From: White,Dave
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 10:46 AM
To: Daniels,Tom; Allison,Lynn; Toomey,Carolyn; Jardine,Don; Campbell,Jo-Ann; Krzywonos,Lech; Tilley,Fred; Murphy,Joseph; MacIntyre,Hugh; Madeira-Voss,Isabel; Kelly-Garnett,Tina; Champniss,Waynne; MacDonald,George; Hicks,Bruce; Barnes,Douglas; Bing,Peter; McHugh,Ed; Murray-Sellars,Sharon; Arsenault,Audrey; O'Handley,James; Bevan,Graham; Kelly,Ron; McGill,Michael; MacNeil,Bruce; Bate,Jim; MacNeil,Gordie; Williamson,Ruth; Tobey,Allen; Kingston,Dennis; Rose,Tony; Kucey,Michelle; MacNeil,Roy; Pothier,Mel; Moore,Andrew
Subject: One Student's Voice
Mark Cameron at Akerley sent me a copy of an email from one of his students, Tony Hartlin. Tony is an adult learner who ran his own construction business before returning to NSCC. Tony has given us permission to distribute his email.
Please bear in mind that this attached document is not an assignment. Tony simply wrote Mark during his Christmas break. Further, perhaps most importantly, Mark enables portfolio learning to happen in his classroom. He facilitates the learning environment so that students can grow in this way. He gets it!
Please take a moment to read Tony’s story.
Cheers
d
Hey Mark,
I was reviewing my official grades when I had an incredible urge to thank people for my achievements. It will come as no big surprise, when I tell you; I was reviewing my day yesterday after my marks were posted. It was while explaining to a friend how I was able to achieve such high grades, that it finally occurred to me how enormous a role,the concept of Portfolio Learning played in attaining that success. Even though we had talked about it in class and I referred to my experiential learning often in my term writings and learning narratives, I hadn’t fully comprehend the value of the learning that had occurred over the past thirty or more years. I thought, like most people, meaningful value learning ceased after my formal education had ended. Although I had been back to technical school, on several occasions to pursue my vocational training as a journeyman carpenter, I thought this training was a necessary means to an end, not as a valuable learning experience. I now know, the experience of going back to school then, helped pave the way andgave me courage, to go back after these many years, to pursue a new career.
It was while explaining to my learned friend Michael; himself one of the most intelligent people I have ever encountered, a trueconnoisseur of knowledge, how I was able to attain such high evaluations, when the epiphany happened. I finally got it, a sudden intuitive realization and comprehension of the essence of Portfolio Learning. Yes, an epiphany in a very true sense for me. He is also a member of the fellowship I belong to, and himself a daily inventory taker; therefore, he understood the concept of reflection as a way to uncover the true meaning of a particular event and how many events seem to be connected. While illuminating my newfound understanding of portfolio learning, I felt as though I may have had an unfair advantage over my more academic minded colleagues. Are you familiar with the game Trivial Pursuit? If so, you know the goal is to get six wedges to finish your pie before your opponent, by answering questions based on a number of categories. I remember the first time I played with some learned friends and I felt as though I was holding my own until it came to the last wedge. Do you remember, unlike the first five wedges, your opponent gets to pick the last category for questioning? My nemesis was always the “entertainment” category and my adversaries knew it. Even though I may not have known the answers to these questions when I first played the game, the more often I participated, in true experiential learning style, the less intimidated I was about others picking my last category. The more I played the game, becoming “experienced”, the more answers I learned from myself and others. “Ahhh Haaa!” he said. “Portfolio Learning is very similar to playing Trivial Pursuit!” Because I have so much more lifetime experience than the majority of my colleagues, the more resources I have at my disposal to relate my in class learning to. I have learned, thanks to you and your colleagues, this is an incredible wealth of material for me to use in my reflections, not an unfair advantage over my colleagues; my life experiences are my life experiences.
What insight someone had to develop a program of study that allowed, in fact demanded, older, more “experienced” adults, see and use the true value of that experience. Lifelong learning plus portfolio development; what a concept, a systemic view of learning, connecting all forms of learning, whether it was formal or informal. This focuses on Tony, the learner, relating each learning environment throughout my lifecycle. It was/is a bold concept to be sure, shifting from traditional institution/faculty basedteaching to experience/student oriented learning. Although I hadn’t heretofore realized it, this provoked me to learn as it accentuated self directed learning. I feel this is a real launch pad for my future learning, permitting me to revisit a lifetime of activities, making meaningful connections between success and failures. I’m pretty sure you and others have observed the potential of your insights. Learning portfolios have the probability of extending outside the margins of my specific programs. With this education technique I will be able to observe, very clearly, my growth, or lack thereof, across the spectrum, for the rest of my days. This fits very nicely into my personal beliefs and lifestyle choices, my S.P.I.M.E.S. if you will, my practicing of a daily inventory, reflecting on my usefulness to others, and my connection to my Higher Power.
As a carpenter and former construction business entrepreneur, I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on tools to make my jobs easier and thus more profitable. I used to carry a portfolio with my known credentials; journeyman carpenter and apprentice plumber documents, pictures of work completed, and satisfied customer testimonials. This was all done in an effort to close the gap between me and my business competitors, a means to an end. Because my new learning portfolio dares me to identify, analyze, and articulate all my lifelong learning, it has opened a vast resource poolfor future endeavors and challenges. With this heretofore untapped source of knowledge, talent, skill, and yes, even some insight; my new, all encompassing, perspective portfolio is an accuratedepiction of who and what Tony really is today. To me, the endearing quality of a learning portfolio, the true genius of it, brilliance on the part of its proponents, is the fact that tomorrow, when I leave you, and for the rest of my life, I will be looking at everything we do differently. I mustrespect and recognize every aspect of mine, and others informal/experiential learning, never again to marginalize it from the formal education and training methods. I had previously been conditioned to depend on institutional training and learning as the sole source of “education”.
Thanks and kudos; you, your colleagues, and the college for implementing such an innovative, provocative and stimulating way of teaching/learning. You have connected, in meaningful and significant ways, the past, present and my future. Just think of the implications if students are able to pass this gift on to others. People of the highest spiritual integrity have endeavored to attain this contiguity of life for millennium. These are only the thoughts of one happy customer, although I’m sure you must hear similar expressions of gratitude time and time again. You have a special place in the annals of teaching as you have given new meaning to “Higher Education”.