When we started this course, my “foundations” of
student affairs were quite literally, absent. I was very surprised that the
education system that is admired and desired all over the world, and especially
in India, could be imperfect. Being a product of an education system that is
proudly and rigidly based in non-developmental, “conveyor-belt” styles of
learning, I could relate to the disadvantages associated with this kind of
learning. I was forced into a learning style that did not fit and could not
thrive. Now, being exposed to different philosophies of education, I can
honestly say that I am NOT missing any academic genes and am flourishing.
The important conversations we had and literature we
read have informed my perspective. Due to the lack of transformative education
in my life, I am passionate about advocating for transformative, open-minded,
engaging, multi-cultural and developmental learning that works in harmony with
character and personality development. It prepares students not just for a
future career but for life as a whole. I appreciated the SPPV, 1939 and its stress
on the idea that students are different types of people and therefore cannot be
educated in the same way. I was inspired by the role of Student Personnel, to
create independent, critical thinkers who challenged themselves, value
difference and loved learning. In SPPV, 1949 they stressed the importance of
the role of the student in his/her learning, which I could not agree with more.
This makes for more invested and responsible learners. The fruits of this kind
of learning are more rewarding and know from personal experience, that the traditional
kind is not very meaningful.
I loved the focus of both Learning Reconsidered 1
and 2 on the quality of learning rather than on just the quantity. It also
stressed the importance of transformative learning that creates reasonable,
engaging, collaborative, empathetic professionals versus the traditional
transference of information styles which churns out graduates who have a lot of
information in their heads but cannot necessarily translate it into action. Our
exercise on developing learning outcomes for Chapter 3 in our text showed me
how valuable they can be in developing effective lesson/education plans.
Keeling and Hersh’s goal in writing WLOM, seemed to
be to urge Student Personnel not to be comfortable with anything less than
challenging, rigorous, foundation-shaking, self-reflective, thought-provoking
and character-building educational environments. For me, the book did exactly
that. The first half of the book really challenged the “safe” view of learning
and showed us that true learning ought to be fluid, creative, discerning and
useful. They urged us to understand the scientific, developmental basis behind
learning and rethink the way we “assess” learning. Passionate commitment and
collaboration between students, SA personnel and faculty is pivotal in driving
these changes. It is therefore so important that mindsets, attitudes and perspectives
change; for us to have uncomfortable conversations and push ourselves out of
our comfort zones.
It was very inspiring to see our CSL490 Board full
of relevant and thought-provoking pins on race, SES, gender, mental health,
equality, learning styles, disabilities, leadership, culture etc. These topics
are the fabric of our world and more importantly of our students today. We must
look at our students within these environments and challenge the idea that
learning is a separate entity. Understanding the complexities and uniqueness of
these issues helps us discover ways to meet the needs of students, which are
constantly in flux.
Last but not least, our Emergenetics profiles were
the icing on the cake. It provided a level of insight into our thinking and
behavioral styles, that will inform our ideas, interactions and work. I have a
deeper understanding of myself because of this and am so excited to find ways
to use this in counseling/SA.
In class on Monday, I could sense that we were all
feeling uneasy about how we would attack this Mt. Everest of a responsibility
that Keeling and Hersh have put on our shoulders. While this was not an enjoyable
feeling, I was proud that we were welcoming this discomfort and craving ideas
for creating this change. While it seems like an impossible task, the smallest
change in our attitudes and perspectives, our unwillingness to settle for less,
and desire to do something different than we did before is invaluable. Armed
with this information and the thoughts we have, opinions we create, stereo-types
we challenge, empathy we feel, bonds we form and knowledge we transform, we are
sowing seeds for something dynamic to happen.
Beautifully stated.
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