PERSONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Prairies, Technology, and Counseling, oh my!

In third grade I remember learning about how pioneers lived in the United States in the 1800’s. The teachers in our grade got together and transformed our hallway and classrooms into a pioneer town, we dressed appropriately, participated in “authentic” activities like churning butter and writing on chalkboards with our period-specific primers. We learned about this to give us context for the history and a glimpse into this particular American experience.

In college I remember learning about science and technology for the everyday life. It was the last class I ever took and was a random credit I needed, yet it was the most fun and, in some ways, most practical for life. We watched films and read from a humorous and illustrated book about how things work while completing fun and hands-on activities like building a camera, taking apart and putting back together and engine, soldering a motherboard, and dissembling a computer hard drive. We were learning the practical side to elements we touch and use all day every day. Our instructor chose to teach this way, so we would have a realistic and applicable way to make decisions about technology in the future.

Professionally, I remember ‘learning how to counsel,’ someone. In school and my first few roles, we would shadow each other and give feedback. We continued to meet and discuss clients throughout my career. We learned by doing, reflecting, and gathering feedback. We learned this to help us meet our client’s needs the best way possible. This included our own active listening and counseling techniques, but also equally importantly, familiarizing ourselves with applicable and current resources for them.