Yesterday we had our monthly skype call, and Maité offered some excellent advice--think of the AOLs as a transition to module two, she said. They're just a jumping off point. Adesola had a great analogy too, saying that the AOLs are our bridge from work to academia, and the module three artifact is our bridge from academia back to work. Then some questions about module three and the process of research made me think about transitions and processes in general.
My title above is tongue-in-cheek, but in earnest also. Lately, I've noticed myself apologizing a lot for being mid-process in life and work, as if perfection is something not only attainable but realistically attainable in the near future. Obviously it isn't! At the risk of sounding cliche, I'm trying to drum into my head that there's nothing in life that isn't a process. The AOLs lead to module two's big questions which lead to module three's specific questions which lead to different kinds of questions which lead to other areas of research ten years down the road... it doesn't stop. If I wait to be satisfied until my process is done, well, that's just never going to happen, and that's okay.
Example--when I was a senior in undergrad, I did a large senior performance project that turned out rather disappointingly. In some ways it went well; I got great feedback from the audience, a good grade, and of course I learned a lot about both my research subject and myself. In other ways, it didn't go so well. But when I finished it, I didn't really feel done. I felt like I had just completed the very beginning of a long journey and that someday I might revisit it, even though the basic conclusion of my research investigation was that the investigated thing was something that didn't work for me at ALL.
Fast forward five years later... and that thing? It's suddenly reappearing in my life! In fact, I'm finding it to be immensely helpful, which frankly I find weird, but whatever, it happens. I find it immensely satisfying as well as darkly amusing that a thing I hated so much and was so convinced would never work for me is suddenly something that is giving me a great deal of joy.
It's the same with our module questions. Instead of thinking of them all as research projects with a defined end and goal, it might be better to think of them as jumping off points, during which we bite off a tiny amount, chew it, turn it in, and then keep coming back to it over our lives. Research and life aren't ever really done, right?
Hi! Yesterday during my last interview for my research about ownership of the learning process I told my interviewee that finally I came to know that maybe the learning process itself cannot be owned but the the outcome of the learning can be. It is about what we do with the things we learn. She told me: "Everything in life is a process. Life is a process. Very often, you understand only years later why something happened the way it did, or why it was good or bad that something happened." It is the same with the learning. Very often, you come to know what you have learned only years later. During the learning processs, you are to busy learning, or judging, or creating,...
ReplyDeleteSo, basically, what I want to say is that yes, everything is a process, and sometimes it is good not to overanalyse things. Just be present in the process. Once you backed away, you can look back and analyse, or notice what kind of things you own. AOL's are a great opportunity to show what kind of knowledge you own because of some specific processes you went through. And yes, it is not closing a door but opening the door and inviting yourself to continue.
I just finished listening to the recording of another Interview I did this week. When I told this interviewee that maybe we can only own the learning outcome and not the learning process itself she said: Yes, or maybe, because the learning process is never over, you can own the learning process you just have to define which part of the process. Just wanted to add this as you say: research and life aren't ever really done. It is the same with the learning. I didn't understand what my interviewee wanted to tell me during the interview and I think because I read your post this morning, now that I relistened to the recording, I was ready to understand what she wanted to tell me, so thanks for that :-)
DeleteHow neat! I'm glad the blog proved useful. I too have noticed that things only seem to gel much later. I'll have to chew on the owning the outcome though. Can you elaborate on what you mean?
DeleteIf you learn a plié, someone has to tell you what it is and how it works. However, how you use your plié after you learned it can be up to you. You might do a different plié for a big jump than you do to prepare a turn. Or you might do a plié differently in a contemporary class than in ballet class or improvisation. So, if you are able to analyse your plié and the situation you are in and react appropriatly to it, that means that you own the outcome of learning the plié. Does that sound logical? Would you agree to that?
DeleteYeah, I'd agree with that. Phrased another way, it sounds like your learning has reached a deep enough level that you're able to synthesize and apply your learning, even if imperfectly. Although I am noticing that with one of my students, because their training has been very patchwork, I am having to help them synthesize and learn how to learn in a way that I don't usually have to do with other students. They are working very hard, but still we keep finding unexpected learning gaps that I do my best to help them fill in. So the teacher can play a role in helping students own their outcomes too.
Delete(sorry for taking ages to respond; it took me that long to chew on it!)
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ReplyDeleteHello Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry, never took time to read other's blogs from Module 1 or Module 2 as always I focused on my current module and magnitude of reading literally screwed me up sometimes. My sincerely apologies. I understand reading community blogs broadens one's knowledge and facilitate further thinking. Thanks to Adesola for initiating this idea of writing on other's blogs. Good luck and best wishes.
No worries! Thanks for the comment and I look forward to interacting with you via blog more in the future! :)
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