Post 1 – Overcoming Challenges in a New Professional Role

Prompt: Share a story about how you overcame a learning challenge. Why was it a challenge? What strategies did you use?  Use the language you learned in this unit.

About two years ago, I started my job at the YMCA as a Member Educator and Duty Manager. It was an exciting opportunity to acquire my first job in the Recreation and Health Education field. Still, as many new experiences go, it was a learning curve that presented me with unique challenges. I had to learn how to adapt to a completely different environment from my previous role at Starbucks, manage unfamiliar programs, build relationships with new colleagues, and overcome my self-doubt from lack of experience. However, the most significant adaptation I had to make was utilizing my First Aid training.

This new role was the first one that required me to have First Aid and CPR training and to use it, which was a jolting experience. There are alarms throughout the facility that members can use if someone is having a medical emergency — or for any situation requiring staff intervention. After my first emergency response, I reflected on what went well and what I could have done differently and discussed it with my colleague who had responded to the situation with me, and who had more experience with these types of situations. As outlined by Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013), this is an example of the constructivist approach which explains why I felt a deepened understanding and confidence in future similar situations, as well as how I learned to act more instinctively.

Additionally, I started to have a mental checklist that I gained from studying the principles and procedures of First Aid, such as using the radio to call for assistance and grabbing the First Aid kit and defibrillator. I also recognized that repetitive exposure and practice throughout my time in this role had helped me become more adept at these situations, illustrating the behaviorist approach (Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J., 2013). Interestingly, through reading about these approaches and reflecting on my past learning challenges, I have realized that all three approaches often play a crucial part in how I learn to overcome them.

Reflecting on these experiences reminded me that learning is an ongoing process that comes with experience. Combining the constructivism, behaviorism, and cognitivist learning approaches in this situation helped me learn and adapt to a significant challenge. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, I believe that combining learning strategies when applicable leads to more effective and efficient results.

References

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.