The COVA learning approach has greatly impacted my learning in the ADL program. I have mentioned this many times in past discussions, but when I began, I was so uncomfortable with this approach to learning. I thought it seemed confusing and a tad chaotic, or at least unstructured. As I made my way through the materials of the first 8 weeks, it began to sink in exactly why, and all I could think was it was genius! I had never been pushed past my perceived limits in this way before in education and to be honest, I am now a little obsessed with it.
Moving out of a traditional style of learning has helped me to see growth in many areas. My style of approach is changing in all I do. I am focused less on learning to regurgitate to sound smart and more on growth, embracing the mistakes, and taking chances I would not have taken before. COVA is becoming a lifestyle for me.
The most challenging part of COVA for me is Voice. While I get uncomfortable at times making choices, or taking ownership, voice is where I feel the most vulnerable. Harapnuik (2018) describes voice as the opportunity for learners to share publicly with others outside of their teachers to deepen learning. For me, this is intimidating. This is where I have to be open to publicly making mistakes. I am learning to put myself out there a bit more. To take on the challenge to use my voice and collaborate with others to grow and learn. I remind myself that if it is scary, that is probably a good sign that I need to jump in and take a chance. I am learning to reframe the mistakes I make in the voice of 'yet', and it is changing how I learn and allowing for new growth where it was stagnant in the past.
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