ple

When I was first presented with this assignment, I wasn’t really sure how to explain how I learn. It isn’t a thought that you have to consciously think about. I also noticed that a lot of our predecessors broke down their process into charts or maps, which wasn’t really my style. I feel like my learning process is a little more organic. So instead of making this overly complicated, I decided to break it down into three simple categories: technology, experience, and personal reflection. Then I decided to take you in on ” A Day in the Life” (a comic-esque illustration) so you can see how I use my learning process throughout my day.

Technology, for me, is so integrated into my life that I don’t really have to think about it at this point. In one of the panels, I drew a picture of me working–which, if you’ve ever seen me doing my homework in Lawrence, that is probably pretty close to how I look. I work on my laptop, with my phone nearby, and I listen to my i-pod (an actual i-pod, not a phone). I’m usually using multiple programs all at once, multitasking and avoiding work all at the same time. In the thought bubble behind my head, I wrote down a list of programs that I use on a regular basis for classes, and my own benefit. It can, at times, be a little overwhelming to have so many sources available all at once, and have different professors ask you to use different things to suit the needs of their different projects. The text is small and continuous to show how things are constant and endless. In there you will see social media, word processing programs, Adobe suite programs, and many more.

In another panel, you will see me crouched over a surface with various painting supplies next to me, with an easel in the background. While I’m not regularly doing art projects anymore, this was an easier portrayal for the “hands-on” experience. For me, hands-on experience is often more beneficial in my learning process than anything else. Lectures are not particularly engaging to me. Part of this is probably due to my past as a visual artist, where I spent four years working with my hands and figuring out the processes for myself. I am so used to being “active” in my learning processes, that I find lectures and typical classrooms settings to be incredibly “passive” in comparison. Things like on the job training and internships keep me interested and engaged. I am fortunate to be in a program now where so much of what we do is incorporated into hands-on experience, even if it isn’t quite as literal as making art.

In the last panel, you see me on my bed, going over notes. I spend all day trying to keep track of information and pay attention that I’ve learned that I need sometime at night to go over things. During this time, I can reflect on class and see if there is anything I need to improve on, or ask questions about. It’s not a complicated process, but it helps when I am testing to see if I actually absorbed information–which can be challenging some days.