Assignment:

1.  Write about a time when I had a wonderful learning experience in class. (i.e., it was productive, engaging, and educational)

2.  Write about a time when I had a wonderful learning experience outside of class

3.  Write an essay that uses these experiences and draws some conclusion about learning, how I learn, or what is essential to successful learning.

1.  When Ms. West let me pick my own spelling words

2.  When I really understood French without having to translate it in my head for the first time

I have been really lucky in my life to have had many truly great learning experiences, both in the classroom and out of it. There are commonalities in all of the experiences, regardless of where they took place, or who the teacher was. I guess because I have had so many fabulous educational opportunities, I love to learn and am always interested in new ways to do so.

When I was in the second grade, my teacher, Ms. West, used a program to determine our spelling level. The words never got very difficult, and I have a natural love of words, so I placed out of the program for the second grade. Ms. West told me that instead of working from the booklet, which was pretty boring, I was to go into the dictionary and use the first ten words I got to that I was unfamiliar with. Not only was I to learn how to spell them, but I also had to be able define them, to make some visual to help me remember the definition, to use them in a sentence, and to explain how the word related to me. My first word was Aberdeen Angus. I had to luck up Aberdeen and Angus. I found out that Aberdeen was a place and Angus was a name. I drew a cow in a kilt with bagpipes. I said that the Aberdeen Angus related to me because it was a special breed and I bet it would make a pretty special kind of steak. I became interested in Scotland, and went to the library and found a book about it. My parents knew some people from there, Johnny and Sadie, and they invited them over for dinner. They had such thick accents I barely understood anything they said, and we all ended up laughing about how many times I had to ask them to repeat themselves.

I loved the assignment. I never even made it through the B’s, but I learned so much, not just about spelling, but about all kinds of things. The best thing about the lesson was the discovery. I still get excited when I find the chance to learn about something new and unexpected. I love how one thing leads to another, and how you never know when random information becomes necessary. I thank Ms. West to this day for giving me the opportunity to explore, and to figure things out for myself.

I have also had fantastic learning experiences that did not take place in the classroom.

Understanding French for the first time:

The experience –

·  how it came about

·  what actually happened

·  why it was great

·  what I learned from it

Conclusion- So what? What is the point of this? What can conclusions can we draw from this? What does this mean to me?