Examples, Templates, Prompts, and Exercises

This section is nothing more than a selection of examples of Learning Opportunities presented in the Who, What, When, Where, Why, How format and written from the point of view of the learner.

Maybe these examples can generate ideas in your mind about Learning Opportunities you could pursue.

WHO :: Me and my friend (and the jazz artists)

WHAT :: I explored content within Music, Music History, American History, Jazz, African American History, 20th Century Art. I did research. I practiced active and passive listening. I led and recorded a discussion with my friend.

WHEN :: It took a few months for this overall. I started out thinking that if I end up falling in love with Jazz maybe it will go on longer but I was willing to give it a bit of time to see if I could at least make an informed judgment about what I think about jazz. In the end I probably spent about 100 hours on it.

WHERE :: Lots of places. I listened both passively (in the background) and actively (like really concentrating on what is happening.)

WHY :: My friend and I were talking about what kind of music we like. At first we were like, “we like all kinds of music” and then we started listing the music we don’t like, “well … I don’t like country.” We both started by saying that we don’t really like jazz and then we admitted that we really didn’t know much about jazz and maybe it is wrong to say that we “don’t like it” when in reality it is more like “we don’t get it.” So… we thought maybe we should give it a try. So we came up with a strategy to make an effort to understand and appreciate jazz and then we could decide if we liked it or not.

HOW :: We did a little bit of research on the history of jazz and found a few lists of the best jazz artists and performances and we came up with a weekly playlist and then we agreed to meet at the end of each week and discuss what we listened to. We also agreed that listening one time wouldn’t probably give us enough to make any judgements so we agreed that we would listen through each week’s playlist at least a few times and we would listen both actively and passively so that we could give it a chance. We decided to record our conversation on video and maybe later (probably not … but maybe) we will edit it and put it up on Youtube.

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING :: We captured our conversations on video and they are stored on Google Drive (we might put them on Youtube eventually). We also wrote evaluations for each other based on our contributions to the project and also our interpretations of each other’s taste in music. We did a little list at the end of the evaluation that said things like, Jazz artist that ____ would most want to hang with and Jazz track that ____ would play on a sad, rainy day. We have like 25 of those statements. Then we guessed how the other person would answer. That is included on the Google Drive along with the videos. Finally, I also did a Reflection on the whole Learning Opportunity.

Looking at this example we can see that it initially comes from a Explore Widely approach. This person admits that they don’t know enough about jazz to make a determination about its value and strategizes a way to expose themselves to jazz. That is very much an Explore Widely type of approach.

Thinking a little deeper about this approach we can also see how this person is consciously incorporating some Dive Deeply concepts. By forcing themselves to listen multiple times and come together to discuss their thoughts, they are going a little bit deeper. You could imagine that this project could lead into something bigger. For example, they could use the same strategy for other genre of music, classical, opera, country, world music, etc. Each individual genre of music would be done in an Explore Widely approach but overall, the concept of a regular program of developing an appreciation of various genre of music is a Dive Deeply strategy. They would be developing skills of research, listening, analysis, communication. They would also be developing habits that could go beyond music. The habit of holding off judgment until you have some deeper understanding and appreciation is applicable and valuable in ways that go well beyond this single learning opportunity related to jazz.

The same type of approach could be taken for films, books, poetry, dance. In some ways it could be adapted and extended into a lot of topics. So, if this person found value in this approach to learning, this could point to future learning that combines Explore Widely and Dive Deeply.

If you notice, this all started with a conversation with friends. There wasn’t a grand plan to find a way to learn about jazz. It was created organically because the person was open to following their curiosity and interests and even challenging their own opinions.

A lesson to learn, sometimes good ideas come out of nowhere, be open to them.

WHO :: Me (and the instructor of the class)

WHAT :: Video lessons on how to do hand lettering for invitations, signs, illustrations, etc.

WHEN :: There was almost 2 hours worth of lessons in total. They were presented as short 10 - 20 minute videos. I also spent a few hours practicing after each lesson. It ended up being about 20 hours of my time total spread over three weeks.

