Personal Learning Philosophy
In high school, I had a lot of trouble with school work. My grades reflected this and in fact, I had to do an extra semester to make up a few classes I failed. This all changed after my first year studying at Sheridan. I decided the way I was studying before just wasn’t working and I needed to make a change. I am a type 4 learner application and trial/error are the most efficient ways for me to retain information and grow. I realized this early and I began spending more time studying. I used to just go over my notes before tests and forget everything when test day came. For the past few years, I have begun a new strategy. I first retake all the notes I had already taken in class by going over the course material again on my own. I then write out what some possible exam questions could be and try to answer them without my notes. Finally, I check my answers using my notes and basically keep repeating this same process until I am confident, I know all the information required for the exam. By simply changing the way I studied my test grades went from an average of 55-70% to an average of 80-100%. In the future, I believe it's important to take a similar approach to setbacks and failures. Instead of continuing with the same methods that caused failure, I should reflect, and make the necessary changes to put me on the path of success. I often have trouble working with others that do not contribute to conversations/discussions these are usually those that learn through conceptualizing and watching. I find that using my personal learning strengths I can help push these individuals into inputting more of their opinion allowing us to work more seamlessly. The artifact I choose for my learning philosophy is a quote by Michael Jordan. Since I was a kid Michael Jordan has always been a huge inspiration to me as a fan of the game of basketball. He has many inspirational quotes and even the idea that he didn’t make his high school basketball team and went on to be a six-time NBA champion really speaks to my experiences in life so far. No, I am not a champion yet, but as the quote says if I continue to “take shots” or risks and put myself in situations that make me uncomfortable I will grow and eventually reach my goals through simple trial and error. This relates quite well to my personal learning philosophy as I have learned to use trial and error and hands-on approaches to learn.
