Critical Reflection

Who am I as a Learner?
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Tyler-Shaye Miller
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My name is Tyler-Shaye and I am twenty-one years old and have since the age of five been enrolled within formal education. I went to
a very small Primary school and then exceled within a larger environment at my local High school. My interest within the subjects of
English, Drama and History combined with my social skills, charisma and enjoyment of helping others propelled me into my teaching
degree.

Within my Secondary education I witnessed a wide variety of educators; from teachers who had no communication skills or effective
classroom management strategies to teachers who were inventive and engaging. The latter type of educator inspired my career choice
within High School, which just over four years later I am now completing my Masters degree and am one step closer to my chosen
career.

This presentation will critically analyse and reflect upon who I am as a learner, the steps I have gone through to become the academic I
am today and will investigate the experiences and the people who have influenced my learning. I will carefully consider my journey
through my experiences within Primary School, High school and Tertiary education. My ambition, learning styles and goals will be
evaluated through theories of human development and learning.
Learning Styles

Learning styles are a useful tool for learners to self-evaluate and establish or confirm
their preferential style. The ability to articulate how you learn creates an opportunity to
reflect and consider your previous and current approach and techniques to learning. It
has been proposed that “students can become more independent in their learning as a
result of knowing their strengths and weaknesses. Students therefore can develop more
effective learning strategies which they can use outside the classroom” (Reid, 2005, pg.
79) I believe this is applicable to myself, especially within my tertiary studies where I
became more aware and evaluative of my learning and study techniques.
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Test
VARK
Interpersonal intelligence
 My scores are:  Gifted at establishing rapport with strangers and make friends easily
 Visual 8  Adept at reading, empathising and understanding others
 Aural 13  Master at collaboration, lively discussions
 Extraverted, enjoys social events, empathetic
 Read/Write 8
 Kinaesthetic 7 Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence
VARK  Possess rich vocabularies
 Enjoy lectures and note taking
 Ability to teach others and communicate complex concepts
 Loves English class, enjoys writing, good at editing
Kinaesthet
ic Visual
[PERCENT [PERCENT
AGE] AGE]
Read/Write
[PERCENT Aural
AGE] [PERCENT
AGE]

Visual Aural Read/Write Kinaesthetic

https://personalitymax.com/report/?mi=60-33-37-37-60-67-47-53&name_key=1ceed3b0ae
 ”The key point about Gardner's approach is that it recognises the diversity of children
and appreciates that ability and intelligence should not be dominated by language
skills.” (Reid, 2005, pg. 59)

The modality preferences of the VARK evaluation can be categorised within the terms of visual, auditory, reading/writing,
kinaesthetic. My results displayed within the chart were as expected as I have always predominantly learnt and excelled with
my verbal communication skills, visual skills as well as my reading and writing. I am however slightly perplexed at the
substantial percentage of my tactile learning ability as I have personally never appreciated this approach for myself when it
came to my formal education. This stems mostly from my comparative ineptitude within subjects like Mathematics and
Science as opposed to my preferred school subjects of English, Drama and History. Upon reflection however, I can ascertain
how within everyday tasks, like cooking I prefer a more practical approach and learn from observation and a more tangible
method.
The aural preference was the highest proportion within the VARK test which correlates with my value of discussion, group
work and didactic teaching as my primary strengths in learning. This statistic is reflected within with my results from
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence’s evaluation that determined that my Interpersonal and Linguistic skills were the highest.
 
Strengths and Weaknesses as a Learner
Strengths Weakness
• Strong reading, writing and comprehension skills
• Passionate about learning and aware of the opportunities that learning • Tendency to get distracted easily whilst studying, especially if
and tertiary education brings
• Intrinsic belief that within my life as 21st century Australian woman I the task is not due imminently
have the ability and opportunity to achieve anything I set my mind to • Compare my marks to my friends and base success from this,
• Positive mindset regardless of adversity
• Learning style that is easily accommodated by the education system
rather than purely off personal success and growth
• Ability to have lengthy and helpful discussions that assist myself and • Although I thrive off discussions, often if I am new to a class or
my peers learning
don’t know any of my peers I am unwilling to participate which
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Capacity to skim read and understand general concepts fairly quickly limits my learning
• Strong communication skills that assist in my everyday life as well as • Poor time management skills, often struggle to maintain a
within my learning experience
work/life/university balance
• Strong metacognitive skills, especially evaluative techniques
• I appreciate constructive feedback and attempt to always excel within • I would like to stimulate myself more and become more of an
my studies
active learner by researching/reading/viewing more outside of
my university studies, I however rarely do so
Cultural Influences Social and
Environmental Influences
Sociocultural theories suggest the impact that an individuals
upbringing, social groups and cultural setting influence an individual
learning and perception of education.
I attended a standard state school with a medium emphasis on tertiary Parents Brother

