Three Things About Learning

Posted on by Victoria

I can be an overzealous person when it comes to learning.  I think it’s a combo of characteristics – mainly my curiosity and impatience.  I like to dig in…go long…follow the threads but I might end up on too many trails at once. 

A professor once told me I was like a firestarter.  I put a lot of pots on the stove at once and might burn down the house in the process, taking innocent bystanders along with me. 🙄 Geez.  A little dramatic, right? I think it was his not-so-subtle way of discouraging me from emailing him every time I had a bright idea or lingering too long during office hours.  But his words (and imagery) stick with me many years later, especially the reminder to curb my curiosity and embrace a slower pace.

Old Textbooks Still Speak

  1. Being True to Self

The name of one of my favorite texts, “Learning in Adulthood” from my grad school days continues to be more than a concept.  It’s a daily-ish mantra.  Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner’s compilation of wisdom helped me complete my degree but I’ve returned to their book fairly often to pick up a dose of encouragement about the science of learning and the power of adaptation and individuality.  Thanks to this trio of educators, I became fascinated by narrative learning: 

  • Notions of “storying”; the process of interpreting and applying subject matter for resonance and retention
  • The power of autobiography, fiction and case studies to help learners grasp conceptual topics
  • Connection-making as a tool for expanding a learner’s capacity for understanding
  • Journaling, dream logs and blogs are powerful record-keeping tools and have been for centuries
  • Nurturing one’s voice is a route to self-understanding

“Stories can be used to understand content, ourselves, and the world in which we live.  Narratives are also windows into development and transformational learning.  They enable us to make sense of our experience…” (p. 215, 3rd Edition)

Laughter and Learning Go Together

2. Mind the “Devil’s Doorbell”

There’s a funny comedienne named Kathleen Madigan who has a show on Prime, entitled “Hunting Bigfoot”.  Like every good performer, she artfully saves the titular headline and joke for the very end of her show. Hubs and I laughed at her plainspoken silliness because it’s as if she’s been peeking into our windows.  Or our neighbors.  Not every joke hits the home run buzzer, but we were stunned at the length of her set and the ease of her delivery. 

Her best bit?  It was about the digital age and notifications – on our phones, especially – being akin to the ‘devil’s doorbell’.  It’s hard to climb out of the trench once you’ve succumbed to the habit of peeking every time you hear a ding or buzz or a whirr. Harder still if you’re trying to set new-school-year-boundaries with students.  Structure is good.  Figure out what works best for you and stick with it. 

Blogging Friends are Smart

3. Slow Down…and Sshhh

Have you read Dr. Stein’s recent post about the power of inaction or listened to Wynne’s podcast with her meditation teacher Deirdre – on purposeful pauses?  They’re treasures and even if you caught them the first time…I recommend a return trip.  In each resource, wisdom abounds about avoiding headlong leaps and benefiting by taking a beat or two before acting, responding. I need the nudges.

Living…learning…laughing.  If you have a minute more, peek at my Victoria Ponders post today for a chuckle about a circus of a birthday party.  Powered by a 95-year-old birthday boy’s cheeky behavior.  Somewhere along the way, he learned to be true to himself.  Silly humor and all and I think he’s one of my new idols.

-Vicki 😉

43 thoughts on “Three Things About Learning”

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  2. If the history of the world were written in an engaging nonfiction narrative, my brain would have a chance of retaining at least 20% of it. As for the rest, alas, lost in the annals of forgetfulness. 😳

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    1. I’m with you. I’m good with facts, details — all the numerical spice that is part of life but gosh. If I’ve got to learn it…I do much better if the human element is front and center. Why am I not surprised you feel the same? xo and Happy Sunday, Jules! 🥰

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  5. Oh, such good stuff. I love how you phrased it laughter and learning go so well together! I know that’s so true for me. I think it comes to letting down our guard, taking the stress away and letting it happen naturally. I know that’s how I learn best. Love Kathleen Madigan’s show. Always funny. Love it Vicki!

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    1. Thanks, Brian. I LOVE your laugh. And yes.. the combo of laughter and learning. They don’t always go together, but like Julia, I think I retain info better when I can smush the two together. Glad you like Kathleen Madigan, too. We just discovered her recent show. Too funny! 🥰

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  6. Such great advice here, Vicki! I, too, and overly zealous when it comes to learning, and often need to reign myself in a bit, and you provide a perfect framework for a touch-base with ourselves: authenticity, minding distractions, and paying attention. Brilliant inspiration to start off the week. 😊

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    1. I’m so glad I’m not alone…and you, dear one EMBODY everything I admire about magnificent learners…zealous or not. Your capacity to hold meaningful information, seek out relevant connections. You’re amazing…but I can imagine that even you need a little relief now and then. I mean…you’re only human. Big hugs! 🥰

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  8. Love this trio of lessons from a lifelong learner. I’m giggling about the firestarter comment. You are in the best way – you light a fire in people’s heart. I love the direction to use stories to incorporate lessons. And I learned something, it’s called narrative learning!

    Thanks for the pointers to Deirdre’s podcast and Dr. Stein’s post. Such wonderful compliments to this great post about learning! ❤ ❤ ❤

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    1. Aw…what a sweet thing to say! I’m not sure that’s what my professor meant…LOL! I like your interp better! And yes…love the goodness in your chat with Deirdre combined with Dr. Stein’s post. Such a great combo! 🥰

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  9. While I absolutely agree that pausing a moment…or more… before opening one’s mouth is usually the best plan, I might argue a bit with the idea of slowing down the curiosity train. As a retired person, with all the time in the world, why not have a whole bunch of little fires smoldering here and there? Of course keep a fire extinguisher handy for any flare-ups or meltdowns but I like having lots of options to choose from based on the day, time, weather, my attitude, how frizzy my hair is or how much my knees ache 😉

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    1. Love that. Why not, indeed? And you…with a fire extinguisher at the ready? Sounds perfect – and you’re right. It’s the best thing, perhaps, about having time to pick and choose and get a bunch of good things going. I like where you’re at with that. Why not? xo! 🥰

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  10. I love the idea of storying learning and that’s really how I learn best or I teach best – when I apply a narrative to help contextualize the concepts.

    Hope I will be as fun as that cheeky 95 year old if I get to live that long!

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  11. Excellent post about continuing to learn and enjoy laughter. As for a firestarter, I almost burned down the Palm Springs home when I decided to watch YouTube and refinish our wood kitchen counters on my own. I used paint thinner to strip them and was practicing on an old nightstand in the garage. Later, I smelled smoke and the nightstand had caught on fire! I had left the rags with paint thinner on it. I didn’t know they could combust!

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    1. I LOVE how you applied the ‘three things’ into your comments. Fun! And I think you’ll like the Kathleen Madigan bits…she’s funny! And yah…that professor was annoyed with me ALL the time. I knew it but it didn’t discourage me! 😂

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  13. I so appreciate this – “Stories can be used to understand content, ourselves, and the world in which we live. Narratives are also windows into development and transformational learning. They enable us to make sense of our experience…”

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