“Ancora Imparo – I am still learning.” – Michael Angelo.
The quote “I am still learning” was said by Michael Angelo when he was 87 years old (Friedman, 2018). It has a compelling impact on me as I would like to continue learning; I believe that to be successful in life, I must broaden my knowledge by learning. My family has an economic challenge since my parents did not finish college. My father completed until grade two, and my mother finished her sophomore year. Every day my parents would tell us to finish school; it was the only richness they could give my siblings and me. That thought lingers in my mind as my fondness for learning became a passion. I am so passionate about learning that I devoted myself to reading books, understanding the lessons, and passing all my classes. Through my perseverance and consistency, I passed, was awarded a college scholarship, and could move forward. But one thing that I am very proud of was when I was able to teach my father how to read and write. Thus, I firmly believe that anyone can learn.
Teaching is the process of imparting information to students and Learning is the process of receiving knowledge; it can be a positive or negative change (Karagawal, 2021). I also believe that learning can also be very personal, learners absorb learning in every different way. Karagawal (2021) mentioned that teaching and learning are interconnected key players in achieving significant change regarding individuals’ learning and improvement. I created my innovation plan to assist individual students in learning Computer Science classes and love the class. Carol Dweck teaches us that students can learn if provided with the optimum opportunities and learning conditions. Because of brain plasticity, learners can grow through challenges to learn new concepts and skills (Dweck, 2016). I would like to personally practice and use my growth mindset by showcasing my Innovation Plan. Typically, those with a fixed mindset think they are not up to tasks, but people with a growth mindset perceive a mistake as a part of the learning process (Dweck, 2016).
My learning Philosophy is a combination of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism because various methods of learning are effective depending on the situation (Bates, 2019).
As a learner in my younger years as a student, I was influenced by positive reinforcement; I usually crave stars and academic certificates. Behaviorists like Ivan Pavlov believed that positive reinforcement would cause a behavior to occur again (learning-theories.com, 2021).
Flippen (2012) mentioned that Cognitivism is centered around thinking and what occurs in the learner’s mind during the learning process. Benjamin Bloom developed a taxonomy of levels of thought processing and learning. As an older learner, I construct, list, and organize my ideas and with the use of technology tools, I was able to present and connect my ideas in a better way. Connecting new learning to previous knowledge activates learning and strengthens the likelihood that the new information will be remembered (Willingham, 2008).
The experience of reading and learning when I was younger made it easy for me to learn new things. Cullata & Kearsly (2018) noted that Constructivism is built upon the work of Jean Piaget who proposed that humans create knowledge through the “interaction between their experiences and ideas,” and children go through stages of development in which they construct ideas differently than adults.
All of my learning philosophy encompasses my Innovation Plan, (blended learning, flipped classroom and Project based learning). Digital technologies are positioned as Vygotskian mediating tools to facilitate change in schools, improve standards, and facilitate personalized learning (Fullan, 2013). Dr. Hapnuik, unique COVA approach is unique and inviting to me as a learner and as a teacher to my students as we will be able to showcase individual learning styles through choice, ownership, voice, and authenticity with the learning (Hapnuik, 2018). Technology has a significant role in my innovation proposal, as the goal is to make my classes more inviting and exciting. Technology is an excellent factor in my innovation, but the focus should always be on teaching, learning, and experiences (Fullan, 2013). As we go deeper into learning with technology, Michael Fullan’s 6C’s will help encompass academic learning as it is sometimes called learning about well-being and social-emotional learning. The 6c’s educational system will involve all students and will have a powerful impact (Fullan, 2013).
I, as a learner, need a connection; I would like to be recognized when I did my work well and it is the same thing that I would like my student to have. Recognition is my way of boosting my students’ motivation. As a learner, I collaborate with my professor and classmates for ideas and suggestions. As a learner, I also look up to a role model who inspires me to learn and be successful. My role model is my aunt, my grandparents are also poor, but she finished her degree and became successful in life. I admire her hard work and dedication; most of all, I can contact her and ask for guidance. As an educator, I want to be my students’ role models. I want them to look and ask me when they need help and advice. I would like to build connections. I would like them to be comfortable learning and know that Computer Science class is not that hard, it can be challenging, but with my assistance, it is doable, every kid needs a Champion (Pearson, n.d.). I would like to be the motivating factor for my learners.
As an agent of change, I will showcase my growth mindset and model it to my students. I can learn everything with a growth mindset (Dweck, 2016). I promise to learn new things and grow professionally and personally. I promise to share my learnings with my students and with my communities. I would like to attend professional developments, seminars, and conferences to add knowledge to my bucket. I will never stop learning, as I believe that technology is just a tool, but lifelong learning is forever fueling expertise. I am enthusiastic about learning new things every day, “A quick jump out of the box is more insightful than a lifetime of standard thinking” (Corraza, 2014).
Life long learner embodied Michael Angelos motto – “Ancora Imparo – I am still learning” is my ultimate learning philosophy (Friedman, 2018).
Annababette Diemecke's Digital Learning Journey 