study as many students followed trade certificates. My personal friend

group however aimed for a university education and I believe this greatly High
Extended
assisted my goals and motivation to enrol and succeed within my ATAR. family School
Teachers
As aforementioned, I was brought up within an environment that
valued education and its capacity to propel future success. As my parents
or extended family had not personally undertaken tertiary study I was the Friends Peers
first to embark upon that path which was a great source of pride within
my family. However, this meant that I had no familial support system to
Boyfriend Home
understand tertiary education and the effort necessary to achieve within Life
it.
Social
Peer Influence
High school and University friends

My friends greatly shaped my learning environment and Similar morals

and family
personal development
backgrounds
 Very close knit friend group in both high school and
University, therefore encouragement to interact and
excel within school Similar tertiary
Encouragement goals. Close ATAR
 We all encouraged each other’s efforts and success and support scores
 My friend group has similar career goals and life
philosophy
 Several of my High School friends went to the same
University that I completed my Undergraduate degree
Several of my peer Similar interests
within group are also enrolled
within education and beliefs.
 Due to my friend group having similar motivations, we degrees
all helped each other study
Parents
 My parents have raised me and moulded my personality, beliefs and goals. I Although my parents at times within my adolescence were
have grown up within a loving family consisting of my parents, my younger
authoritative parents whom were “demanding but
brother and our dog, Patchy. My parents always asserted that education was
responsive, rational and democratic.”(Woofolk, 2013, pg.
339) In regards to my education my parents were
a priority as they wanted the best for myself and my brother.
predominantly “permissive parents whom are warm and
 My parents have been hard workers all their lives and have therefore nurturing but with few rules or consequences.”
instilled the belief that further study and financial prosperity are firmly (Woofolk,2013, pg. 339) This led to my motivation and
interwoven. As a teenager however I never felt obligated to enrol within goals being mostly self directed, as my parents influence
further tertiary education and although my parents wanted me to do my upon my education was more of a general wish of success
personal best there was never any excessive pressure. This lack of pressure and accomplishment.
especially within my senior studies had both positive and negative effects. My parents positively encouraged my success and
achievement throughout school and often rewarded my
• The pressure and motivation was self-directed. If I wanted to
Positive
grades with little treats or presents. This cyclical process
achieve it was based on my goals and effort. Therefore there
was no added and unnecessary stress enforced by my parents motivated my studies to an extent, however my main
motivation besides my personal success was to continue to
receive positive compliments and retain my parents pride
• This lack of authoritarian parenting meant that I was only in my success. Although there was never any punishment
motivating myself and had no strict guidelines or study periods
Negative in the Homefront which could have assisted my studies and if I received a low grade, I was aware of the difference in
overall experience my parents attitude and noticed a decrease in praise and an
increase of statements like “you can do better…Is this
your personal best.”
Operant Conditioning
“The term ‘operant’ refers to individuals being autonomous and free to ‘operate’ in their own way on the environment. Operant conditioning refers to the

use of positive and negative consequences to strengthen or weaken behaviour . “(Duchesne, et al., 2012, pg. 165 )

The theory of operant conditioning can be applied to both my primary and secondary education as well as the influence and approach taken by my

parents. Throughout my adolescence I received many awards and was often commended for my achievements both by my teachers and parents.

This positive environment centred my perception of learning around the gratification of reward, approval and praise, referred to as Secondary

reinforcers. Overall reinforces were successful as they were applied both consciously and unconsciously by my teachers and parents. A reinforcer

within the theory of operant conditioning is “any consequence that has the effect of maintaining a specific behaviour or increasing the rate at

which the behaviour occurs and the probability that it will occur again.” (Duchesne Sue., McMaugh, Anne, Bochner, Sandra, and Krause, Kerri-

Lee., 2012, pg. 172) Operant conditioning is in essence a method of learning that utilises continuous repetitions of positive and negative

consequences to moderate behaviour. These consequences generally occur immediately in order for the instruction to assist learners and increase

the likelihood of the modification occurring subsequently. Therefore, within this model, behaviour is either increased or decreased based off

continuous reinforcement with the overarching objective that the reinforcement will ultimately be unneeded as the learner will dictate their own

behaviour accordingly.
Operant Conditioning

“Operant conditioning, which is concerned not with unintentional or automatic responses to

environmental stimuli, but with behaviour that is conscious, intentional or voluntary.” (Duchesne, et al,
2012, pg.165)

Operant Conditioning has effectively contributed to who I am as a learner today, especially in regards to my

motivation, goals and self-evaluation.

