The Lessons We Learn

The only kind of learning which significantly influences behaviour is self-discovered or self-appropriated learning - truth that has been assimilated in experience. - Carl Rogers

While I don’t necessarily agree with Carl Rogers’ quote in its entirety, I do believe that learning is a voyage of “self discovery” and is something that never ceases.  Like ageing and breathing, it is not always conscious or obvious at the time, but it happens nonetheless.  Learning does not require a classroom or school (although as a primary school teacher, I certainly do believe that it is capable of occurring there), and is not the result of information contained in a book or curriculum (although it can be found there too, if you choose to seek it and apply it).  The best learning happens incidentally, through the experiences we have.   It happens when we interact with others; when we see something that grabs our attention and encourages us to discover more; when we wonder about something and search for the answer; when we listen to others and consider how their perspective refects and fits with our own; when we try something new; and when we make mistakes. I like to think (and I fervently hope), that during my time in the classroom I not only provided children with skills and strategies that empowered them to take control of their own learning, but also inspired them to want to learn and discover.  As an educator however, I would be foolish to fail to acknowledge the role that experience brings to a student’s learning.

Experience is not always the kindest and most supportive of teachers, and sometimes the lessons learned are not always immediate.  I remember watching the interaction between a friend’s child and their cat.  The child was teasing the cat and had been warned repeatedly by my friend, not to tease the cat.  As you can imagine, the parental words of wisdom went in one ear and out the other, until finally the cat had had enough.  Needless to say, after many tears and two nasty, red scratches down his arm, the child learned a healthy respect for the cat….and to heed his mother’s advice. 

When I work with students in the area of public speaking, I know that their experiences will teach them as much (if not more) than anything I say, or any written pearls of wisdom I may give them.  The lessons they learn through these experiences may appear harsh at times, but if they learn from it, it was a worthwhile experience in spite of the emotions it dredged up at the time.  Hence, the lesson concerning the importance of planning and practise in any public presentation is invariably a lesson that most speakers learn through experience.

If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.

This quote has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin and Winston Churchill, as well as that cleverest of characters, Anonymous.  Irrespective of who said it, it is another lesson that is best learned through experience. In every public speaking course, the importance of planning and preparation is discussed…..many times.  Some kids get it, probably because it is in their nature to be prepared.  They are the kids that always complete their homework and hand it in on time.  For some students however, they learn this lesson the hard way…..through a voyage of self-discovery, justification, embarrassment and eventual success.  The process is sometimes long and arduous, and it is always painful for the student and those who bear witness to it.

Time and time again, I see students stand before their peers to deliver a presentation that they have not prepared or practised.  Some believe that topic knowledge will see them through.  Others believe that past successes or their newly acquired skills will carry them over the line.  All of them learn the hard way, that preparation and practise are vital components in public speaking. You can pinpoint the moment when the lesson sinks in; there they stand before the audience, no notes to refer to, and their minds void of what they were going to say.  At that point, they know in their hearts, they will not give their best or succeed in the way they had hoped. You can see it in their eyes, and in their stance.  The brave ones give it a go anyway; those less courageous admit defeat and sit down.  In public speaking, the mind is a fickle friend; one glance at an audience can rob even the most seasoned speaker of rational thought. Experience teaches us this….and those students who want to succeed, learn and apply the lesson that experience has taught them. Hopefully, they only need to learn it once.