My Reflections on Education

The learning experience throughout my educational career has been diverse and varied. I have learned within both synchronous and asynchronous environments. Both of these methodologies have their strengths as well as their drawbacks.

The synchronous experience for me was enriching in that it allowed me to learn new concepts within an environment of nurturing support. I enjoyed the synchronous learning format, it provided for instant feedback and an established support network. Teachers and classmates offered an interactive environment which challenged my knowledge and understanding of the curriculum. The need to for constant follow up with lesson plans and learning material was not as necessary, as in asynchronous environments.

The asynchronous learning environment made up the bulk of my graduate learning experience. The asynchronous learning environment offered some major distinctions from that of the synchronous model. The major difference between the two lies in the ability to manipulate knowledge. Within the asynchronous instructional environment the learning dialogue, materials and textbooks are documented in a virtual format. This allows for the easy utilization, documentation and categorization of material in a way unmatched by its synchronous counterpart.

The synchronous learning environment is excellent for situations that allow for the time and mobilization needs of face to face learning. Traditional educational institutions as well as businesses and organizations utilize this model of learning.

Regi Adams

Regi is an educator having conducted human-based professional and personal training within multiple Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profit organizations. Regi's philosophy on exceptional business and human performance is that "all success starts with the individual ". Thus Regi's approach to creating high performance organizations is by assisting people in creating a greater sense of personal agency. Regi is an alumnus of Wilberforce University. He currently is a doctoral candidate within the University of Phoenix, School of Advanced Studies, pursuing a degree in Educational Leadership. Regi’s research focuses on the cultivation of human agency and self-efficacy.

Knowledge to Wisdom Part II

The minds of learners must be sown with the seed of knowledge, so that through guidance and challenging interaction the stabilizing roots of wisdom can emerge. This emergence of wisdom is what will anchor the student to principles that will faithfully serve as tools along life’s path. Here I will take the time to draw an important distinction between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is wisdom in infancy, whose promise has not yet been born. Wisdom is the maturation of knowledge’s seed imparting its ethical influence upon the world. Knowledge is merely the collection of raw data, facts and information. Wisdom is the organization of these bits of information into a directed and cohesive global understanding. Knowledge is like a collection of instruments playing each one of its own accord. Wisdom is those same instruments harmoniously interweaving in each others melody creating a beautiful sonnet.

Contemporary educational strategies are dominated by the imparting of knowledge, rarely are steps taken to transform this knowledge into wisdom. For it is the mature state of wisdom that stabilizes and anchors learning, transforming it into lived paradigms able to withstand the challenges of time and apathy. As the seed of the tree is merely a container for larger realities so is the seed of knowledge.

How does one unlock the promise of knowledge? Constructivist strategies offer the greatest promise. The constructivist paradigm of education asserts that students learn best when actively engaged by the learning environment. The teacher is not the source of learning but rather the students themselves. The teacher merely facilitates the operation of the learning environment. Constructivist pedagogy creates an active environment where learners are challenged to acquire, learn and construct their own understandings of presented information and facts. This is the process of knowledge attainment. Constructivist pedagogy emphasizes the role of the teacher as facilitator, rather than the role of teacher as the imparter of knowledge and wisdom. The two roles establish two very different relationships with the learner. The facilitator role requires the student to be an active agent in the learning experience. Tools are provided the student, but how those tools are used and configured are up to the student to figure out.

The traditional teacher role presupposes that students are empty receptacles waiting to be filled. This type of relationship is of a passive nature for the learner who must only learn to regurgitate what is imparted. Building on foundations of dynamic engagement helps to ensure the future growth and learning of the student, even after the initial experience has long faded into the fog of time.

Knowledge to Wisdom part 1

The need to rethink educational strategies and pedagogy is perhaps at the most critical stage observed in U.S history. The record drop out rates in our school systems and the wide spread underdevelopment of our students are ominous signals of turbulent times ahead. The jewel of society rests squarely in the bosom of its intellectual institutions. The strength of a society’s ideas and its passion for learning are foundations on which thriving and sustainable communities are built. To nurture the mind, in a desire to develop a deep understanding of the world around us, has often been relegated to an inferior status within the hierarchy of our society’s considerations. It is rarely acknowledged that intellectual wherewithal is what makes all other considerations achievable goals.

I would like to illustrate this point with an analogy. The grand structure of a tree starts but from a modest seed, one would rarely see the logic in this were it not for the commonality of such an occurrence. The same principle can be seen in the existence of a bustling society, knowledge and learning are the seeds by which all else grows. The germination process occurs and the seed of knowledge sprouts roots which can be likened to wisdom. These roots act to stabilize that society in the midst of challenge, turmoil, etc. As is the case in nature, the life that the seed has introduced into the world must continually be nurtured in order for it to live and grow. Without the continual nurturance of the tree by the environment, the tree would surely perish no matter how magnificent the tree might be in stature.

It is my belief that life long learning and education are the means through which societies can maintain their vitality and heath. The underlining goal of education should be to transform the mere accumulation of facts, digits and data into meaningful understandings and enlightened perceptions. The contextualization of learned information into the larger perspective of the world and responsibility helps to nurture this process.

The e-lightened Mission

Regi Adams is an educator and consulting scholar who seeks to increase the success of people and organizations, through educational tools and coaching. Regi's organization, The e-lightened Mind was founded upon the conviction that true human performance and prosperity comes through the education and training of the“total person”. The e-lightened Mind seeks to be a powerful catalyst in the lives of people seeking to achieve their best self.