Megan M. Mosher

Analysis of a learning event

Life is an endless process of learning that takes place in an infinite number of situations. I have been blessed with the talent of hurdling on a track and field team. Presently, I am ranked as one of the top eight college-level hurdlers in the nation. But, this accomplishment did not occur overnight. Actually, it took nine years of practice and learning how to improve to get to the point where I am today...and I am still learning, still improving.

It would be virtually impossible to pinpoint when I first began to learn about hurdling. Yet, my earliest memories of hurdling was when I was thirteen years old, glued to the television set, watching the 1988 Olympics. I was instantly enthralled when I saw the infamous Jackie Joyner Kersee position herself so intricately into the starting blocks of the 100 meter hurdles. When the starting gun went off she seemed to fly over every hurdle obstacle on her way to a victory. From that point on I had instilled in me the dream of becoming an Olympic 100 meter hurdler like Jackie.

I firmly believe that my watching Jackie Joyner Kersee run the hurdles was the point at which the desire of wanting to learn how to hurdle became personally meaningful to me. According to Sheila Harri-Augstein and Laurie Thomas, co-authors of the text entitled Learning Conversations, they discussed how important it is for something that is being learned to have personal meaning to the learner. This personal meaning leads the way to effective learning. The learning can become more and more meaningful, as it did for me, as one learns more about the activity to be learned.

Prior to my watching the 1988 Olympics, I had always been a very athletic girl. But, since I had not been in any competitive situations, tested myself athletically, or trained specifically for any one purpose, I was generally naive about my abilities. I entered high school with a great intention of playing basketball and I had practically forgotten about

my desire to hurdle. Then, one day, I saw a flier announcing the track and field team tryouts that had a picture of Jackie Joyner Kersee on it. It was from this picture and at these practices that I once again became exposed to hurdling. When I watched the athletes fly over the hurdles with such ease the memories of watching Jackie perform the same feat was sparked, once again, inside of me. I remember thinking, ìI want to try that!î

I had conversations with myself about whether or not I could actually be good enough to hurdle like Jackie or even like the gangly kids on the track team. For a few days I started creating learning myths about my abilities like, ìI canít do that, I am not quick enoughî, or ìThe coach seems to think I am better suited for the jumping events, hurdling would not be my thing.î I found that these learning myths, that were also discussed by Harri-Augstein and Moore, were hindering my learning process. These thoughts were keeping me from exploring what my capabilities were, until one day, after watching a girl hurdle who (comparatively) was not as strong and quick as I was, I broke free from my personal myth and walked over to my coach and said, ìI want to hurdle.î

From that point on I began a journey of learning how to hurdle that has lasted for nine years now...

My coach told me to go to the group of hurdlers that were practicing on the other end of the track. As I approached them I noticed that they were doing some sort of drills over pseudo hurdles made of foam. The hurdle coach that was working with them gladly let me participate with them as they did lead leg drills. I already knew how the leg was supposed to look as an individual goes over the hurdle (since I carefully observed the hurdling movements on television and practice) but when I performed it for the first time, and physically felt what it was like to go over I hurdle, I felt awkward. My muscles had never experienced these movements before. The hurdling coach who was watching me perform

the drill instantly replied, ìGood job!î. I thought I must have done something right. This was the first time I was given feedback on my performance. This made me want to continue to learn how to hurdle.

The lead leg drills I did in practice eventually led to more specific drills which led to my eventually running over real aluminum hurdles (not the small, foam ones for beginners). Before I knew it I was crouched down in a set of blocks about to run the first hurdle race of my life. The starting gun went off and I was instantly off and running. I, like Jackie, felt like I was flying over the hurdles. I heard my coaches cheering on the sidelines to keep going, that I was doing great. All of the positive feedback I was getting about my hurdling performances, not only from my coaches and teammates, but from my parents and friends as well, kept me motivated to continue hurdling and improving.

I spent hours and hours at practice after school working on hurdle techniques and leg drills to become quicker. By the time I was a senior in high school I had grown into one of the top hurdlers in the area. I graduated from high school with a state medal in one hand and a track scholarship to Truman State University in the other.

My experience with learning about the hurdles has become so intricate, so specific at the college level that I want to concentrate on one specific learning event within the structure of hurdling: the start.

