IS IT THE JOURNEY OR THE DESTINATION?

I am not going to lie .... reaching my destination is pretty awesome! My final post on this blog marks the completion of my assessment for EDFD459 and my other three units and (drum roll please) the completion of my 4th year upgrade. The destination is great and to be honest, the journey has been an adventure. Highs and lows, with a few curved balls thrown in. There have been times during the journey when I thought I had come to a dead end or didn't know which road to follow, but self belief and direction from the eCoP helped me reach my destination.

When I cast my mind back twelve weeks ago, I knew from the minute I saw Adam Staples name as the lecturer in charge of EDFD459 The Learning Space, that the learning curve would be steep and I would be challenged. I knew very little about learning spaces except that I love decorating a classroom and setting up the coolest reading corner in the school!

Who knew there were six different learning spaces and that there is so much to consider when creating learning spaces. Cooperative, collaborative, liminal, self-efficacy, self-direction, eCoPs, PLNs, artefacts, taxonomy, wikispaces have all become part of my everyday vocab. My mind is bursting with ideas and considerations that I can't wait to implement in the classroom with my students.

Perhaps the biggest challenge and eye opener for me this unit has been the creation of my future learning space for refugees. I am guilty of living in a bubble that centres around my family. We live a comfortable life and are thankful for the life we have. I was aware of the fighting in Syria but it seemed so far away and removed from my bubble.

During my research for my FLS, I have been forced to consider what it must feel like to have no other options remaining but to gather your loved ones and flee your home and country. To leave everything behind! I guess a part of me assumed that refugees were people who were used to having nothing, who were poor and uneducated. I have been shocked and humbled to learn that many of the Syrian refugees are people just like me. People who led 'normal' lives but were forced to leave a country that has descended into violence and uncertainty. I try to imagine gathering my four children and plotting escape from the terror and not knowing what lays ahead. To eventually find refuge in a camp in the middle of a desert in a neighbouring country. To be surrounded by fences and not able to leave without permission. To attempt to make a new life for your family not knowing if or when you can ever return to your old life. The liminal spaces that I have inhabited in the past seem to pale by comparison to what the Syrian refugees must be experiencing.

The EDFD459 journey has taken me out of my comfort zone, forced me to recognise my ignorance about Syrian refugees and helped me to understand that self belief and being an active member of communities of practice are essential in the life learning process.

Thank you to Adam who is a passionate, dedicated and professional educator who inspires students to do their best. There should be more like you.

And so this journey comes to an end, ready for another one to begin.