Closure and aftermath

Kuva Pexels Magda Ehlers 17.02.2022

Somehow I feel like this head scratching monkey in the picture: I'm thinking what just hit me! It feels like this course had so many new things that it was almost too much. But still, here I am: on the other side at a point where I am supposed to reflect on what I have learned during this process. 

As a closure I can say that even though the course schedule was tight, this method of studying seems to work for me. I could see myself working on a portfolio in the context of another course as well. I would probably want to try a different kind of portfolio next time, just to learn something new again. Now that this was my first time using a portfolio as a tool of learning, it was only natural to choose a way I was familiar with.

The course went really fast. It feels like I was just getting started and yesterday I realized that we will have the last classes tomorrow. Despite the fast schedule, I learned so much during the course: I tore myself out of my own formulas, challenged my own ability to learn and study independently, and learned a lot about the importance and challenges of self-direction. I now realize that self-direction is, if not vital, very important in the hectic way of life today. In our small peer group, I learned important active listening. During group work, I learned a lot from others and myself, and it was enlightening to see how different perspectives we have on things.

I also learned, during the course, that learning is not about the beginning and the end but about the process. And what matters is not that you hang on to your initial assumptions with all your force, but that you are openly curious about things and able to change your thinking while learning. The evolution of thought is thus the greatest gift that the learning process can give. Whether evolution occurs through the action of a group or oneself is also a side issue. I also learned that the process can’t be right or wrong, it just is. This thinking process was concretely approached through group work, when the group worked according to the given instructions. I thought I was lucky to get into a group that had a good spirit and a safe atmosphere from the first encounter, but hearing the stories from the other groups revealed that the good spirit covered the entire course.

So what's left of this? Self-direction, the ever changing flow of learning and active attention. I believe that these skills will also be useful in future studies.

Kuva Pexels Ketut Sybiyanto 17.02.2022