Final Reflection

EXP 105 Final Reflection

Ashford University

EXP 105 Personal Dimensions of Education

EXP 105 Final Reflection

Being aware of your learning patterns and skills is the key to becoming an intentional learner, individual, and employee. Using these patterns in everyday life requires self-awareness and self-regulation, mainly to set oneself apart in the work environment. I have been a target of Patter bias, as I am a Strong-Willed learner and tend to adopt a “my way or the highway” attitude (Johnston, 2018). It wasn’t until I took this class that I figured out that learning patterns, behaviors, and LCI results all play a huge role in being an effective communicator. I am a natural leader, but to be a successful leader, I must continue to thrive on being an Intentional Learner. Being aware of my learning patterns, skills, and experiences, I can Tether my Use First patterns and Intensify my Use as Needed pattern to avoid common misconceptions. I can also learn to “talk myself off the ledge” when I find myself in situations where I experience discomfort. As a Strong-Willed learner, I have learned that my Use First Precision often leads to miscommunication when dealing with others who may Avoid Precision. For example, at work, I feel that I am helpful when I tell others, step by step, how to do something (Johnston, 2018). However, my coworkers patterns differ from mine, and she feels that I am dictating or micromanaging. As a result, both parties experience Pattern Miscue. Furthermore, knowing when to Tether or Intensify my learning patterns is essential to my success at school, work, and home because it will lead to more impactful interactions.

In addition to being aware of your learning patterns, nurturing a growth mindset is equally important to ensure success in all aspects of life. It promotes an open-mind and a willingness to develop our intelligence and abilities (Johnston, 2018). One role other than being a student that I find challenging is being a parent of three young kids. While this is the most rewarding role I have, it is also the most difficult. “Almost universally, what we parents want is — a) for our kids to grow up to be happy, healthy and well-adjusted in life and b) to find success in whatever it is they do. We want to do our best to help them get there” (Sumitha Bhandarkar, n.d., What Every (Great) Parent Should Know About the Mindset of Success). I have every intention of doing things “right” or being a good role model, but I often fail. For example, one day, I woke up early to prepare for a seamless morning. I made everyone a nutritional breakfast, laid everyone’s backpacks, lunches, drinks, and clothes out. I thought to myself, “This is going to be a great morning, I have done everything right!”. Much to my dismay, the morning failed to meet my expectations, because one of my twin boys work up in a foul mood. The clothes I set out weren’t right, and the house was too cold, his school iPad didn’t charge, the list goes on. It upset me because my mind was fixed on “today is the day!”. My responses to his problems just made the situation worse, as I was quite irritated by this time. Having a growth mindset will allow me to build my children up and not tear them down. Sometimes, it is hard to remember that they are just kids; after all, I haven’t been a kid in a long time. What I should have done in that situation was to change my words and encourage my son to use strategies to avoid having stressful mornings. For example, he can start putting his clothes out the night before, so we have more time to do it together rather than during our busy morning routines. Fostering a growth mindset will allow me to lead by example and teach my kids how to be the best version of themselves.

Developing my critical-reading skills requires a high level of determination, persistence, and use of my four learning patterns. Critical reading requires engaging and exercising the mind more robustly and expansively than skimming for an underlying, literal meaning (Johnston, 2018). For example, consider a time when you learned something new, like riding a bike. Most people don’t jump on for the first time and take off; it requires practice and training. The same concept goes for developing critical reading skills. I often get caught up diving into a specific topic, which affects my ability to complete work promptly. One strategy that would benefit me in that aspect is to set a physical timer to help monitor my pace while reading (Johnston, 2018). Doing so will require me to Tether my Use First Precision and Intensify my Sequence. Additionally, I can use the SQR3 strategy. I will print out all material for each week and skim for headings, subheadings, chapter summaries, charts, and tables in text (Johnston, 2018). Something I am going to try in future classes is to print the ebook for the week and outline all assignments by using my Use First Confluency to connect the dots. Next, I will scan the chapter for important information and ask questions to ensure understanding of the purpose of the material. Then, I will recite by writing down what I have learned after reading the chapter thoroughly. I will record my findings by highlighting relevant information while taking notes to the side. Aside from using these strategies in an academic setting, being aware of my time management while learning to dig deeper into text will allow me to perform better when learning new techniques at work. It will also allow me to have better relationships with coworkers, peers, and family as I will be able to listen for inferred and inferred meanings. Critical thinking, critical reading, and critical writing will help me act ethically and contribute to academic integrity because I will able to evaluate others’ arguments and defend my point of view. Using the strategies I have learned will give me a better understanding of other aspects by allowing me to formulate my own ideas, thus avoiding plagiarism.

As cited by Johnston in the EXP105 Week 5 – Final video, we must be intentional in our actions to be successful and begin to build what she calls “mental muscles.” When I first started this class, I felt nervous, thought it would be impossible to succeed, and I was reluctant in my first responses. As the weeks went on, I learned that by reflecting on my previous submissions as well as feedback, I could approach the metacognitive forums with intention. One way I did this was to write down the four questions at the beginning of each week and make notes on what I was learning, what I did well, and what I could improve, which allowed me to approach the following weeks with intention. Value was added to my learning process by participating in the metacognitive forums because I was able to read through other submissions and feedback, which helped me to gain a better understanding of other people’s learning patterns. I connected with my classmates, and in doing so, it helped me build confidence in myself by recognizing that I wasn’t alone in this. By continuing to complete these reflective sentence starters, I can reflect and rehearse what I have learned, which will create muscle memory.

Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of the last five weeks. I lacked confidence at the beginning of this course because I am a hands-on learner and prefer a traditional classroom setting. I procrastinated in enrolling in school. I believed that my life was too busy to incorporate my continued education. I did not have any expectations when I began this course due to the fact I have never taken classes online and was apprehensive about how it would play out. I almost postponed my start date because of the pandemic; I feared that I would not be successful in not only completing the course but also in parenting, being a new homeschool teacher, or a good employee. I took a chance, though, and I am certainly glad that I did. What I enjoyed most about this course was learning about myself and others. I like that I was able to put scientific evidence behind my behaviors, both academically and personally. I also enjoyed interacting with my peers and receiving feedback from my instructor. One thing I would change would be to have a better notification process of when feedback is received or when someone replies to a comment you left them. I have my notifications turned on, but I think software similar to social media would be helpful so that nothing goes unnoticed. Lastly, I would advise anyone starting this course to take full advantage of the writing center and the 24/7 tutors. I would also recommend reaching out to the professor with any questions, as that was very instrumental to my success.