Understanding Learning

Hi everyone! My name is Abigail. I graduated with my Bachelor of Education this spring. Now I am in my fifth year of study to gather more tools as I enter the teaching world and to increase my salary on the teacher pay scale. As I continue my educational journey and pursue a career filled with lifelong learning, I’ve realized that adopting a growth mindset has helped me the most. I admit I get frustrated when things don’t click immediately, but most of the time I can shift my feelings to appreciate the challenges that make me think critically and feel my brain working hard. I try to bring this perspective into my classroom because, in my experience, it frees students from the limiting beliefs that come from feeling stuck.

Learning Evolution

My understanding of learning is always evolving. However, one constant is that curiosity and interest drive my learning more than anything else. I can still remember the moment I realized this. In grade 3, I barely read any books and was not at grade level. This made it hard to retain information. My Accelerated Reading score was low, and I had mostly given up on the idea that I would enjoy reading. It wasn’t until I got my first pet hamster that I became really interested in reading, specifically, hamster books. I was so passionate about caring for my pet that I wanted to know everything I could. I checked out every nonfiction hamster book from the school library at least twice. I remember my teacher noticing this and using hamsters to engage me in other areas, like math word problems. This was an “aha” moment for me. When I found something I genuinely cared about, it changed my learning experience. To become curious or passionate about learning, I need some prior understanding of the subject, some familiarity so I don’t feel like a fish out of water at the start of the learning process.

Constructivism

The learning theory that connects best to this experience is constructivism, which supports the idea that “students are not blank slates; each student brings some form of prior knowledge with them to class” (Miami University Exemplary Science Teaching, 2019). I already knew some things about hamsters from caring for mine and talking to the pet store staff. Because I was genuinely interested, I not only read more but also remembered what I learned. I applied it in other subjects when my teacher connected math problems to hamsters. This experience taught me that I learn most effectively when I have prior knowledge or a personal interest to build on.

Motivation in Learning (ARCS Model)

For me, relevance is the most important factor in staying engaged. When I clearly see how what I’m learning connects to my goals or daily life, I feel much more invested. For example, when preparing for my practicum, I became deeply involved with lesson design because I knew I would apply it directly with students. The material wasn’t abstract anymore; it had immediate purpose. That relevance kept me motivated to put in extra effort. This led to greater confidence and satisfaction when I saw my planning work in the classroom. Knowing that my efforts directly impacted my students’ learning made this motivation even stronger.

The video below shows how the ARCS model—Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction can actually work in the classroom. From a teacher’s perspective, it helped me see simple ways to keep students engaged and motivated, like using relatable examples, building confidence step by step, and celebrating small successes.

Adult Learning and Prior Knowledge  

My prior knowledge shapes how I approach new learning because I constantly look for ways to connect new information to skills or experiences I already have. For instance, my past work in hospitality taught me how to manage time, communicate clearly, and adapt quickly under pressure. Later, when learning classroom management strategies, I applied those same skills to understand how to keep a group engaged and on track. This overlap helped me apply educational theory in a practical way because I could see how concepts like clear expectations and relationship-building had already worked in another context.

Here is how the ARCS model of motivation – Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction – applies to my own learning experiences.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, these experiences have shown me that curiosity, relevance, and prior knowledge are key drivers of effective learning. I strive to incorporate all of these elements into my own growth and the learning experiences I create for my students.