Given this opportunity I would like to share with you what I have learned and how it will change my career in the future. While pondering what the question “what I’ve learned, how will it affect my future career,” I reflected back over these last eight weeks and considered the discussions, reading texts, and video presentations.
Throughout this course one of the most surprising things for me has been my gaining an understanding of my learning theory. Gaining this knowledge has deepened my understanding of the way in which I study, learn, and work. Within the U.S. Army there are plenty of learning opportunities, being able to study and learn effectively will affect on our missions and the way we conduct them. The Army always says that its people are its greatest asset. After going through this course that statement means so much more to me now.
With this knowledge I will be able to draw on this skill of understanding how I learn and share with others I work with some ideas to lead change within themselves and our unit and as I progress up the chain of command educate others about my experience and knowledge of learning theories to teach and train our younger soldiers. As I currently serve as the executive officer, my primary responsibility is to see that the needs of the soldiers are cared for within my unit of 100 plus personnel. Understanding how people can learn effectively helps me structure our training. It is important to be able to assess both the internal and external environments and the needed changes in each along with being able to understand the core beliefs and values that are shared, and then guide the actions on behalf of the soldiers. Hopefully, the goal is to then to promote this effective learning style training for the soldiers and to help others to accept this vision and to design a plan for the future to accommodate this type of training.
In cautioning us about labeling a singular learning style on a learner, Gilbert and Swanier suggest that the most effective learning can come from the situation and the style and material on hand, and thus continuing to study learning styles and the knowledge of them as a leader will help train the greatest soldiers in the world. Understanding the learning abilities of all those that I lead I will better understand how best to deploy my soldiers based upon what guides them to do what we do. Doing the job that we do requires some sacrifice on our behalf, and knowing how to read into their understandings of learning theories and how to better train them will help me plan and implement how we will execute our missions based upon the needs of the soldiers I have from a team within a squad up to a company sized mission. Meaning I will be better able to place my soldiers where they will be most effective. Currently I am part of a unit that is deployed oversees and has left a reserve back to train and replace soldiers to the forward element as needed. It is up to me to ensure that the soldiers here are prepared to continue the forward elements mission should they be called up. Knowing how to prepare and ready this reserve of men is not only my job but is my responsibility to the families.
In short, after having completed this course I have learned many things that will aid my efforts as a leader in the United States Army. Many of the things I will experience in my career I will be able to view based on a new perspective that I would not have had I not completed this course.
Resource:
Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institute for Learning Styles Journal [Vol. l]. Retrieved from http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%20Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%20Fluctuate.pdf
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