Ellemental

This week I’m studying adult learning styles in my certification test study group. It made me think about my own style, which is (no surprise here) extremely laid back. If I see or hear a word, phrase, or idea that I haven’t run across before I don’t stress out or run to the dictionary to look it up. I try to either get the meaning from the context that it’s used in, or, if that doesn’t do the trick and it’s not something I need to know RIGHT NOW, I’ll simply file it away. At least once a week I see or hear or read something and the lightbulb comes on – “Aha! So THAT’S what that means!” Then the file clerk in my head takes the previously unknown term from the “pending” file and files it in the knowledge files.

I have no idea if this is the most common way for learning, or if I’m a little weird. Either way, it works for me.

On a recent roadtrip I was tuned into but not really paying full attention to NPR News. A term came up that I wasn’t familiar with – “reptile dysfuntion”. Without even actively thinking about it, I buzzed my brain’s file clerk and asked her to file the term in the “pending” file. At the very last moment, just as the file drawer was snapping shut, the file clerk stopped short.

“Waaaaaait a minute…Reptile dysfunction? REPTILE dysfuntion??? What could that possibly be? “

So I focused on the news story – they were reporting on Medicare’s coverage of Viagra.

Apparently the biggest problem of my own adult learning is hearing loss.

I can see how you’d hear reptile if you were only half listening!! That’s too funny.

Comment by Marie October 20, 2005 @ 10:53 am

Oh my God, I am laughing so much! You are so funny.

Comment by kenju October 21, 2005 @ 11:51 pm

I guess some snakes work and some don’t.

Comment by Bill October 23, 2005 @ 11:51 pm

Holy schmoly… I thought the post was good… then I got back here to the comments… snake, reptile. Bill’s right about that! I hadn’t made the connection but damn if you weren’t just fine hearing reptile dysfunction in the first place, Elle!

Comment by Keri October 25, 2005 @ 3:32 pm

Keri, it’s so funny you wrote that…I hadn’t made the snake/reptile connection either. Bill’s comment made me laugh out loud.

God, I love the internet.

Comment by Elle October 26, 2005 @ 6:29 am