The Company You Keep

I decided to reread Smith's book tonight. Feeling under the weather today, I thought revisiting my favorite OMET book would be relaxing. What really impacted me was the Smith's thoughts on community learning. The whole idea that our learning is influenced by the "company we keep" is both exciting and troubling.

I was reminded of the discomfort I felt this week. I was struggling because I thought, in my option, that I took a unpopular position in my 664 class. I knew the comments I made would provoke some strong opinions, and it did. I guess I acted on the "risk" idea and moved far beyond my comfort zone. As I noted in another blog, I am a conformist at heart.

But I have learned from this whole experience. For one, I do have a responsibility to express my viewpoints. I also believe that I can still contribute to my OMET group even if my convictions, at times, differs. There is also an obligation on my part to learn from other perspectives. To be honest, that is what makes this experience so rewarding - the rich diversity. I also see that we can all, as a community (or club), work together to achieve a common objective, to grow as educators. I can, however, understand that the tension and differences will always be there. What is important is to work together in that environment and to grow even stronger because of our differences.

I also learned about personal bias and the influence previous knowledge has on learning. As I reflect back on my life, I see how much I am influenced from my past. It is a valuable insight that can greatly influence my future work. Adjusting my design and instruction to account for the PK of my students, is key to the transfer of new knowledge. I do realize that this adjustment will take patience.