Knowledge from the heart

To begin I want to start with constructivism relating to learning engagement. Constructivism says when students are more interactive with an activity or assignment they are more likely to be engaged. In correlation chapter eight talks about learning engagement and supports this idea stating to learn you must be engaged. Cognivism also supports chapter eight’s section on learning engagement by stating it is more helpful when students are given information they can relate to. To tie this section all together we can use active learning to see the correlation between chapter eights section on learning engagement. When chapter eight talks about self-regulation it is important to know how vital self-regulation is to our abilities to learn. Without taking the initiative to be responsible enough to show up to class the learning theories would be pointless. A good first step towards learning is just showing up to class. Self-Regulation can then lead to the next steps on understanding the type of learning theories and how one can use the knowledge of these theories to their own benefits. Next I want to jump into learning demands and knowing yourself. It is important to know yourself and understand what is your learning style and which learning style can benefit you most. Once you understand self-regulation and know yourself to a level where you can utilize your best learning styles it will be much easier to improve your learning. Other factors such as stress and time management can be very effective to your type of learning style. The less stress the better your ability to perform will be. I believe when you reach your peak of confidence and ability you can adjust to a number of learning styles and be more open to new ways of learning. When we talk about the exploration stage I really believe it can help you understand how a person can work on all these areas of self-regulation, knowing yourself, time, and stress management. I believe it is a huge step on knowing how you can improve your learning and progress as a person. Of course once you understand you can start stepping out of your comfort zone and start assessing these new ideas to your life. Also the understanding stage will really help you see how far you progressed as a person and how you can further improve day-to-day.

I personally loved all the ideas in chapter eight as I see them all tie together. The one I see myself utilizing the most is the exploration and understanding stages. As a EOP mentor and future RA I will be communicating a lot and listening as well. Of course this is active listening, by active listening  you can build a better understanding on where each individual stands and how I can help them progress both academically and as a person as well. I feel being a compassionate person would make the exploration stage much more effective for me. I believe compassion is more than just showing sympathy and emotions, it shows that you truly care within your heart and signifies something that goes beyond words. Being compassionate will help me transition to the understanding stage. Understanding what someone is going through as a person can help me understand where they need to go and help them find the place they truly want to be. I can also easily reflect on their thoughts and show them ways I could relate to make them feel more encouraged to raise the bar and exceed to greater heights as a person. I think its important for individuals to start recognizing their strengths and weaknesses and embracing them. The first step to progressing is realizing your areas where you have flaws, you can then use these to build as a person. Now it is important to note your flaws are what make you who you are and help you find the direction of where you truly want to be. Having someone to help you explore the most important things in your life can be a powerful aspect on your abilities as a person, your confidence, and sense of direction. As an EOP mentor and future RA I look forward to applying my knowledge of learning theories along with my personally skills and skills gained from this course to help others prosper both as an individual and academically.