Experiences and thinking... my brain hurts!

There have been times where I have been wrong. I used to think that the science of reading was only phonics. That is until I took a course and my masters about the science of reading and I found that I was very much mistaken. Phonics is one of the essential parts of the science of reading, but it was not the entirety of the science of reading. Phonics is only one part of a larger framework including. vocabulary, fluency, phonemic awareness, and comprehension.

 You may be wondering why I am talking about this error. My misconception about the science of reading was rooted in my experiences. As a first year teacher a few years ago, I was searching google all the time. The search for science of reading lessons populated very specific lessons, and they were all phonics lessons. So, as it goes, my searching created the experience and assumed that the science of reading was phonics instruction. 

When I started the science of reading course with Dr. Brady, I had to start some critical thinking. I had to challenge the notion I had from experiences that the science of reading were only phonics driven lessons. I had to start checking my assumptions with the help of Dr. Brady as she suggested I read a science of reading panel summary. After reading, I engaged in  conversations with my other classmates and listened to their view points of what the science of reading was. Concluding the class I was able to make more informed decisions and actions in my classroom. Previously, I really honed in on my phonics lessons and gave the most time to them, and left limited time for comprehension and fluency. Following the steps of critical thinking, I changed my timing and my schedule to allow more time for comprehension and added fluency into my phonics block. This change allowed me to make more informed decisions that better support my students.

I tell you all this as engaging with the chapters about experience and critical thinking made me ruminate on the growth I made as an adult learner. As discussed in  chapter 10, often our experiences have been misconstrued or they become obstructions to new learning. Our very own experiences can obstruct our new learning as perhaps it contradicts experiences we have previously had. In order to adjust to the new learning, we have to engage in critical thinking about our experiences so that we can adapt our previous learning and form new learning. I think these two chapters were assigned together as experience and critical thinking about the experience are inseparable. In order to fully understand the experience, one has to think critically to form new learning. Without thinking critically, we can make false assumptions and false experiences, like I did about the science of reading. As constructivism has shown, we can use our experiences and they support us in creating new meaning through reflection (critical thinking) and application of new skills and knowledge.