Reflection on Learning

Reflection on Learning in Adolescent Development Ryan Aker University of Washington

Reflection on Learning Introduction This paper, based on my reflection on learning in this course, will be broken down into four sections. The first section will focus on what I have learned about adolescents. I will highlight two areas that I found most insightful for my personal development as an educator. The second section will talk about how to apply what Ive learned in the real world. I have signed an agreement with the Washington State Education Board to teach in an underprivileged area of Washington for a minimum of five years. To best relate my learning from class to the real world, I will focus on different strategies I can use in educating adolescents who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The third section discusses what I have learned about myself throughout the quarter coursework. The difficulty adjusting to the format of classes will be a main talking point.

The final section is a high level overview of what I have learned from this course. Transitioning from a business work environment to a grad school program has been a challenge and I hope to improve upon my academic abilities as I move through the program. Adolescent Learning It goes without saying that adolescents are influenced by many sources outside of school. Parents, peers, and the media are some examples. Over the quarter coursework, I had the opportunity to read many articles and excerpts from educational

Reflection on Learning theorists that explain not only what these outside sources are, but how they can affect the students behavior and attitude in regard to learning. My favorite theorist we looked at was Erik Erikson. According to Michael

Nakkula, Eriksons lifespan model of identity development breaks down the life cycles of humans into different stages: each stage ushers in a unique crisis or critical task to be negotiated. Successful negotiation of the task creates a critical opportunity for positive ongoing development; unsuccessful negotiation results in progressively heightened challenges. (p. 14) Once adolescence is reached, individuals who have unsuccessfully negotiated one or more previous critical tasks throughout their childhood will have a much more challenging time navigating their way to adulthood. Eriksons article discusses the developmental moratorium that goes on within an adolescent. Adolescents often question what they are passionate about and what they would like to pursue as adults. If a student does not go through this moratorium, they run the risk of committing to a particular way of life without adequately looking at alternatives. Another significant concept I learned was related to career counseling for adolescents. Michael Nakkula and Eric Toshalis write: The classic role of the career counselor is to help peoplefind peace, either through career change, professional-skill development training, or through an examination of underlying issues involved in the workplace. Career-development education, on the other hand, is not problem-based. It is, rather, a proactive

Reflection on Learning approach to helping people understand the relationship between who they are and the type of work and career for which they are well suited. (p. 234) As educators it is important to understand the potential careers students are interested in, even as early as kindergarten. This will help us better guide adolescents to success in adulthood. Real-Life Application The critical tasks that Erikson discusses could be more likely to be missed by individuals who do not have a proper support system because they come from a disadvantaged background. As a future educator, I hope to identify adolescents who may have trouble negotiating crises in their own development. I may be able to introduce positive avenues such as sports or art that could help these students to find their own developmental moratorium. Another way an educator may assist a student to find their own developmental moratorium could be through career-development education. In class, we discussed that one of the problems in inner-city schools is the lack of vision towards long-term goals. Society can teach adolescents that any job, no matter what it is, may be worth

leaving high school. The idea is that providing for the short-term is more important than an education. If students find their passion in life early, they may have higher aspirations to pursue it. For example, if a student discovered he or she was interested in engineering in eighth grade, the requirement to get an appropriate degree from a university could motivate them to do well in high school.

Reflection on Learning Self-Learning As an undergraduate business major, I never really thought about myself in terms of educational style. Business classes were always structured in a very similar format. Teachers would lecture, students would take notes, questions would come at the end of the period, and tests would be administered at the middle and end of the

semester to assess the students understanding of the material. Sink or swim and if you cant hack it, find another subject to major in. Learning through such uniform teaching styles, I never really thought about how a different teaching style could be more effective for students. When I started this program, the instruction was presented in a style that surprised me. The class was not structured in the typical lecture and note-taking format I was used to. Students were encouraged to not only interact with the teacher, but with each other as well. Throughout the quarter, I gradually started getting used to this style of teaching, once unknown to me. A new teaching style has opened my eyes to different avenues of learning and approaches to teaching. Im excited about learning to effectively teach mathematics using different formats and styles. After some valuable feedback, I have reassessed myself and added a new goal for the upcoming quarter. I have learned that my appearance and demeanor tells a lot about my interest in the subject matter and respect for others. I learned that this portrays a positive perception and supportive environment to my peers and one day, my future students.

Reflection on Learning

Course Learning To my surprise, this course has been more of a challenge than I had originally anticipated. Not only have I been out of school for a couple of years, but I havent written a research paper since 2002. The instuctors patience with my struggles this quarter have been much appreciated. I have learned that writing multiple papers in one course must be approached much differently than studying for a test. Instead of having the material in front of me to study for an upcoming exam, as in the past, Ive had to think and work in much more creative terms. In other words, the subject matter is given but the paper style and format are generally up to me. I need to think more critically and visualize a final product without seeing a specific example or choosing from different multiple choice answers. It is a skill that I hope Ive improved upon over the quarter and wish to master by the end of my studies here.

Reflection on Learning References Nakkula, M. & Toshalis (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators. Massachusetts: Harvard Education Press. Sadowski, M. (2008). Adolescents At School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity, and Education. Massachusetts: Harvard Education Press.