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What is a learning autobiography? On some basic level, it's an
autobiographical account of your learning. My hope for this assignment
is that it will be a place in which you can reflect on how you
learn -- how you have in the past, how you are (or are not!) right
now, and how you think you might in the future. This is an assignment
that will grow over the course of our six weeks together. In the
right hand column below I outline the components I expect to find
in your own learning autobiography, but you should feel invited
to be as creative and expansive as you can and want to be. In
the left hand column I provide some ways to think about your own
story. I hope that they will be evocative and will help you to
add depth and substance to your reflections.
At various points during the term I'll ask you to share pieces
of this autobiography with your small group. You may also discover
things through it that you would like to share with the whole
class. A final version of this autobiography is due to me by March
24. At that point I am expecting that it will be at least ten
pages long -- or an equivalent in web format, if you choose to
post it on the web.
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Pictures
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Do you have any pictures of yourself engaged in learning? Many
people have pictures that mark learning milestones (graduation photos,
confirmation photos, etc.). Other people might have photos from
camp, from family vacations, and so on. In looking at these pictures,
how do they add to your story of your learning?
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Metaphors
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When you think about yourself as a learner and as a teacher, what
kinds of metaphors do you use to describe those roles? Are you a
coach, a novice, a beginner, a midwife, an explorer, a storyteller?
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Music
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Some of my earliest memories of religious learning are set to music.
I remember sitting in small chairs singing "This is my father's
world" and "Jesus loves me." But I also remember
the wild, joyous abandon of Madonna's song "Cherish" hitting
the airwaves in the golden autumn of my college years. What music
comes to mind for you as you think about your own learning?
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Films
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Have any films been pivotal in your learning? Or are there films
that do a good job of representing what you think learning is about?
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Retreats, camps, and so on
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Particularly in religious contexts, experiential education -- including
bible camps, weekend retreats, and so on-- is often very prominent
in people's learning autobiographies. Do you have any such stories
to tell?
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Part one: Learning history
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| What is your own history of learning? Pause and think
for a moment of some vivid learning experiences in your own life.
Describe a couple of them, or better yet, think about some of the
similarities amongst them.How do you describe learning? Who has helped
you learn? What kinds of institutions have shaped your learning? |
Part two: Learning style
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Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs' survey? Do you know your
"MBTI" style? Or have you taken the Gregorc inventory?
Both of these have been offered at Luther in various settings, and
the results provide useful insights into learning.
What about Gardner's multiple intelligences? Do you see your passions
and preferences clustering in a particular one of the intelligences
Gardner outlines?
In this section of your autobiography, you should describe in concrete
terms what you know about how to support your own learning.
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Part three: Learning goals
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You are in this class for many reasons, but at least one of them
has something to do with what you hope you will learn by participating
in it. What are your specific goals for this learning experience?
How will you negotiate between what you want to learn, and the goals
and framework set in place by me (as your teacher)? What are your
longer term goals for the degree program you are enrolled in, or
are thinking about joining? What are you lifelong learning goals?
What kinds of learning hopes and dreams are you pursuing? What
are the learning questions that are pushing you?
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