Learning and its trajectories:

By Evan Houghton

Prior to this course, I can regrettably share my understanding of learning from not only my own point of view, but how I thought others learned, was very shallow and narrow minded. Even though learning throughout my life has always been highly valued, I never really gave it much thought. How or why learning occurs, how other people, cultures, and religions can experience learning. Not even once would I have considered the history, traditions and theories behind learning and the ecologies in which it occurs, nor the future of learning and what that may look like. Learning I thought was something we as humans just subconsciously do.

To begin evaluating what I have become to understand, this westernised viewpoint of learning from which I have lived, needs to extend beyond these walls of perceived truth, written policies and theories. Supporting this statement, Merriam and Baumgartner (2020) claims “by examining other systems is not to replace the Western tradition but rather to expand our understanding of learning and knowing” (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020, p.270). By listening to different religions, cultures, and backgrounds, the opportunity to broaden my knowledge, teaching and learning experiences widens. It saddens me to think the only indigenous learning experiences I have encountered has come later in my professional context like the school hosted program, the Cre8tive Dreamtime Event (Hammoud, 2023). I now understand learning is wide and I appreciate learning more from a multiple world view perspective.

Further evaluating my better understanding of learning, I can clearly see the importance of adult education. The social and individual benefits that learning provides for our older generation, I hope, and inevitably due to mother nature, will be part of. Throughout my life I have attended multiple formal and informal learning settings like university, club meets, conferences, exhibitions and so on. But under the spotlight of this course, we discussed the importance of Men’s Sheds and Flexible Learning Centres. The ability for these community centres to provide a safe haven for adult men to continue to learn, whether its tinkering, experimenting with new technologies, or simply sharing stories over a tea and coffee, gives the older generation greater benefits of wellbeing and purposefulness. As mentioned by Brown; (2014) Carragher and Golding (2016), Men’s sheds provide not only a workshop to build, but also a safe space to seek mental health advice and wellbeing.

After mapping my career trajectory, I can clearly see the avenues and changes I have made during my lifelong experiences of learning. The different experiences along the way show how learning ecologies and affordances along the way can often dictate this pathway. One interesting observation I made was how different other students career trajectories looked. But also, similarly leading into the present learning experience, our Master’s Degree (Learning and Leadership). This illustrates, we all are learning for better changes and experiences, whether its career opportunities and progression, mental wellbeing and psychology, personal progression, learning to live together and acquired knowledge.

As I progressed through this course, I never really understood the importance of metaphors in the context of learning. But now I see how metaphors can describe and provide familiar understanding to such a complex, cognitive, phycological and physical development stage of humans. For example, “Learning is a flame that never dies out” (Examples.com,n.d, 19.), which suggests that the desire for knowledge is a forever, eternal burning. These metaphors providing the key to unlock the treasure box of learning.

Personal and Professional Context

Towards the end of this course, I have made a real change of how I decide to learn, and what I choose to practice in my personal and professional context. I have started experimenting with embodied learning and meditation, in hope to strengthen my sporting achievements. Like attending Yoga Nidra and Zumba classes. By learning from your body rather than your mind in my opinion, gives you more understanding and focus, especially in times of high stress and adrenaline environments. Another example of changes is including cultural diversity and alternative learning into the classroom space. When you see young high school students struggling to engage, I see the westernised education system not fulfilling their needs. By incorporating culturally based projects, family backgrounds and religious experiences into the class, more modernised and personalised teaching opportunities are created.