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Not everybody learns in a standard, predictable, appropriate way. Yet most education is built around the idea that we can all learn to travel the same learning road. As a teacher, I have met a lot of unusual learners in my life. Just being with them is often an education because they somehow manage to find their own way to learning. I think it’s time they had a voice.
For this section of the blog I have decided to go out and meet some unusual learners. Sometimes they are highly qualified with strings of diplomas, but often they are self-taught, or at least had to find a way to take control of their own learning to make it work. Do these people enjoy learning? Which paths do they create or follow in order to learn what they want, the way they want to learn it, in spite of all the obstacles? By collecting their testimonies and publishing them in portrait format as Learner Tales, I hope to create a corpus of these experiences before they disappear completely.
Each published portrait will be in English and in French as these are the two languages used on this blog.
I will also occasionally share some learning experiences of my own.
What about you? Would you describe yourself as somebody who likes learning? Do you learn easily or do you have to work at it? Do people see you as an able learner or somebody who is constantly challenged? How do you feel about being seen like that? Can you recall somebody teaching you something which you were actually able to learn? Did that involve adjustments or adaptations on your part? Can you recall finding your own way to learn something? What was that like?
These are just some of the questions we’ll be pursuing in Learner Tales. Maybe you have a contribution to make to this section? Please let me know via the Contact Form.
Voici le deuxième volet d’une conversation avec Chester Kamen, guitariste de rock, qui réfléchit sur l’apprentissage de son métier. Il partage ses expériences de musicien autodidacte dans un milieu très compétitif, ainsi que ses rencontres avec Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour et Madonna entre autres. Il parle également de sa nouvelle vie de musicien de rock dans le monde du jazz, un nouveau défi d’apprentissage.
This is Part 2 of the Learner Tale told by Chester Kamen, a musician mainly known as a rock guitarist, in which he reflects on how he learnt his craft. He walks us through the experience of being a self-taught musician in a competitive field where he met and worked with Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour and Madonna among others. He also reflects on his new life as a rock musician in a jazz context. A whole new challenge.
Le chemin le plus court vers la réalisation de soi est rarement une ligne droite. Apprendre à y arriver peut occuper toute une vie. Pour ce nouveau Récit d’Apprentissage, notre témoin est Chester Kamen, guitariste, qui raconte comment il a appris son instrument suffisamment pour en faire son métier. Il évoque le parcours d’apprentissage atypique qui lui a permis de jouer avec des artistes tels que Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour ou Madonna.
The shortest path to becoming yourself is rarely a straight line, and learning to get there can take a lifetime. The Learner Tales series continues in conversation with guitarist Chester Kamen talking about how he learnt his craft and became a professional musician. He reflects on the learning path it takes to get to play with people like Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour and Madonna.
A 11 ou 12 ans, j’ai appris par hasard au cours de bavardages en famille que mon père avait eu un frère ainé au nom de Gerald. Je portais le même prénom en hommage à lui. Ce n’était que le début.
Learning can be a mysterious process. If you like mysteries, try this for size. How does somebody who sets out to be a journalist start by studying political science and law, then finally end up happily working as an urban planner? Only Alice Pfeiffer’s Learner Tale can give you the answer.
Alice Pfeiffer est urbaniste. Elle nous raconte son parcours vers ce métier qu’elle qualifie de multi-casquette. Avec sa passion de l’apprentissage tous azimuts, il n’était pas simple de trouver une activité professionnelle qui permet de se rendre utile. Son expertise? Ne pas en être une, mais être à l’écoute des autres.
I was around the age I am in the photograph illustrating this piece when it slipped out casually in a family conversation that my father had had a elder brother called Gerald and I was named after him. That was just the beginning.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is required reading for Mrs Fullerton’s Literature class. We have three weeks. But I have been resisting the prospect of reading real books for a while now. On the Saturday morning of the final weekend of the three-week reading period, push comes to shove.
Laurent de Chanterac’s journey from football to tango reflects a life of transformation and adaptation, spanning several disciplines and learning methods. His experience, initially effortless in football but demanding in acting, signifies the evolving nature of personal development. His testimony combines physicality with education, emphasizing the importance of learning through encounters and practical engagement rather than conventional schooling. This narrative culminates in his dedication to teaching tango with partner Christine Caminade, encapsulating a philosophy of continuous personal growth and adaptation across varied life experiences.
Laurent de Chanterac, professeur de tango argentin, raconte son parcours diversifié, depuis son initiation naturelle au football jusqu’à sa carrière à la scène de théâtre, où il développe une passion pour le jeu d’acteur. Son récit met en lumière la manière dont les différentes étapes de sa vie l’ont mené vers l’enseignement du tango, partageant cette discipline avec sa compagne Christine Caminade. Leurs expériences soulignent l’importance de la transmission et de l’apprentissage permanent, révélant un cheminement riche et imprévu vers l’art de la danse.
Creators’ paths are rarely simple. Here is the testimony from graphic designer Paula Bearzotti who speaks visuals the way others speak words, and who has accepted to take a new look at the way she learns. You can expect something about design of course, but also grammar, algebra and computers.