Blog #6

In my fifth blog I talk about the importance of learning. Wenger (1998) talks about that in his book "

Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity, and how learning can assist us in participating with different people by developing our knowledge and improving our skills. I find it is more interesting to discuss how Blacher ( 2006) explains in his book "Radical Pedagogy Identity, Generatitvity, and Social Transforation" that affective- physiological identity contents affects learning in many ways (p. 31). The focus of this paper will explore learning styles and ways that it assists us to support our learning and be successful, highlight health concerns that might obstruct our learning as well as discuss that teachers should take care of their learners in their classroom.

          I agree with Blacher when he confirms that affective-physiological identity contents affect learning in many ways. Bracher points out that there are differences in endowment and in developmental experiences. People prefer to learn in a specific environment. We should know the kind of environment that is appropriate for us to learn better. Some learners like to learn in a quiet place and be isolated from others when they're studying because this can help them to concentrate and keep their focus on their subjects. They can produce more in this type of environment. On the other hand, some people like to study in crowded places, such as cafeterias, coffee shops, or in their home beside TV or through listening to music. They find this environment helps them to feel safe when people are around them. Also, seeing others study can motivate those learners. At the same time, they can participate with others and be collaborators in their community. Furthermore, Bracher (p. 32, 33) illustrates also that the five senses play an important part in learning. The surrounding environment, such as, good smell, birds’ sounds, ocean waves can stimulate some people to learn and also produce powerful affective reactions.

 

              Moreover, many learners can learn when they consume different substances. Substances help them during their journey of learning. They prefer, for instance, to drink coffee, tea, soft drinks, or to smoke. It is obvious these days that many students resort to having a cup of coffee or tea before they enter their class. They find it a good way to focus, participate, and discuss with others during the lecture. In addition, many students who live in a constant state of anxiety, tension and suspense, especially close to the exams’ time, resort to use different kinds of stimulants and sedatives to keep their mind vigilant as long as possible. There are negative and positive sides of consuming different kinds of substances. On the one hand, substances can help them to stay wake up for a long time when studying for exams and make them feel good during the time these substances are in their body. On the other hand, consuming a lot of these substances can have a negatively affect on their health. This is observed by gaining weight, or becoming addicted to these substances, which can affect their mood. The negative side effects of the abuse of harmful substances occur in the long-term. They become addicted to the use of these substances or they might be unable to focus on something they read or studied. From my personal experience, many years ago I could not concentrate on my studies until I drunk 2-3 cups of tea daily. I found it helpful to continue concentrating on my studies and help me to avoid sleeping for a long time. But these days, I try to replace coffee or tea with a bottle of water because it is a healthy choice that positively affects our body, kidney, liver, brain and heart.

          There are sometimes difficulties that impede continuous learning such as health concerns. Many people might stop their learning if they feel sick, injured, or tired. In addition, Bracher (p. 32) confirms that "people experience extreme affective states that have not been incorporated into their sense of self, as is often the case with sadness, rage, terror, anxiety, shame, or depression". To overcome this barrier, there is a method that can stimulate learners to be engaged in learning, for instance, doing some types of activities or exercises. This can assist in providing them with a desire to continue what they want to do like reading, studying or writing. Because they decrease stress and give their brain time of relaxing and be away from the psychological distress that may hinder their learning.

          Importantly, Bracher (p. 33) mentions teachers should not obligate students to remain in the class for a long time. As we know some learners have special needs, and sometimes a place or learning environment threatens their identity as "when it produces claustrophobia, acrophobia, or agoraphobia" (p. 41). Alternatively, they might be unable to focus on their studies if they are still in the same place for a long time. This can contribute in creating big problems for some learners. Some people might quit their learning if they are forced to stay in a certain type of classroom because they will feel bored, frustrated, or might fall asleep. If there is a need to stay for a long time in the class, there should be different kinds of activities or motivations for many different learners, such as video games, paintings sculpture, sports, architecture, and so forth (p. 41). It can help to attract students and provide them with support for their identity in the form of learning and entertainment. In addition, learners have different ways to learn in the class: visual, auditory or kinesthetic. They learn by using a variety of these types of activities, which can help them to find their motivators, learn more about any field of study, and support a wide range of affective-physiological states.

 

 

        To sum up, people learn in different circumstances that relate to their affective-physiological states. Some people learn in being isolated and in a quiet place. Others learn in crowded places that make them feel secure knowing other people are there. Many leaners resort to consuming different substances to help them in their learning, but they ignore the long term health effects that might occur later in their lives. Teachers should be aware of their students’ needs, find a good environment for them, and provide different activities to motivate their learning. Together these states play an important role in attracting students’ attention, improving their identity, and supporting their learning success.

blog # 5

Why is learning important in our lives?

