#session11

“Success does not just happen, it requires hard work.” This is something that I completely stand by in life. When I want to achieve something, I set my mind to it, and I work hard to achieve it. Throughout the course of ADED4p91 I have always done my best to connect to course content, and to communicate with my peers. In order for me to truly understand what the course entailed, I read the readings in depth and made detailed notes on each session. I have found that my analyses of the readings have also become a lot more thought provoking, as the course has progressed. I think this is partially due to the opinions of my peers. While reading what my classmates have posted, I am exposed to a wide range of views. Looking through the eyes of my peers, as Brookfield (1995) talks about, really allows me to get out of my personal, confined bubble of beliefs. I have tried to comment on my peers posts every week, and I have alternated between whose posts I comment on, in order to truly interact with all of the students in the class. I find that I learn best through interaction, and through hearing what others have to say. By participating in the forums section, I have really questioned my ways of thinking, and expanded my points of view.

        Though I feel like I have made progress throughout the course, there are still some aspects of my learning that I can improve on. I have constantly been trying to take Brookfield’s advice, and look deeper into why people believe certain things. I have also been trying to see the hidden messages and underlying beliefs that many people may have. This being said, though I am not yet a teacher, I too have my pre-existing beliefs, and in order to become completely open as an educator in the future, I need to let down some barriers. It is important to realize that we are influenced by many differing aspects in life, and no two people are the same. What we believe comes with an underlying story, and uncovering that story is what will allow us to truly be open. As hooks (1994) has mentioned in her book, openness is not easy to achieve, and educators cannot expect more from their students than they, themselves, are willing to put out. Of course educators can strive to teach their students to be more open, but students have their own beliefs as well, and as educators, it is important to understand that. By aiming to achieve an open mind, one expands their own horizons of learning, and also the horizons of their students.