| EDUC 800 Ways of Knowing: Reknowing Paper |
Jennifer O’Looney
May 2, 2006
Walking barefoot through the grass: My journey to understand my ways of knowing
Several years ago when I was teaching special education at the middle school level, one of my students presented me with a small plaque he had made for me as an end of the year gift. On a small piece of green painted wood, he had used letter stickers to make the words, “Don’t forget to take time to walk barefoot through the grass.” That plaque hangs on my office wall now and there is rarely a week that goes by that someone doesn’t stop to look and comment. I proudly say that one of my students taught me that valuable lesson. This semester has been a walk through many types of grasses for me, pastures, overgrown brush, and even some saw grass, but each new terrain has shown me the importance of coming to understand my own way of knowing while being open to those who may walk in different grasses. It also has reiterated to me the vital need to take delight in the everyday things that help make the road to dissertation not just a process but more of an exciting expedition.
As part of our walk in EDUC 800, we were presented with a number of possible ways of knowing. After brainstorming my experiences, I have come to realize that visual and social knowing are the two ways of understanding information that have had the most impact on my personal and professional growth. Most anyone who has taken a walk in the grass realizes the importance of paying attention to detail and the learning that can come from sharing your find with a fellow nature lover. The same is true in a doctoral program; you must learn to appreciate the details of your own knowing and research, but it helps to have companions when you are on the journey.
Visual ways of knowing was a new concept that helped me understand the importance of details. Art has always been an interest of mine, particularly in the way that artists so cleverly use objects and placement to bring across a meaning that has not been explored before. After reading the Sullivan chapter in class, I realized that I wanted to know more, so I read his whole book. It is not often that I choose to sit on a plane reading a textbook, but this was one I could not put down. I learned that visual knowing has been a way of understanding since ancient times, but only recently has its impact on learning been studied as a way of assimilating information. I realized the importance of visual details, especially when thinking about a classroom setting and helping all children to feel welcome. This also brought to mind how often we look for hints of ourselves in others who are farther along on their walk. Seeing someone like us succeed can sometimes make the difference on days when the trip seems too tough to finish.
It is this thought that leads me to the importance of social knowing. John-Steiner’s book on collaboration initially was intriguing to me because of its emphasis on the collaborations of women artists and scientists that I admire. Her views on complimentarity led me to visualize the yin and yang as a new way of understanding collaboration. We learn through interacting with others whose ways of knowing may be the opposite of our own. Sometimes in class this brought judgmental thoughts to mind toward a class member that was expressing a way of knowing that made me feel uncomfortable or that I had strong personal feelings toward. For instance, when participating in our group film collaborative, I was frustrated at our difficulty with developing a way to share our views and I sometimes felt like I should try to take charge and organize. In the end though our different viewpoints came together to make a complete product that allowed us to highlight our own reactions to the movie. Learning from interactions with others is not easy and may open the door for thoughts and opinions that you are not ready or do not want to hear. I have come to realize that these interactions to not always need to end in agreement, but at least in respect and honoring the ways of knowing of friends on walks in different grasses.
I have also begun to understand the importance of social relationships to expanding your knowledge and resources. Just in the last two weeks of class, I have had three classmates bring me articles on areas of research they thought would be of interest. Developing a community of learners with other graduate students is a powerful tool for examining our own learning. One of the proudest moments for me this semester was when I began to develop a very basic understanding of quantum physics from a PowerPoint that was presented from fellow classmates. I had dropped physics in college, so the idea that a colleague could teach me what I had not been able to learn in an organized course of study was a revelation. Knowing does not have to come from what is taught in classes, interactions with others can teach information and concepts too.
My walk in the grass of EDUC 800 has now come to a close, but there are tidbits I will take with me on many more trails. Do not be afraid to search for your own way of knowing. Everyone learns a little differently but we can work together to help each other appreciate the beauty in the walk. As graduate students we need to take time to walk barefoot in the grass and experience the little moments that enhance our learning and open our eyes to new goals. The journey should be an integrated part of life instead of a compartmentalized assessment that is a means to an end. Do not underestimate the power of what can be learned from looking closely at something to find the piece that resonates with your way of knowing and never take for granted the power of a critical friend in helping you find your way. Most importantly, kick off your shoes and jump right in because only you can truly describe the way the grass feels between your own toes.