What I have learned and unlearned so far
- John Mugumya
- Mar 13, 2021
- 4 min read
The Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, the and people are hopeful the gloom of the pandemic will soon be lifted.
I must warn you. You will find some truism here. We are past the halfway mark with this blog assignment, and the spring semester and I thought I needed to take a moment to reflect on what I have learned, and or unlearned so far.
Studying with kids.
When schools closed and children got restricted to the home using the same bandwidth for their schooling, I struggled to concentrate on my study work. Kids know how to call for attention. Deliberate or instinctive, kids will always find a way to get you off the computer to deal with a tantrum or pick up the toys. But over the last couple of months, I have learned to concentrate on my work, with kids making noise in the same room.
I used to marvel at people who could read a book on a crowded bus, now I know better.
Coping tip: If you are on a tight deadline, you probably need to either burn the midnight candle, wake up early or lock yourself in a room.
The unlimited mind.
I wrote here a few week ago about one assignment which requires me to develop an interactive learning resource. This was challenging, and I was to work on it alone. I didn’t know any of my classmates and I didn’t bother to ask around. So, I dived in at the deep end. A couple of weeks later despite feelings of isolation. I have submitted the proposal and I have been training by way of instructional videos and trial and error.
This tool (Articulate) is very generous with its trial period and every other day I try out a trick and I cannot describe to you the feeling when I manage to replicate something I have only watched on YouTube. It’s a very cool program and I love it. When John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) said “Aristotle compared the mind of man to a blank tablet on which all things could be engraved…” he was right because after starting from zero with Articulate, I can attest that the mind is indeed limitless.
End of online studying?
This week, schools resumed in-class instruction in many countries around the world. In Ireland, schools will admit children from other classes to their classrooms after having opened with infants and seniors two weeks ago.
That, the dropping numbers of coronavirus infections, the warming weather, and the fact that many countries are accelerating their vaccination drives has lifted people spirits and there is talk in some forums, that soon we shall say goodbye to studying online and return to the good old days with packed lecture rooms.
After the gloom of the past several months, there are positive vibes all around that the pandemic could be finally ending. Common sense, though, tells us to be cautious. We’ve been here before. Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) famously said: “If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere.” It is not yet summer. Stay safe.
But I do not think that even when the pandemic ends, the impact that online study has had on education as a whole is something that will be easy to undo as easy as pressing Ctrl+Z.
Studying online is now part and parcel of education, it is no longer the ugly stepsister of the family.
Podcast therapy
Pursuing this Masters program full-time brings its stress, doing it in a pandemic, in a new country, in a lockdown without the ability to make and meet friends (classmates or neighbours) is enough to make anyone go bonkers.
When this story is finally told, I will make sure there is a whole chapter dedicated to what I call podcast therapy. I used to listen to podcasts, but not as much as I have over the last several months. Podcasts are my sanctuary, and it seems I am not the only one who is hooked. Will podcasts keep their place in our lives when the pandemic is over?
This week I discovered, and I recommend The Profile. A podcast by Polina Marinova Pompliano, that features stories about what she says are the most successful and interesting people.
What is your favourite podcast? Point me to your best podcasts by posting a comment in the form at the bottom of this blogpost.
2021 is slipping away.
The year 2020 was bad. The year 2021 promises to be better. Anything that follows such a horrible thing as 2020 will always promise. But it is already mid-March and before long we shall be celebrating another Easter in the same rooms we live, work, study, and sleep, our homes. Can you imagine sustaining this kind of existence for another 12 months?
Till next week,
John
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