April Flowers: Thriving in the Right Season

My favorite season in Texas is springtime. We are moving out of winter and the days are getting longer. Also, the weather isn’t unbearably hot yet. Plus, during springtime, a buzz lingers in the air – the feeling of summer vacation is just around the corner!

However, the biggest reason I enjoy spring is because of the Texas wildflowers. The diversity and beauty of Texas wildflowers are unmatched by anything I’ve ever experienced.  Part of the joy is that they are temporary. In early April, the roadsides are dotted with purple-blue as bluebonnets move in. Next, come the varieties of paintbrushes in an array of colors. They are followed closely by Firewheel, which last throughout spring and summer. By this time, the bluebonnets are in full bloom and Texas families take the opportunity to take pictures with the state flower. During early May, the pink evening primrose delight with their temporary beauty – these flowers last only one day before they wilt and a neighbor blooms. In May, we begin to see members of the ​​Asteraceae family: Brown-eyed Susan, Mexican hat, and coneflowers line the highway. Eventually, some of the earlier flowers start to die down, replaced by summer flowers that aren’t as vibrant but are more hearty and able to survive the summer heat and seasonal drought.

Unlike spring flowers, I was a late bloomer.

Or at least I’ve always thought of myself that way. As a child, my interests shifted rapidly; I struggled to land on a hobby or interest for long. For example, I played floor hockey and softball before I discovered cross country. Also, at different points in my life, I wanted to be a zookeeper, cure Alzheimer’s disease, be a famous singer, author books, study evolutionary biology in plants, and of course, teach science. Even as an adult, I hopped from job to job. I started my career teaching eighth-grade Intro to Physics and Chemistry to affluent children. Then, I took a year off to take a break. During this time, I worked in data entry. Next, I taught fifth-grade science at a Title One school. Honestly – this was probably the most rewarding job I ever had, and the one in which I learned the most. Then, I ended up at a mostly ELL, all-girls public school where I taught a STEM elective class to sixth through eighth grade. Finally, I ended up back in the district I started tackling my current role on the Digital Learning team. 

At 41 years old, I decided to go back to school because I found the ADL program. I feel like I can finally see a path to my future, albeit a bit blurry. I never felt like I knew “what I wanted to be when I grew up.” Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever land on one thing. As soon as I begin to wrap my brain around a job or passion, a new door opens and pulls me in another direction. 

Why did I change jobs so much?

When I reflect on Why, it’s hard to pinpoint. Each job change had slightly different reasons. For example, I left my first teaching job after my sixth year of teaching. During my fifth year of teaching, I had a banner year. I connected with my students so well and truly felt I had mastered “teaching.” Then, my sixth year of teaching fell flat. I wondered, “Should I even be a teacher? Maybe I’m not cut out for this.” I was no longer learning and growing in a way I wanted to.

Daniel Pink (Stephenson et al., 2010) shares that three factors lead to peak performance:

1. Autonomy: Self-direction “You probably want to do something interesting. Let me get out of your way.”
2. Mastery: The urge to get better at stuff.
3. Purpose: Making a contribution that is bigger than yourself.

I see this in myself. When I reflect on my itch to switch jobs, I notice a pattern. In all instances, I was lacking autonomy, continued growth, or a connection to a transcendent purpose. Much like plants, all learners – adults included – must have the right environment to be able to grow. How does this connect to learning philosophy?

It’s about learning.

“Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today. Connectivism presents a model of learning that acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity” (Siemens, 2005).

As I continue to explore learning philosophy, I think I’m landing on Connectivism. However, there’s a strong probability that will change over time, possibly rapidly. Because learning is as much about the environment as it is about a person and the environment evolves, I posit that learning theory must continue to evolve too. Humans learn in a similar way – inquisitively, always exploring their environment – but in a different context. As humans, we change our environment, so what we know about the environment changes. What was true has changed. As we become connected through technology, knowledge no longer exists in a vacuum. What we know exists in ourselves, in others, and in non-human appliances. Learning must be about creating a meaningful environment for knowledge construction that goes beyond what we see as capable now into a realm that explores what might be capable.

I have more questions than answers.

Questions I’m still exploring:

• Where is the line between what benefits big business – humans as machines who become cogs in society – and how people really learn. What is the effect of this on how learning theory developed and continues to develop?
• Where is the line between humans and technology? How might that evolve?
• Where is the line between the individual and the collective? How might that evolve?
• What “skills” or “knowledge” do all students need to have? Beyond number sense and literacy?
  • Do students need to memorize multiplication facts?
  • Do students need to know how to at least read cursive?
• What is innate and what isn’t?

I think my beliefs about learning will continue to develop as I explore some of these questions in depth. However, I wonder if I’ll ever land on one learning theory forever, as I think that theories evolve as we need them to. Also, if you look at my track record, I don’t tend to hang onto one interest for eternity.

The right environment to flourish:

Regardless of the learning theory that you or I land on, I think we can agree that what we are doing now isn’t working. We must move from an industrial model of education that is about linearity, conformity, and batching (Robinson, 2010). That is, we must move to an agricultural model where human flourishing is an organic process (Robinson, 2010). We must also accept that we cannot predict the outcome (Robinson, 2010). Finally, we must just create the conditions under which learners will begin to flourish, and hope for wild, uncontrollable growth beyond what’s imaginable (Robinson, 2010).

Maybe I’m not a late bloomer. Rather, maybe – like all learners – I just thrive in the right environment. Maybe I just need the right conditions, and maybe those conditions are seasonal. Just like Texas wildflowers in the spring.

References

Robinson, S. K. (2010, May 24). Bring on the learning revolution! | Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube. Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, 2(1). https://jotamac.typepad.com/jotamacs_weblog/files/Connectivism.pdf

Stephenson, A., Park, A., & Pink, D. (2010, April 1). RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. YouTube. Retrieved April 8, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc