Learning in My Family

Easter gave me an opportunity to look at social learning in context. We have a house full of my family ranging in ages from 12 to 80. Learning from family is full of opportunity and challenge.

Experience

There were many examples of older people in our family helping younger members complete tasks. My Grandma helping my cousin with a sewing project (pictured), my Mum helping me make the potatoe bake, my Mum and my Aunt helping me understand the impact of Web2.0 on families and classrooms.

• You know their experience, this makes it easier to apply their ‘teaching’ to your own situation
• You trust they have your best interests at heart so you feel freer to object and question
• You often get views that you normally wouldn’t listen to but which still help you clarify your own views or adopt new views

The church

I’m not particularly religious but I do attend church with my family. This Easter the church put on a very engaging mass with a dramatisation of a young child asking an older person questions about the meaning of Easter.

• They set clear guidelines about the ideal way to participate – attend mass regularly and follow the scripture
• They are explicit about the purpose – follow the church’s teachings and you’re life will be richer
• They keep reiterating the key messages
• They use stories and imagery to help individuals see the relevance to their own situations

The challenges

It was good to step away from the computer and see that there is rich learning occurring everywhere. However it also highlighted the challenges of learning together.

• Sometimes it is the most challenging situations where you learn the most – this isn’t always comfortable. (This must be one of the hardest aspects to deal with in an online environment.)
• It takes a long time or a very specific purpose to build a community who trust and respect each other.