This is evident as within my Primary and Secondary Education the consistent positive reinforcement and

endless opportunities created an environment where I strove for success and praise from my teachers and

family. The continuous stream of achievement within my primary and secondary education led me to

continually seek praise and approval.

When I showed my parents my report cards and assessment tasks, I anxiously waited for their approval and

yearned for their positive reinforcement. Therefore, my parents had rather unconsciously moulded my

behaviour and motivation within school based off of their approach and commendation of my grades.
Tertiary Education

I am currently within the first semester of my Masters of Secondary Teaching, having completed my Bachelors Degree in 2018. I decided to go directly from

High school to my tertiary studies and was initially overwhelmed at the expected level of workload and achievement within University. Eventually I adjusted

and attained grades that I was proud of and adapted to my new academic environment.


Within my Primary and Secondary education I relied heavily upon praise form my teachers and parent to motivate my studies, within University however my

personal ambition prompted my studies.


My learning style continued seamlessly within University as I had always valued didactic teaching, note taking and essay writing. This personalised and

independent study I exceled within was combined with my preference of group work. Within my tertiary education I thrived when group discussion occurred

in class and found that I often needed to discuss a topic or essay question with a peer in order to initiate the task. I found that discussing assessment topic or

criteria with my peers often gave me insight, and spurred my motivation to excel within the assignment. This reflection of my preferential learning style

reinforces the results of Gardner's Multiple Intelligence’s results of a high proportion of interpersonal and verbal/linguistic intelligence.


Within University I acknowledge that I can often be unorganised and inefficient when completing tasks and can get easily distracted by social media,

technology and friends. As a result I often found that I was productive within my group of friends within University as we would motivate each other to stay

on task. We would often study together at the Library, therefore ensuring that we were effected by the professional, and quiet studious environment.
Social Constructivism

My personal enjoyment and success drawn from discussions and group work correlates with the theory of social

constructivism. Social constructivism evokes the idea that social and cultural factors in conjunction greatly effect an

individual learning and understanding. This theory relies upon the concept that interaction with others moulds how we think

and perceive, and that although the “individual is active in development, so are others; their development arises from social

interaction.”( Duchesne, et al,. 2012, pg. 84) Therefore, social constructivism is centred around the philosophy that social

interaction shapes individual cognitive development and learning and is a necessary tool for individual progression. This

theory is extended by the concept of “the zone of proximal development (ZPD) or the distance between what children can

do by themselves and what they can do with the help of others.” (Duchesne, et al., 2012, pg. 87) This suggests that with

effective scaffolding and assistance individuals can continue to achieve and become more independent learners with a

supportive framework.
Overall, social constructivism is the theory that individuals need group interaction to learn
from each other and to co-construct knowledge and ideas. This collaborative process can
be succinctly applied to my learning style, especially within my tertiary studies as I found
assistance within peer discussion. I found that by discussing topics especially before I
started an assessment, I was able to evaluate what was required efficiently and succinctly
and was thinking more critically and resourcefully. I found that by discussing with my
peers I would assist both myself and my friends as we would often find new information
or even come to a different conclusion that our original stance upon a subject. This
learning process was mutually beneficial both as an evaluative and collaborative learning
tool but also as a motivational assistance, as we studied together we remained focused and
less inclined to distraction.
Metacognition Self Evaluation of Metacognitive Skills
12

10
“Metacognition is the capacity to think about our own cognitive
processes and refers to our ability to monitor, control and organise 8
our own mental activities. For this reason, metacognition is known
as an ‘executive control’ process that monitors and regulates our 6

thought processes.” (Duchesne, et al., 2012 pg. 200) Metacognitive

4
strategies include self-monitoring and self-regulation where
individuals notice the interrelation between their actions, beliefs and
2
cognitions which motivate their goals and approach to learning
overall. These strategies ensure that the learner is more aware of 0
how they learn and why the learn, therefore ensuring the learner is Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5
more conscious and can practically formulate tools and resources to
accommodate their learning styles and patterns. A learner who is Area 1 -analyse the task and interpret task requirements
more self aware is also more effective and can co-ordinate their time
and task more efficiently as they acknowledge their capacity and Area 2- set task-specific goals that aid successful task completion
abilities.
Area 3- self-monitor progress and provide ‘self-feedback’
The table utilises the steps a self regulated learner would typically
follow and my self evaluation of how successfully I implement these Area 4 - adjust strategies and goals throughout the process
steps within my academic studies
Area 5- use self-motivational strategies to ensure task completion. self-
monitoring
Learning by observation
Bandura states that there are four main elements to observational learning:

Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation and Reinforcement

Models ae important factor within the observational process which have shaped my personal leaning journey. My models include my
family, particularly my parents, my friend group and my two English teachers within High School.