 Learning provides a fertile ground for improving our skills and for interacting with different people, from different communities, who have valuable ideas. Wenger in his book “Communities of Practice Learning, Meaning,  and Identity” said that learning is a “source of social structure” (p, 96). We live in a changing world whereby  we are the one who is responsible for cultivating our community of practice, and learning what is important to self development. Wenger confirms that learning is “caught in the middle. It is the vehicle for the evolution of practices and the inclusion of newcomers while also the vehicle for the development and transformation of identities” (p. 13). We also interact with others because we know that collaborative learning is greater than individual learning. Trying to find solutions to a problem can also be  considered a learning process.

In addition, educated people do not like to stop their learning, they participate in many areas of life to increase their knowledge. They have a strong desire and ambition  to continue their learning and teaching. For example, when an individual  works for a company, s/he may get training in different fields related to his/her job. The training will add to this person knowledge and experience. Furthermore, one’s training  may contribute to the increase in wages and it may also encourage a person to look for various options  in the future.  In contrast, somebody who does not like to participate in a community or get training, may not experience progress in their lives. 

We as parents, students, and teachers in different fields find that learning is an integral part in our lives. Our learning comes from different  sectors in communities of practice. We have  attended classrooms, training programs, we have read textbooks, we did  homework and exercises to get a diploma, Masters and PhD. Wenger stated that “being alive as human beings means that we are constantly engaged in the pursuit of enterprises of all kinds, from ensuring our physical survival to seeking the most lofty pleasures. As we define these enterprises and engage in their pursuit together, we interact with each other and with the world and we tune our relations with each other and with the world accordingly. In other words,  we learn” (p. 45). Moreover, learning is part of life which takes place at all times and in all places. It is a continuous lifelong process, going on from birth to the end of our life, beginning with learning from families, communities, schools, religious institutions, workplaces, etc.

Wenger confirms (p. 8) the importance of learning “for individuals ”  which enables them to engage  in their community. Also, learning  for “communities” means an issue of refining their practice and ensuring new generations of members. Learning for “organizations” means an issue of sustaining the interconnected communities of practice through which an organization knows what it knows and thus becomes effective and valuable  an organization. We cannot separate learning from other activity. This will be clear in  facing difficult and unfamiliar situations that we cannot respond by ourselves, and when we try to join a community of practice--all of these experiences make  learning more intensified .

I find that learning is important as the first stage for building  solid  communities. Once learning occurs, we can share what we have learned with other participants in our community. This practice will contribute to establishing good relationships amongst  the participants in any community of practice.  Clearly, there are many benefits for various community participants involved, including sharing our experience of learning such as for starting a business, learning about a subject to extend our knowledge, meeting new people, developing personal skills, and participating in social networking. In our course “Lifelong Learning Process”, learning takes place through the discussion between students and our professor, Dr. Plumb. We are learning in this course and sharing different opinions with our classmates and posting our assignments in our blogs. Sharing our knowledge and notions, especially during our class and among students from various places or countries is very beneficial for everyone because we can learn from each other’s experience. Everyone carries distinct knowledge and thoughts. Wenger demonstrated that

 “ because learning transforms who we are and what we can do , it is an experience of identity. It is not just an accumulation of skills and information, but a process of becoming- to become a certain person or, conversely, to avoid becoming a certain person...learning can become a source of meaningfulness and of personal and social energy” (p. 215).

In general, technology today facilitates the process of learning.  We can use computers to share documents, lecture, get a degree and “connect with people who share an interest all over the world” (Wenger, p. 194). In addition, technology contributes to alleviating stress, and saving our time and money . It is clear that many people today struggle with some financial resources, some of them might lose their income, have a loan, or be unemployed and unable to find a good work, etc. Using different kinds of technology such as  online learning enables them to alleviate these financial pressures when taking an educational program. For instance, learning online does not require having a car and insurance, buying gas, paying for parking. In addition, if people have children, they need someone to take care of them so they may need to pay for a baby-sitter.

What are other  benefits that I obtain personally of learning from my studies?

 I want to share one of the most important skills that I feel proud of and I did not learn before taking this course.  It is my learning about the computer programs that I missed learning in the previous educational stages.  I knew just the basic computer skills and I was eager to learn typing fast and also many other programs. Two years ago, I registered with the Academy of Learning College and I got my diploma in Microcomputer Business Applications. I learned a lot of programs that I can use in my studies  such as Access, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, Windows Vista, Windows Xp, and so forth. This learning took me a long time and a lot of effort but it gave to me  many benefits stemming from using this technology.  I can use this technology to communicate  with my family, my friends  in my country through chat in the messenger, using email, sending pictures and so on. Now, I am confident in dealing with many programs and downloading some programs on the computer. I have discovered that many learners including myself  cannot work or study without access to this technology.

To sum up, it is important to  recognize the importance of learning and its effects on our daily lives. Many people share their experience and knowledge through their collaborative learning. It is also important to learn to use different kinds of technology to decrease stress at work and our lives, and to save our time and money. Currently, it is difficult to learn or teach well without using various kinds of technology.