WHERE :: The lessons were online and I watched them in my bedroom and I did all of the practice exercises in my bedroom, too.

WHY :: I do a lot of art. Mainly drawing characters. Some are characters that are in videogames and anime and some are original characters. My mom suggested I check out a website that offers video training classes in various art forms. She thought I would want to do the character drawing classes but I looked through all the different stuff they offered and I decided that the hand lettering class sounded kind of interesting. If I am being honest, I’m pretty self-taught on character drawing and I kind of want to keep it that way (at least for now). I have my own technique and I do the characters just for fun and I’m not ready to really develop the “right” technique just yet. Maybe one day. When I saw the hand lettering, first I really liked the first sample that the instructor posted. It just looked cool and I thought I wouldn’t mind knowing how to do that. And then I thought maybe I could learn how to hand letter stuff and make gifts for family and friends or something. It turns out that I am not too bad at it (at least so far) although I still have a ways to go to get good enough to feel comfortable giving them away as gifts.

HOW :: I am following a class on a website that has a lot of “how-to” videos for art skills. It isn’t really a class. More like a bunch of videos on a topic and then some assignments to go along with the videos. You can upload your assignments and the instructor will give you feedback but it isn’t required. I didn’t think I was going to upload anything but I ended up posting mine and I got some very positive feedback. That was nice.

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING :: I have all of the assignments that were required in this class and I have scanned them in. If I end up continuing to make hand lettered art as gifts or something, I will try to remember to keep scanning them in so that I can see my progress over time.

In this second example we can see them make a very deliberate choice to Explore Widely instead of Dive Deeply. When presented with an opportunity to learn more about art skills they decided to learn about something new instead of furthering skills that they already had. There is nothing wrong with that choice. Reading the learner’s Why response helps us understand that this choice has its reasons and even holds open a few ways that they can Dive Deeply on the same topic in the future.

It is possible they will go from this Learning Opportunity into another in which they concentrate on developing their hand lettering skills to the point where they can make gifts or products. Perhaps in the future they will focus on using this newly developed skill to start a business or offer their services in the community. Or maybe they will return to character drawing and elect to follow the format of the website to develop and build up their skills in character drawing.

This Learning Opportunity started with a suggestion from a mom. Sometimes our family and friends have ideas for us. As in this case, the idea might not be perfect but it still served as a good starting point. When your friends and family know you are on a Learning Journey they might be excited to share ideas of what you can do next. Their ideas might be great or might be terrible. You should still be at least a least a little bit open to suggestions.

Sometimes the kernel of a good idea is in there if you are willing to pull it out.

WHO :: The community garden is a bunch of people from this area of the city who get together to run a garden. It is led by Margot who has been leading this project for a long time. She helped me get set up. I also had a small team that I usually worked with. Sometimes I worked with other people, too. They are just regular people who volunteer at the garden. Most of them are a lot older than me (although I never really asked anyone their age.)

WHAT :: It is a garden near my house that grows vegetables and flowers. It is run by volunteers who want to work in the garden. We have a small booth that we sell flowers and vegetables to the public and that money goes into buying stuff to keep the garden going. We also donate some of what we grow (although I wasn’t involved in any of that stuff, I just worked in the garden.)

WHEN :: I signed up for two days a week for 3 hour shifts. I ended up coming a little bit more than that though. I think I ended up spending about 100 hours total from the early Spring until the Fall. I skipped a few shifts here and there when the weather was bad.

WHERE :: It all took place outside at the garden. I was able to ride my bike there.

WHY :: I was at the Farmer’s Market with my friend and her family. We walked passed a booth where they were asking for volunteers to join the community garden. We looked at each other and said, “we should sign up.” I thought it would be a good excuse to get out of the house and it was close enough that I could ride my bike there. Neither of us had ever done gardening before but maybe we were inspired by all the flowers and vegetables and berries at the Farmer’s Market. In the end, my friend didn’t end up doing any volunteering at the community garden. She does serious violin lessons and I think it was going to take up too much of her time to do the garden. It doesn’t really matter though. I made some new friends (even if they are closer in age to my grandparents than to me.) We still had a lot of fun together and I’m really glad I signed up for it.