Although by the time I was a college hurdler, and came out of the starting blocks probably a thousand times, I found that I wasnít getting out fast enough. As I reflected on past races I could see that I was always one of the last people out of the blocks, and therefore, spent the remainder of the race catching up to the other athletes. My strength and quickness seemed to work just fine in high school. I used my natural athletic talent to compensate for a slow to average start. But, the competition at the college level did not allow any room for make up strides. My coaches were concerned. They were just as frustrated with my starts as I was. They were especially confused since they compared my athletic abilities, technique, and strong physique to my competition and saw that I was completely capable of getting out faster. Much faster. So what was the problem? I knew had a personal myth that kept me from improving. It was similar to a confidence problem in which I did not believe that I was capable of getting out any faster. I often made excuses to my coaches that ìI did all I could do, I am just not as fast as my competitors.î

I ended up having a conversation (a learning conversation as Harri-Augstein would call it) with my coaches about my starting technique. We were also practicing cooperative learning (as dictated by Spencer Kagan) as we discussed the strategies we could implement to improve my start. We watched video tapes of my races, even in slow motion, to see if we could pinpoint any biomechanical problems with my start. At practice we changed the way I positioned my blocks. One day my coaches asked me about the mental visualization and concentration, even self-talk, that I was doing right before my race. I had no idea what they were talking about. ìI simply get into the blocks and wait to hear the starting gun, then go.î I said. My coaches emphasized the need for me to make some changes. ìYou need to begin focusing more,î they said.

This story is an example of what Roger von Oech, author of A Kick In The Seat Of The Pants, would call the explorer in all of us as we learn new concepts and handle innovative ideas. He discussed that with every learning situation there is an explorer who seeks out new information, an artist who comes up with new and creative ways of doing things or looking at a situation, a judge who evaluates and decides if your idea is worth implementing, and a warrior who puts the ideas into action. The artist inside of me came bursting out as I found a creative way to focus in on getting out of the blocks more quickly. Instead of thinking about my competitors next to me, the sound of the starting gun, and the sole need of getting out quickly, I decided I would try to just zone in on only what I was doing. My coaches suggested I think of one word or short phrase like ìQuick!î or ìPower!î or ìPump the arms!î as I prepared to start. As I reflected on the changes I made on my start and began to have a kinesthetic sense of my body and what I was doing to prepare for the start, I found myself ëzoning iní and concentrating more. The judge inside of me evaluated my preparation and performance. My starts miraculously became faster, and I was beating practically everyone that had pounded me in prior races. The changes I made with my start were working, I therefore abolished my personal myth of not getting out fast enough. I quit making excuses. The warrior inside put my ideas into action by continuing to prepare for my starts the same way. I concentrated more and more...and improved my start.

In William Glasserís book, Control Theory In The Classroom, he discussed the need for individuals in a learning environment to have five basic needs fulfilled in order to effectively learn. These needs are love, power, fun, belonging, and freedom. Glasser emphasized that each individual strives to obtain or fulfill these needs. In my case, I have always enjoyed hurdling and being apart of a team of coaches and athletes. It is in this system that all of these needs are met. I feel love and appreciation from my coaches and teammates as we work together day after day in which we not only go through trials and tribulations related to track, but also lifeís dilemmas as well. The need for power is fulfilled because I often that I have responsibilities and opportunities to help the younger team-members. Having fun, feeling like I belong to something, and having a sense of freedom is also fulfilled with my involvement on the track team. Being around my friends, laughing, and getting away from the ties of academic pressures offers a time for all of these needs to be met.

Similarly, I think that my learning process of exploring strategies to have a more effective start in my races was effective because all of the needs Glasser outlined were also fulfilled.

As I continue to be a member of a track team, and as I improve on my accomplishments and refine my goals, I find that with each day there is something new to be learned. As I reflect on the past nine years and see how far I have become as a hurdler I realize that millions of individual and integrated learning events took place to get me to the point that I am now. Next week I wonít be entering the Olympics like my dream when I was a thirteen year old intended. But, I will be taking part in my own Olympics...the college level national meet. I thank my coaches, teammates, role-models, and competitors who have helped me learn about myself along the way (whether they realized they were helping me or not). Without this never-ending learning conversation with myself and others, that has helped me to become a nationally ranked hurdler, I would still be sitting in front of that television set just wishing I could hurdle like Jackie.

References

Education faculty of Truman State University. (1997) Conceptual framework for the MAE, Reflective practitioner program. Kirksville: Truman State University.

Glasser, W. (1986) Control theory in the classroom. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.

Harri-Augstein, S., & Thomas, L. (1991) Learning conversations. New York: Routledge Publishers.

Kagan, S. (1992) Cooperative learning. San Jaun Capistrano: Kagan Cooperative Learning Publishers.

von Oech, R. (1986) A kick in the seat of the pants. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.