The most significant learning experiences I can recall were all during my senior years of high school in my chemistry and physics classes. Both of these classes were taught by the same teacher, who was always upbeat, encouraging and always extending our thinking skills.
At the beginning of each term, my teacher presented students with our program of study which included chapters and exercises within our textbook to read, summarise and complete in our own time, along with a timeline for when we should complete each section. Weekly checks enabled our teacher to ensure that we were following the program and doing the work. This was the only homework that we were given. In year 12, we received programs, however completing the work was up to us. I found this structured work program was an invaluable learning experience as I was familiar with the course content before it was presented in class and therefore I connected with the material on a deeper level.
During class time, the learning experiences were about taking our knowledge and applying it in different situations and problems. At least once a week, our teacher would set a complex problem for us to complete at the beginning of the lesson that required us to use the knowledge we had been learning. She would collect, mark and return this to us within 15mins, before working through the problem with the class. This task informed the rest of the lesson, whether the focus was on reviewing the material covered or moving on.
Most of my learning occurred through the modelling of problems and solutions by my teacher. The same knowledge and content was presented in different situations which required different mathematical and thinking skills. through observing how my teacher manipulated equations and her thinking process for breaking the problem into smaller, more manageable tasks, I learnt how to successfully use the same skills and processes.
These two subjects became my favourite as I could see that I was achieving not only on assignments and exams, but most importantly in learning new skills and thinking processes that enabled me to tackle almost any problem that was presented. This skills were transferrable to the other subjects that I enjoyed (like Biology and Maths), and then on into university studies and have continued to be useful in life outside of academics.
