Lifelong Learner Baseline Reflection

Andrea Edbauer
November 4, 2014

As an educator, I value not only the act of learning, but the process of learning, as well. A
strength for me in this area is that I truly enjoy discovering new ideas, developing hypotheses,
and trying them out in my classroom. For example, I was very excited to read a journal article
on incorporating Greek and Latin word study into my second-grade classroom. I developed a
unit that I am going to begin implementing this week. I am very excited to do so, and anxious to
share this unit with my colleagues.

As a lifelong learner, I also reflect on ​how​ I learn best, and use that information in my classroom
with my students. For example, many teachers, myself included, enjoy a quiet classroom,
where students are working independently. This is the type of learning environment that I
prefer for myself. I have to have complete silence in order to focus and concentrate. I realize
that there are some students who like this type of learning environment, but others like to
work collaboratively, or listen to music. As a result, I try to offer a variety of learning spaces in
my classroom. I also found that I learn best by doing. Someone can tell me something, or I can
read about it a dozen times, but it will not register until I try it myself. Because of this, I use the
“I do, we do, you do” scaffolding approach in my classroom as much as possible. I also develop
a variety of lessons that address different learning styles. Lessons may involve songs, creative
writing, creating a poster, using technology, or working in collaborative groups.

One way in which I would like to improve in the area of becoming a lifelong learner is to
collaborate with colleagues more often. I like to work independently, but I realize that there is
power in collaboration. Working with others can help me become more aware of different
approaches to learning.

April 28, 2019

Although I am currently on a 3 year hiatus from teaching, my passion for learning has not
halted. I am constantly hungry for new information on a variety of topics. The most recent
example is Montessori education. I have always been interested in the Montessori way of
teaching, and I have dabbled with some of the ideas at home with my children over the past
few years. I have recently been learning everything I can on the topic. I have been reading blogs
and books, and changed many things about our home environment to support Montessori
principles. This is a new passion that I am excited to continue learning more about.