemas, learners need to be aware of what they already know, and engage in activities that permit them to construct new understandings, ideally in the presence of a more knowledgeable other who can shape, guide and scaffold that learning (Vygotsky, 1978; Palinscar & Brown, 1984). During my NLP, YouTube videos and help forums were the tools that helped me construct new understandings and be aware of the knowledge I had as a new learner of crocheting. Although, the people teaching me in the videos were visually present and they allowed me to pause and playback as many times as I wished, they were not physically present to guide and scaffold my learning of how to crochet a blanket. Having an expert assess your learning on demand can clear up misconceptions early on in the learning process and help learners avoid making common mistakes.
I will continue to use this approach to learning for myself, with a few minor changes from my first experience. In my video above, I reflect on the fact that I might have made a goal much bigger than the knowledge I had about crocheting. I did in fact learn how to crochet, but I was unable to crochet an entire blanket. For future Networked Learning Projects, I will begin by creating an achievable goal after careful research. I will also find resources (in this case videos) that show the “dos and don’ts” of the learning goal, rather than just the “dos”. I also need to learn how to find credible resources and separate “fact” from “fiction” in the different learning communities.
Before I encourage students to use this approach for their learning, I would like share my personal experience with them. This allows students to realize the importance of self-reflection in their own learning, and understand that learning can be interest-driven. It is also essential to teach students critical thinking skills that help them analyze edited and unedited online content. If students are unable to do this, they may use incorrect information to deepen and further their learning.
References:
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Palincsar, A. S., & Brown, A. L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension fostering and monitoring activities. University of Illinois: Cognition and Instruction
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