Writing this paper has gave me greater enthusiasm for integrating technology into my lessons. Though a decade of direct teaching experience has sold me on the benefits of active learning, this paper helped me connect educational theory to my experiential practice. Of great benefit were those sources that connected constructivism directly to science learning (e.g., Freeman, 2014) and those that blended theories together (e.g., Chen, 2007). Often, I struggled with authors who held learning theories as completely separate and independent, as I see elements of several theories working together when I teach. In the end, my greatest struggle was limiting the discussion to a finite point, rather than engaging in a manifesto on the Grand Unified Theory of Learning. Even with the finish paper, I see places where culturally-relevant pedagogy and social learning theory could enter the discussion.

Note: I wrote much of this paper immediately following my father's death. I recognize that it needs to be cleaned up, removing repetitive ideas and focusing my thoughts. This paper showcases my abilities at a time when I was stressed, grieved, and making up for a two-week absence in a seven week class. I am leaving this work in its original form to demonstrate how well I can express my ideas even in times of stress and crisis. Motivation to complete this assignment came from a genuine interest in the topic, and this experience reinforced my view that intrinsic motivation is the best driver for learning.

In learning about the PAH continuum, I envisioned the progression from pedagogy to heutagogy as mirroring the progression through education levels. A student begins with K-12 education (pedagogy), moves through undergraduate college education (andragogy), and possibly matures into graduate education (heutagogy). However, there is no reason why earlier education levels could not incorporate heutagogic principles before students reach graduate education, if they ever do. Personally, my first foray into graduate school would have gone better if I had previous exposure to self-determined learning. In this paper, I considered what it might look like to include heutagogic learning early in college-level education, particularly for the often-overlooked community college student, and how it might be implemented in my area of expertise - astronomy. 

I found this paper difficult to write, partially because it is developed from such a theoretical basis. In some ways this is good, as it forces me to start with the research and build my lessons from there. While I have some experience with the resources provided in the example activity, I have not yet used them in the ways discussed, and I would be interested to test it out. Through application, I could better assess how the practical implementation may need to be adjusted for the real-world needs for community college students. In particular, I would like to see whether connecting students with professionals in the field might open up opportunities for them to pursue future interests.