Personal Learning Experiences
This page highlights key learning experiences that have shaped my understanding of how people learn. Each example reflects the importance of designing instruction that meets learners where they are—whether that means supporting engagement, scaffolding difficult concepts, or aligning teaching methods with learners’ backgrounds and motivations.
Elementary School Learning Experience
I remember learning long division in fifth or sixth grade. My teacher and the math coach were co-teaching, which created an engaging, collaborative learning environment. We used base ten manipulatives to make sense of division before moving to paper and pencil.
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The classroom was noisy but focused—everyone was engaged. The concept was challenging, but the tools and teacher assistance provided just enough support to make the task feel attainable. Over time, we used the blocks less and relied on our own understanding.
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This experience reflects constructivist principles, where learners build understanding through active engagement and interaction with materials. It also demonstrates Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, as the task was appropriately challenging and supported through scaffolding until mastery was achieved.
College Learning Experience
In my senior year of high school, I took a college-level online Anatomy and Physiology class designed for future nurses. The course relied heavily on textbook reading, timed quizzes, and discussion boards.
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As one of my first online courses, it was challenging to navigate the platform while absorbing complex content independently. Without interactive tools or visual models, it was difficult to stay motivated.
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This experience connects to andragogy, or adult learning theory, in that motivation and relevance are key to engagement. Because the course design did not account for my background or goals, I struggled to find personal meaning in the material. It reinforced for me how vital it is to align learning design with learners’ needs and experiences—and how online learning can be more effective when it includes interactive, multimodal elements that foster autonomy and real-world connection.
Professional Learning Experience
As a teacher, at the start of a school year, I attended district-wide professional development on trauma-informed teaching. While valuable, the sessions didn’t account for participants’ varied levels of background knowledge—some teachers were confused by unfamiliar terms, while others found the material repetitive.
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What ultimately worked best was the ongoing coaching and consultation that followed the initial training, which allowed for contextualized learning and feedback.
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This example reflects adult learning principles such as the need for relevance, readiness to learn, and immediate application. It also demonstrates experiential learning, as the follow-up coaching enabled reflection, experimentation, and growth over time.
Closing Reflection
Across these experiences—from elementary classrooms to professional development—I have come to see that effective learning happens when instruction is meaningful, appropriately challenging, and connected to the learner’s context. Constructivism and andragogy both emphasize the importance of engagement, reflection, and autonomy, which I now embed in my instructional design work.
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These experiences remind me that every learner brings unique prior knowledge, motivation, and goals. My role as an instructional designer is to design experiences that honor that individuality while providing the structure, support, and innovation that make lasting learning possible.