HOW :: It is very much hands-on learning. You show up and they give you shovels and stuff and show you some basic stuff like weeding and watering. But mainly it is just you and a small team working together on a section of the garden for a few hours. The cool part is that it isn’t just about gardening. I learned a lot about the people I worked with. I loved listening to their stories and asking them questions about what it was like when they grew up. They are really funny and have some crazy stories about what it used to be like in this town.

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING :: Each time I did a shift I took a few photos of us working and the progress of our plantings and stuff. I also took lots of selfies with my new friends.

Once again we can see a Learning Opportunity that came about because the person was open to having a new experience. Even though it started out as a shared experience with a friend, it ended up becoming something else. They demonstrated confidence and autonomy by continuing on with the Learning Opportunity after their friend dropped out. It is also a good example of finding connectedness as the experience was not only connected to a garden in their neighborhood but also introduced them to a whole group of people and stories about their hometown.

SUMMARY :: I signed up for a basic Business Law class at my local high school.

WHO :: I took the class along with other high school students. It was taught by a teacher from the high school. We also had a few guest speakers from local businesses. Each student learned the same material. We had one group project where I worked closely with three other students to write a case study.

WHAT :: The content of the class included subjects like Business, Law, Government, Entrepreneurship. It required skills like reading, written communication, verbal communication, summarization, project management, test taking, time management, memorization and recall. It required habits like developing social connections, managing a group project, patience and perseverance, and seeing myself as a work in progress and continuously growing.

WHEN :: The class took place three days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) for an hour each day. It lasted one semester (4 months). It was a total of around 100 hours.

WHERE :: The class was at my local high school in a 3rd floor classroom.

WHY :: I am interested in maybe majoring in Business in college and I wanted to take this class to get an idea of what it might mean to study Business in a classroom setting. I am also hoping to start my own business soon and I thought maybe I could use this class to learn about some of the business laws that might apply to me starting a small business as a teenager. I was hoping to talk to the teacher and see if they can provide me some guidance in starting my own business but it never happened. I kind of chickened out. The class was mainly related to two goals. 1. Majoring in Business and 2. Starting my own Business.

HOW :: This was a teacher-led class and so the teacher really dictated that. There were readings and homework to do. The teacher lectured each class, we took notes and then we were quizzed on our notes once a week. There was one group project during the term. For the group project we wrote up a case study. There were also exams at the end of each unit. I also completed an individual project. I am going to record that project as its own Learning Opportunity.

SUMMARY :: I played volleyball on a youth community volleyball team at a nearby gym.

WHO :: There was a coach and an assistant coach. There was also my teammates. Finally there were the fans, the officials, and the other teams we played.

WHAT :: The content for this Learning Opportunity is sports, exercise, volleyball, community. It required developing volleyball skills, getting in better condition, being a good teammate, listening. It required habits like developing social connections, deliberate practice, patience and perseverance, and seeing myself as a work in progress and continuously growing.

WHEN :: We practiced two nights a week and then had games on the weekends. It started in September and ended in November. It was a total of about 125 hours.

WHERE :: We practiced and played games at the local gym down the street from my house. We also played some tournaments in nearby towns. We had one tournament that we drove 3 hours to get to.

WHY :: Even though I am not the best player on the team, I loved playing volleyball. I loved just hitting the ball around. But I also enjoyed hanging out with my teammates and being a part of a team. The games make me nervous but I still like having all the fans watching and cheering us on. I even kind of enjoyed when the other team's fans cheered from them. It is fun being a part of the game. I hope to keep getting better at it and keep playing because it is good exercise and I really do enjoy most parts of it.

HOW :: The coaches helped us with skills and strategy and sticking together as a team. My teammates helped keep me motivated. They also helped me with my skills. A few of my teammates are really good at giving me pointers and I learned a lot from them. I also learned by watching other players. It is mainly a “learn by doing” activity although we did have to read the rule book and complete a quiz at the start of practicing.

