Personal Dimensions of Education Essay

Learning involves you taking in the world around you and connecting to what you are experiencing. It then requires that you make sense of the experience- that you come to an understanding of it. Learning also involves using your critical thinking skills and sound judgement to respond appropriately to any workplace task, online assignment, or opportunity to speak publicly. My views of learning have changed as a result of this class by understanding learning patterns, what they are, how to use them, and how I can implement them. By utilizing the LCI, I can better take in the world around me, make sense of it, and respond appropriately. Taking the LCI and getting my scores for Sequence, Precise, Technical Reasoning, and Confluence, I can see if I use each one as â€Å"Use First†, â€Å"As Needed†, and â€Å"avoid†. This is all very new to me and has certainly helped me become a better learner. As a learner, I am Strong-Willed, meaning I am my own team. Using my learning patterns, I can control the plan, ideas, the talk, the decisions, the process, and the outcome. I have the ability to use multiple patterns all at once. This allows me to be more thorough and produce better work. My Sequence score is 32. I use this pattern by arranging my day on paper. I write things down such as work, school, gym, grocery store, etc. This lets me check things off as I complete them. I like to organize my list from highest priority to the least. My Precision score is 28. I use Precision mostly at work. Currently, I work as a chef and precision is vital. I must label all foods once they are open and meals that are complete with name, date, and time. I measure all my ingredients, especially when baking. Documenting all temperatures on a HACCP sheet, whether cold or hot is also critical. We must not allow food  to be in the â€Å"temperature danger zone†, between 41 degrees and 140 degrees. My Technical Reasoning score is 29. I believe everybody uses this pattern more than they realize, regardless of their score. We as humans are problem solving and implementing some sort of plan all day long. Building, constructing, and assembling are used constantly pertaining to character, meals, plans of action, or even picking out something to wear. Finally, my Confluence score is 18. I have used this pattern ever since becoming a father. Imagining and dreaming up games or scenarios is something my daughters and I do constantly. This pattern also served me well with my education. There are many benefits to my learning patterns and being a Strong-Willed learner. Confluence is the only pattern that I use â€Å"As Needed†, giving me many options to utilize. Sequence has allowed me to keep my work organized and in order. By listing my goals for each week, it has been easier to compare and contrast, develop solid, well written work, and has made it easier to review my work for quizzes, discussions, and assignments. Precision has allowed me to hand in well documented work that is thorough and accurate. Detail and correct reading and writing skills give me the ability to learn quicker. Technical Reasoning has let me demonstrate college level work. By giving purpose to my work, I feel like I am really accomplishing something worth while. Problem solving and figuring things out for myself lets me remember things easier. I am able to implement different styles based on the directions and what the instructor is looking for. By meshing these patterns together, I have made learning work for me, developed a regular schedule, and have been actively seeking to grow in knowledge and skills, therefore becoming a better intentional learner. Because I am a Strong-Willed learner, my patterns could have easily made things difficult for me if I had not tethered them. I scored high in sequence, precision, and technical reasoning, 32, 29, and 28 respectively. This sometimes gave me the false notion that everything I was doing, such as my answers, structure, etc., was correct and I didn’t need the help of  classmates or the instructor. This was somewhat true in the beginning of the class, but changed as we got into chapter 4 and I started learning about FITing. Pertaining to Sequence, I needed to tone down the fact that I really want to know exactly what the finished assignment should look like instead of just doing my work to the best of my ability and having faith that what I hand in is correct and acceptable. With Precision, I had the tendency to try and gather too much information in little time. I learned to use my time better while still gathering good information. Technical Reasoning affected the working relationship I had with Precision by limiting the amount of information provided. I quickly learned to use these two patterns together by tethering them. By tethering these three patterns and forging Confluence, I will be a more intentional learner in the future. Over the past five weeks, I have really enjoyed learning the concept of intentional learning and getting a more in-depth definition of exactly what learning is. I have never been taught about learning patterns and was very interested to learn about them and find out that I was a Strong-Willed learner. I found the LCI to be an amazing tool to use with learning. It was also refreshing to brush up on critical thinking, reading, and writing. Being able to apply intentional learning techniques to career networking and executing the steps of a career development plan I found to be priceless. I have taken online classes in the past, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. What I didn’t expect was how valuable this class would be to me and the ease I had with how Ashford has made learning. I still have to work hard and apply myself, but I am very happy to have chosen this school and look forward to finishing my degree plan in this setting.