Describe a learning experience that really worked for you. What did you learn? What worked about it? by NicoleDray

2025-02-06 19:53:23 UTC

As as student (and a teacher) I was all about hands-on learning. Simply being able to try something and see if it worked and make changes as necessary. One lesson that stands for me was 8th grade science. My class was put into groups and tasked with the Egg Drop Challenge. The collaboration, trial and error, and problem solving aspects were informational and fun.

Limits

2025-02-06 20:44:14 UTC

I'll never forget the lesson when I learned about limits in Calculus. My Calculus teacher (a total straight arrow named Mr. Farrell) told a story (almost certainly fabricated) about getting into an argument with a police officer about a speeding ticket on Loring Air Force Base. Mr. Farrell argued that it was impossible to measure his instantaneous velocity with a radar gun, and took us through this elaborate back and forth argument with a focus on math. I bought the story hook, line and sinker. I rarely forget something that I learn through storytelling, and Mr. Farrell told the best stories! Maybe that's why I love math so much?

Research

2025-02-06 21:11:29 UTC

I learned most in school through small action research projects. We did them so often that the process became second nature. There was really no fear of failure and the amount of information consumed was amazing.

One of the science classes I took in high school was almost entirely project and lab based. There was a celebration of trying something and failing--because that was where the learning takes place. This was something that as a junior, completely shifted my way of thinking about the educational process. Sometimes it is just as important knowing what didn't work as it is to know what did.

2025-02-07 16:48:38 UTC

I think it's important for me to follow up on my own questions. I like to try things out....experience the world. What will happen if I pull the pendulum higher? What will happen if I add dry ice to water? What will happen if I talk to this person in Spanish? What will happen if I let kids be in charge of their own projects? I guess it's a combination of tapping into curiosity and making things real/hands-on and making things fun. I remember things so much better when they are fun!

2025-02-09 19:21:24 UTC

2025-02-09 20:54:26 UTC

The learning experienence that worked for me was when I was able to complete a project at 4-H for DPA when in the fourth grade. This was an extracurricular activity, but applied to so many different concepts that I was learning in class. This helped me to understand that I was a hands-on learner where the experiences were my best teacher.

Modeling

2025-02-10 18:02:27 UTC

This year students in my science class have been utilizing group whiteboards to collaborate, jot down ideas, and model. Students enjoy expressing their thoughts and ideas on whiteboards instead of chart paper solely based on the fact they can easily change their mind or alter their thoughts as a group. Its not permeant.

I remember in high school biology class learning about cells. We created models of cells. For me, I found success in taking what I learned in class and recreating the cell because I had to apply that knowledge to some physical.

2025-02-10 19:14:53 UTC

2025-02-10 23:15:29 UTC

Once I watched videos online to determine how to change my own filters on my car. It was empowering and a relief not to "need someone" to do it for me.

2025-02-11 00:01:31 UTC

I worked in a yarn shop during my high school and college years.Part of the job included working on different types of projects so customers would want to buy those materials. That meant that I had to learn to knit different patterns, crochet, do bargello, needlepoint, punch and hook rugs, and other forms of needlework. This was decades before youtube, so I used books to teach myself, practiced the skills and turned to other people in the shop when I needed help. This technique works great for me with things I am motivated to learn. I have learned to felt animals and make sea glass jewelry. I have never used it to learn anything about car maintenance.

Hands-on, relevant to real life

2025-02-11 14:16:55 UTC

Learning experiences that worked best for me were those in college that were hands-on (labs, nature studies, outside the ordinary classroom, survey projects, field work). These felt relevant and important as they were often in conjunction with a research project or culminated in lab reports where I saw the relevance of my learning.

2025-02-11 17:09:03 UTC

I distinctly remember forming a connection with my high school music teacher. Although I wasn’t part of the band, I was a guitarist and an aspiring songwriter, and that was all I really wanted to focus on when I wasn’t in class. He graciously allowed me to spend my study halls in his room, giving me the space to practice, write, and explore my music. Having the freedom to pursue my passion, even for a brief time each day, not only nurtured my creativity but also made me more open and receptive to the material in my other classes.

Snowboarding

2025-02-13 01:20:22 UTC

I remember learning how to snowboard at a late stage of life. My friends were my instructors and they were vey patient. It was all trial and error. We started on the easy slopes and I fell multiple times. I learned about "catching and edge" and how to avoid it. They rode a few slopes with me, giving pointers. Later, I was on my own to go at the pace I felt comfortable. I have continued to push my abilities and love the sport.

Geometry

2025-02-20 17:17:44 UTC

I remember a lesson I completed as a student in high school that was very hard for the class and I was the only person to pass the test. I was an average student who really enjoyed and understood math so socially it felt good to be the "smart" kid for the first time. The teacher also allowed me to explain the process to the class which helped me to gain some social capital with the other students.

I will never forget about learning about ecosystems while working in the pond behind my elementary school. Seeing ecosystems in action helped to cement the concepts for me and also sparked a love for science and nature that stays with me even today, some 35-40 years later.

2025-02-26 04:23:13 UTC

Student Led Project

2025-02-26 23:06:21 UTC

I think one of the most memorable learning experiences of high school was a project in an Anthropology class. The class was divided into 2 groups who each had to develop a civilization for the other half of the class to discover. As they did for us. It was so very interactive and impactful. It was a class I looked forward to and I think all of us were very engaged and motivated. It was taught by a very seasoned veteran teacher who had figured out how to get the most out of that hour with us.