Personal Learning Experiences

The following describe memories of learning at different stages in my life.

Elementary School

In elementary school I have a memory of learning the multiplication table. My grade-school teacher was teaching the topic and I learned the information through rote memorization. The multiplication table is information and the use of rote memorization helped to embed it so that the information becomes reflexive or intuitive. I was learning this as part of a scaffolding process to progress into higher Maths.

College

My undergraduate degree is in acting so I spent a lot of time in college learning skills. I have a very distinct memory of working with my Voice teacher on lifting my soft palate. My Voice teacher would demonstrate the physical process of lifting the soft palate which I would attempt to mimic. Because it was a physical skill, the memory of when I finally learned how to do it has stayed with me all these years. It is as if the skill has been imprinted on me. While this technique helps to remove a nasal quality to the voice, in my case it opens the oral cavities and allows far greater range.

Professional or Formal (non-school) Setting 

I was learning how to use a personal computer in the early 1990s. My friend/colleague with whom I operated a theatre company was my teacher. I learned how to use the Mac by trial and error in addition to watching my friend/colleague. This was a skill involving not only the Mac operating system but the associated Office software so that we could run the theatre by writing grant proposals, keeping budgets, developing marketing materials., etc.