SUMMARY :: I read the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville

WHO :: I elected to read this book on my own so it was mostly me. But it was written by Herman Melville and so this Learning Opportunity wouldn't exist without him.

WHAT :: The content was American Literature, History, and Science. In addition to reading skills, I had to look up a few things (vocabulary and events and places) so it required some research skills, too. I had to use the habits of perseverance (some of the book dragged on) and being a situational learner (I read before bedtime and that helped me develop the habit of reading and honestly helped me sleep). I also used the habit of seeking out help since my mom had read the book, she helped me understand a few things in it. I also demonstrated self-discipline. I told myself I wanted to finish it (as a challenge) and I held myself to that.

WHEN :: I made a habit of reading each night before bedtime. It took me a few months (probably about 25 hours to finish it).

WHERE :: I mainly read it in my bed at night. But near the end, when I wanted to finish, I took it with me and read when I had down time.

WHY :: I saw the book on my bookshelf (thanks mom) and I had heard of it. So I was a little bit curious since it is a known "Classic". It seemed kind of thick and a bit intimidating. I thought I might be up to the challenge.

HOW :: Mainly just reading on my own. I selected the book. I held myself to account for finishing it. Maybe it helped that I told my mom I was going to finish it (she didn't think I would) and I took that as a bit of a challenge.

WHO :: Me and the members of the City Council.

WHAT :: I did a semester internship with my local City Council. I spent two afternoons a week at the City Council office helping around the office with various chores like answering phone calls, filing stuff, making copies, helping make Powerpoint slides, troubleshooting computer problems. I also attended all of the council meetings for that semester. I also had lunch with each of the members of City Council at one point or another and they asked me a bunch of questions and answered any questions I had. I suppose the content of this Learning Opportunity would be Government but it also covered things like community service, law, business, communication, problem solving. I developed some office skills and had to be professional.

WHEN :: I did it from late August to late December. It was two afternoons a week plus lunches and council meetings. I didn’t have to do too much outside of the time I was there. In total it was around 100 hours.

WHERE :: It mainly took place at the city government building.

WHY :: I have been kinda into politics for that past couple of years and I was looking for a way to get some real world experience. I follow national politics but I figured it would be hard to do an internship in Washington DC but it might not be impossible to do one here in my hometown. They didn’t have anything listed on the website about it but I called up and asked if they took on interns. They told me that they typically had college student interns but if I was serious they would be willing to have a younger person as an intern (unpaid of course). Everyone told me that I was more mature and professional than many of their college student interns. I’m not sure if they were just saying that to make me feel good but I’ll take it.

HOW :: It was an in person, unpaid internship. I didn’t have to write a report and I didn’t get a grade but a couple of city council members said they would write a letter of recommendation for me for college. I wrote a Reflection on my experience.

EVIDENCE OF LEARNING :: I wrote a Reflection about my experience. I also have two letters of recommendations, so far, from city council members that I have digitized.

This example is a Dive Deeply strategy. The learner wanted an experience that built upon their interest in politics and brought it into the real world. The learner had to have some initiative to secure the internship and some willingness for it to be a bust, given that the didn’t typically do internships for younger students there was a chance it wasn’t going to be valuable.

The learner’s interest or passion for politics drove this Learning Opportunity. Wwithout that motivation it is unlikely they would have made a cold call after not finding internship information on the city council website. As is often true with Dive Deeply, this Learning Opportunity will probably end up serving as a very important moment in this Learning Journey. It is an experience that can be a highlight of your story as a Signature Learning Opportunity, it could produce a good example of this person’s interests which will serve as a guide for where to go with the next stage of their life and help communicate that fact to college admissions. In addition it provided letters of recommendation from public officials which will tell more of a story than a good grade in a traditional government class.

This person is using their interests and passions to drive the path of their Learning Journey. They had an idea of the type of experience they wanted to have and they found a way to make it happen even if it required taking a small chance.