Looking forward on informal learning in adults

This morning, I opened Facebook as I typically do on a leisurely morning. I scroll through my homepage of news items until I find, "Ten Shockingly Absurd Facts about Society that We Accept as Normal." The article is published by a left-leaning organization, Collective Evolution. I choose to follow this group... why? To reinforce my self-view. To reinforce the ideas and views that I believe need to be out there. To find my people.

I cannot resist reading this... why? To see if it is true. To see if I can find an argument. To see if someone else shares my views. To see if I can set someone else straight (to my beliefs).

It is this routine many others are engaged in each morning. With coffee. With their self-view. With their beliefs. To find their people.

In them or me, the brain is gathering and sorting the opinion from fact. We are making new impressions, setting out new connections in our brains. We are reinforcing and making deeper those earlier impressions and connections.

We are learning. From ourselves and from others. And we are making choices. The decision to read, to consider one thing and not another, to agree with one opinion and not another, to comment to one person and not someone else, to say something supportive or degrading... all self-directed.

What is the impact of these choices on our self-view? Are the choices constructive, combative, politically motivated, socially motivated, or environmentally motivated?

Are the choices we are making responsible?

Are we making enough new connections to keep our brains alert?


Ten minutes later... "Someone liked my comment!" What does this mean to me? Does it confirm what I see in myself? Do I still mean the comment I made?

Final Review Week

What did I do?

This week, I completed my final writing, leaving an extra day to read over one last time. Also, it was a privilege to read two of my incredible peers' work. It is wonderful to experience learning the process alongside two people who I consider to now be partners.

Why was it important?

The completion of writing is important of course because it's the assignment. It's the peer review process that was ultimately both critical and forgiving. I developed understanding from a partner that I have some way still to go, but it was delivered in such a way that it did not seem punitive. We were not afraid to be critical, but I do wan to apologize for any remarks that were offensive... 

Where could I use this again?

If we could have partners for our dissertation... can we??  :o) Developing leading sentences and closing sentences is still not my strong suit, but it's clear now that it is not so difficult to summarize the point. Just read the paragraph and say it. Basically.

Do I see any patterns in what I did?

Patterns... leading and closing sentences, maybe some in between to elaborate and connect even better. So, a little more time to do these things makes the review complete. 

How well did I do?

My strong suit is in the research. My weakness is in diverging rabbit trails... However, as +pj koltnow advised last week: just jot it down in the journal and keep it for later. Citations have greatly improved compared to last semester - There really are not so many different ways to include them. Italicize the volume number-learned that. And then leading and closing sentences. Why is that such a challenge? No more. As +Wanda Terral said, "you've got the meat of the sandwich, just add the slices of bread..." I don't eat sandwiches that often, but it makes sense!

What should I do next?

Next, at least for today, is to read over one last time, check notes from my review meeting with Dr. Weaver, and submit. I'll also take some time to revisit my journal and make any notes about diverging topics... organize the research I already have, and finally, to wish you all the best for the conclusion of the semester.

It has been so great working with this team... I am truly grateful.