Written Description of Personal Theory of Action of Teaching/Learning. Education 5950 Applying Transformational Learning Theory Summer 1999 Prepared by Vince Crary

I have given my personal theory of action teaching /learning little if any thought before taking the transformative learning class. I was aware that there are different ways to teach as well as different ways to learn. I took Adult Education class 5411 Strategies for Teaching Adults in the fall of 1995 and found it interesting that there were different ways to teach, and learn. The class was well taught by Dr. Kathleen Olsen. I became aware of philosophy, learning theory, communication theory, characteristics of adult learners, decision making regarding instructional strategy and much more. After taking the adult teaching class I did think about how I was teaching and used tips from the class like using tan or light brown paper to put hand out material on as that is the color that is best for all learning groups. The class was a positive and worth while learning experience. I became aware of a lot I had not know or thought about in regards to adult learning and teaching as a result of the class. What the adult teaching class did not do was make me reflect or give me insight into both how to be a more effective teacher and why it is necessary to involve the learner in the teaching process. I am not being critical of the teaching class, I feel the class was a good learning experience for me, but we were not encouraged to go beyond the class and look at or challenge our personal theory. I have know for some time that to stand in front of a group and lecture is a very ineffective way to help people learn. The learning triangle is a very good indication of how this is true. This winter we had classes on dairy nutrition. The classes were taught in a very participant active style. The people taking the class turned right around and applied the knowledge. The people were active participants in the teaching and learning process. The participants were also encouraged to be part of the teaching process. I have never experienced such excitement over learning by a group of dairy producers. So now we have a history on paper of where I was before the transformative learning class. I was aware that lecture was not the way I wanted to teach and I felt it was ineffective. I also was aware of the teaching triangle and had experienced how effective teaching was when you engaged and got the learners involved in the process. I can honestly say I had talked about this teaching need with other educators and some of our specialists. We all agreed that there had to be a better method than lecture. It is easy to say that but how do you get people to change? We all felt a need to a get portable computer and the expensive projectors so now the lecture can be done on "Power Point". I have nothing against "power Point", I have seen some very nice presentation done using "Power Point" but I have never felt they were any different than a jazzed up lectured. We were still trying to dump in the knowledge. Thinking about my theory of teaching and learning, my Mom has told the story of how I would take baby steps on my way too school, trying to miss the bus. So there had to be something I did not like about school early on in my school days. I also had two older sisters that were good students and good in class. I can remember being compared to them by the Nuns. I would think my personality profile did not fit into a "Ridged Catholic School Setting". I can also remember being in second grade with Sister Peter and how she and I butted heads on many occasions. I am sure the structure was need for a second grade class, however I had a need to talk and that was not a good need to have in Sister Peters class. All Nuns were not like Sister Peter, I can remember some not as strict, but the teaching method was the same. Some did seem to be more interested in you as a person and those classes were better. I wonder if I did better in those classes? In high school I again was following my two older sisters who had the good grades and were not as social in class as I tended to be. I was never a bad person in class just to talkative. I was also not a very serious student and did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I have always envied the person who knew what they wanted to do in life and went after it at an early age. I was one of those that wasted a lot of education. In college I did not want to go as I felt I was wasting time, I still did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I did go two years, but they were not productive, I was not a serious student and thus not a good student. I then enlisted in the army and after 3 years I returned to college doing better as I need to get the GPA up to graduate. I wanted to do something in agriculture but felt that since I was not from a farm I couldn't make it in production agriculture. I was also aware I could sell so that is where I started following college. For someone who did not know what I wanted to do, I have experienced success in the business world. I was successful in sales, later along with my wife we built a successful business, but once the business was a success I was never as happy as I was during the challenging days of building the business. I did not like having to collect money, I loved the selling and working with people, the bookwork and the collecting of bills were not a part of business I enjoyed. I did not sit down and think about why I did not enjoy these parts of the business, I was just aware of the fact. After liquidating our business we bought a farm and got into cattle. The farm was not enough income and it would have taken a larger investment risk than I was willing to undertake to generate enough income so I went to work for Land-O-Lakes as a livestock production specialist. After having been your own boss for over 13 years I missed the independence. I had a chance to work for extension on a temporary basis and have been working with extension since. Extension work has been a fit for me. I have the freedom to work with people as if I was my own boss. I am always involved in learning, and I have a job that fits me. Extension has also provided me a chance to grow and appreciate in my feelings toward teaching and learning. I can honestly say that my theory on education has changed 360 degrees since getting into extension work. I enjoy and value learning now, I also see how much there is to learn about the world. I marvel at the people who seem to know so much about a topic. It has been very positive for me to reflect on my theory of teaching. I now know I can also involve the learner in the learning process. Looking back on how I was taught, how I have learned, what has been fun, what has been a learning experience for me, how who I am is important to my teaching, will make teaching more fun and I hope a lot better experience for those I work with. To this point in my life I have not done much reflecting on who I am, or why I am the way I am. I feel the transformative learning class has provided me with a very exciting adventure. To think about why we do things like we do, and how personality, life experiences, our interactions with other people, our schooling, all mesh to make us who we are has been exciting for me. The transformative learning class has helped me discover new insights into the world of teaching and learning. I have also come to realize and appreciate who I am and how I got here. The appreciation of who I am and how I got here will have a direct positive effect on my work. What do I expect the next "iteration" to be? I do not have a clue, but I know I will deal with it better because of knowing more about myself, and the things that have helped mold me into who I am. I also feel I will be a more effective in helping others learn and figure out the next "iteration". I don't know that this paper is exactly what the assignment calls for, but it has been fun to think about the things that have shaped me into the learner and educator I am today.

-- Anonymous, February 01, 2000