Personal Learning Experiences

I think of science class when I  think of grade school. I know that I took other subjects of course but  science always stood out. We had a lot of hand's on learning. I remember  dissecting the fetal pig in 4th grade and the fish in 5th grade. We  made things to demonstrate scientific ideas. The hand's on aspect made  it fascinating. While I ended up in social sciences, I had always  intended in ending up in science somewhere. Learning by doing made it  exciting, fun, interesting.

Some of my learning took place in a traditional  classroom. I was taking Spanish in a classroom for my military service  and that was also for college credit. In that context I was learning for  "work" in an immersive environment. Later I would do my graduate work  primarily online and I learned both through interaction with my peers as  well as in-depth exploration of others' research, theory, etc. I think  learning came more through the interconnection between ideas. When I had  to form my thinking to write a paper or create a presentation, I  learned by considering what ideas emerged, how they fit together, the  conclusions I could draw and support, etc. 

I have taken training in a variety of formats both face-to-face as well as through technology aided tools. I discovered that opportunities that allowed me to use or apply what I was learning provided the most satisfying training. Thus, this shapes my approach to workplace training. Whether it is knowledge or skills based, it has to be relevant and useful to the individual and in turn to the organization and its goals, strategy, mission, and values.