My observational learning is evident within my wish to succeed and excel alongside my friend group within years 7-9 in High School, as
I observed their success I wanted the same results and therefore had to continue to excel within my academic goals. This eventuated into
my personal goals and motivations, highlighting my personal self-efficacy as I became motivated and aware of my success and abilities.
My learning and motivation therefore was no longer a surface level approach, relying upon feedback, praise and peer support but rather
my motivations to learn and excel academically were constructed upon my personal ambitions.
Triadic Reciprocal Causation
“The dynamic system of human adaption, learning, and motivation is influenced by the
interplay between personal, environmental, and behavioural influence” (Woofolk, 2013,
pg. 340)

Environment
Parent praise
Teacher feedback and praise
Peer support
School culture
Home life

Cognitive and Personal Factors

Behaviour
Goals – Complete my university
Motivated to excel in studies
degree, become a successful
Surrounded by like-minded
teacher, travel the world
people who study and achieve
Beliefs- education can change
academic success
lives
Constant persistence to attain
Emotions-strong sense of self and
goals
confidence
Goals and Motivations
“The process of scaffolding is like a series of steps that help the learner reach the ZPD needed in
order to tackle the task effectively…The important point in relation to scaffolding is the language of
the shared communication. Essentially scaffolding involves a more skilled individual trying to
impart knowledge to a less skilled person through the use of language exchange ” (Reid, 2005, pg. 8)

High School Grades 7-9

Tertiary Degree
Independent Goals to Senior Years- Grades
achieve in School. Goals 11/12 Goals assisted
Primary School based on peer and Goal to enter into through peer support.
friends level of tertiary education, Motivation and study
Motivation to please achievement. itself upported.
therefore an ATAR score
parents and teachers. Motivation to receive needed to be achieved. Almost completely
High level of Scaffolding praise from parents and Parents still influenced independent learning.
teachers motivation, however
mostly self guided. No Scaffolding
Medium level of
Scaffolding
required
Scaffolding decreased
My motivation and effort stems largely from my capacity to visualise my goals and strive to achieve them
correlating with my high level of resilience. My strong sense of self, identity and pride in my achievements all
contribute to my overall positive frame of mind and ability to excel within my personal ambitions.
The table highlights my increase in motivation and effort as I have grown older and succeeded through my
primary and secondary education into my tertiary degrees.

Motivation & Effort

Rising Motivation and Effort

Primary School Year 7-8 Year 9-10 Senior Years Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree
Conclusion
Now What?

This critical reflection upon my learning journey is useful as I progress within my Masters degree, this self evaluation will
become especially useful to me as a beginning teacher as:
The responsibility of a teacher is great as they truly can change an individuals learning, self- belief and life goals. Therefore, I
believe it is a duty of a teacher to positively foster a students learning and continuously reinforce positive praise
Learning styles are a source of information that can greatly assist classroom activities and foundations, however I will note that
all students may not have the metacognitive capabilities to efficiently self evaluate and that learning is continuously fluid.
The utilisation of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement is a strategy that I believe is vastly useful as a teacher,
especially students within their first years of High school.
The importance of appropriate scaffolding and its correct application is a tool I plan to implement within my teaching.
Scaffolding at first may be a tool difficult to implement effectively within the classroom as every student develops differently,
regardless I plan to implement this tool within my future career as a teacher.
The theory of social constructivism has enabled me to confirm the value I personally find within collaborative learning and peer
support and I therefore plan to use it as a to teacher ensure that a co-operative approach is taken often, keeping in mind the
importance of social interaction on effective learning.
The evaluation of my learning journey is useful for my future studies and career and as I continue throughout my journey I am
sure I will grow and learn
References

Bandura, A. (1997). Selfefficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W

. H. Freeman and Company.
Duchesne, Sue., McMaugh, Anne, Bochner, Sandra, and Krause, Kerri
-Lee. Educational Psychology : For Learning and Teaching. 4th ed.
2012. Web
Reid, G. (2005). Learning styles and inclusion. London: Paul Chapman
Woolfolk, A., & Margetts, A. (2013). Educational psychology (3rd
Australian ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Australia