Core Activity 7.2 - Professional Learning Situation v's familarity

A bit late as ever, thanks to John Sumpter for the Frame work questions.

A: Situation / Familiar | Learning Task / Familiar

As a teaching assistant with a degree in International Relations and Security my transition to Instructor for the Navy was relatively simple. In comparison, some of my colleagues had no significant teaching experience and didn't know their subjects either. This task/situation was simple, non threatening and achieved with little angst or issue.

B: Situation / Unfamiliar | Learning Task / Familiar

Learning the fundamentals of Action Based Leadership was simple enough.  Until placed under considerable stress achieved through mental and physical exhaustion and placed on Sheep's Tor on Dartmoor at 3am in freezing conditions with team members coming down with Hypothermia. All of a sudden the fundamentals seemed some what abstract.  This was an unusual learning environment but has since served me well.  I failed the task set.  I learned more through non achievement than I ever would have thought possible.  I was left to 'reflect' on that failure for some time to come and eventually completed the same exercise (though not the same task).  This was a  profound event in my Naval career, learning how to bounce back from failure is a Key part of my job when training the future Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of our armed forces.

C: Situation / Familiar | Learning Task / Unfamiliar

Learning the basics of the Moodle VLE was a significant unfamiliar learning task in an envirnment I understood or knew well.  I am competent with a PC and Office tools, but Moodle was a new task entirely.  I neither understood the capabilities of the tool, its inherent issues or what I was attempting to achieve with it.  In this instance I learnt through exploration and inquiry. Significantly I had no real time pressure, I was undertaking R & D to inform the Navy of possible delivery options for the future.  Had I been aiming to achieve a particular Learning objective I believe that this would not have been so comfortable.

D: Situation / Unfamiliar | Learning Task / Unfamiliar

Some tasks in H808 has been similar to instance D.  Learning to use or create Podcasts to achieve particular learning outcomes has been difficult.  Here the unfamiliar is more about the circumstances and criteria than a physical location, place etc. Instance D isn't comfortable for me, though it has been challenging and hopefully I have learnt the correct learning outcome.

“Where / How would you classify the learning you are doing here and now? What is the nature of the risk involved?”

Where H808 has pushed the boundaries thus far is in that instance D has occurred a number of times.  I have found myself reticent to engage and have found reason to wait and let others take the lead. I often read and then re-read the requirement and see what others have done and think that wasn't my understanding of the task.  But as many are 'old hands' at this I have followed their lead.  

“Now consider Clegg's table”

Reflection and the value of, is changed through time.  For initial reflection I would go with Instance A and B.  But the value of being pushed way outside ones comfort zone may make immediate reflection more difficult, but its use over the longer term has considerable value.  This is particularly if the Unfamiliar, though prolonged exposure becomes familiar and the nuance of that environment can be understood.  Here it can have Reflection and benefit value over the longer term.