The need to know

I am reflecting today on the process of my learning rather than what I learnt; what challenged me and to what extent did I succeed?  

 Malcolm Knowles developed the theory of Andragogy which is defined as "the science of teaching adults" as opposed to the theory of Pedagogy which is focused on teaching children. 

 https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy/

Knowles' theory is centred around four assumptions:

1. Adults need to know why they need to learn something
2.  Adults need to learn experientially 
3. Adults approach learning as problem-solving
4. Adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value. 

In terms of problem-solving I have succeeded.   Throughout the day my laptop switched, at will, between my personal and professional gmail accounts creating problems and frustration.  The biggest issue was not being able to access my blog by which point I could have gladly thrown the laptop out the window!  As an adult though, I can make decisions about self-care, so after time out for a boxing session at the gym and a little bit of space,  I came back to the problem, persevered and solved it. I know how to avoid this experience next time.  Would this have been the same for a student in the classroom? Probably not, for a number of obvious reasons. I was motivated to persevere because the need to be able to blog had immediate value to me.  

Why is the DFI of value to me?   Why do I need to know this stuff?  As a principal I need to keep pace with my staff. I need to be prepared to adapt, learn, be challenged and apply my learning because this is what I expect of my staff.   Our learning is driven by the desire to enable our students to learn.  Overall I have a need to learn.   What was challenging though was that I didn't necessarily have an immediate need to change the organisation of my Google docs, or create a group, or use Voice to text.  Perhaps though the next time I create a doc I'll think differently about the title I use and the nature of the sharing permissions of the folder into which it is saved.   The thought of re-organising three years worth of folders and documents does not appeal however a gradual change of practice will inevitably refine and improve my system. 

There is a joy in learning something new, when a problem is solved and a need is met.  I had a moment of joy this afternoon.  Getting ready for the gym I pulled on my active wear pants, at least a year old, and discovered for the first time that they have two well-hidden pockets.   The discovery of the pockets means there are new options for me when I wear them.  There are things I can do differently that will be of value to me.   Had the attempts to blog not been so fraught I would not have felt the need to go to the gym and not made this useful discovery. 

I think this is a metaphor for the DFI process.  I don't know what I don't know yet and I'm sure there are going to be some unexpected discoveries, some new ways of to add value to my both my professional and personal practices.  I look forward to next week.    

A poster created using Google Docs