Attending school has always been a great journey a person may have experienced in

life. Anyone who has been a student knows what school life is all about: a period of learning
where learning happens and change occurs in the behavior or mentality of a person. However,
College life is known as one of the most memorable years of one’s life. It is entirely different
from school life. College life exposes us to new experiences and things that we were not familiar
with earlier. To me, I considered my college life as a period of happiness, enjoyment, hard work
and struggle.
Before I started medical school I really had no idea what a typical day would it be like for
a medical student. Other than going to school, how many hours of class do I attend to? What
else is there to do other than studying? All I knew is that I was enrolled to a medical school with
a problem-based learning approach. Who would have thought that medicine would really
change my life? Well, for the good of course, even if the process of starting the medical school
was so exhilarating and intimidating.
They say, in every academic year, you will meet a teacher or professor who will impart
significant learnings in your life and I could still remember when I was in Medical school in my
Anatomy class where my professor is a medical doctor, who gave a collaborative task which
was a presentation on muscle attachments and muscle actions. According to him, traditionally,
anatomy was considered to be a dull, labor-intensive subject, and was taught using surface
learning approaches and rote memorization and so, he decided to divide us into groups so he
can promote active learning, deep learning, effective retention, and application of the knowledge
in the clinical context because teaching of anatomy supposedly undergo an evolutionary change
with the adoption of modern philosophies, approaches, and effective teaching and learning
strategies. More so, in other major classes in med school which entails a rigorous learning and
a much attention to practicum and lectures. In the process of doing the task, of course we
planned with the aim of using our ingenuity and innovativeness in our presentation of muscle
attachments and muscle actions which resulted to a very well presentation and retention of
learning to my block mates. This kind of activity in our class was cultivated oftentimes in which
our professor set expectation from us. It has been proven to me that through this kind of
learning and activity I was able to acquire and absorb most essential competencies which I can
use in my clinical practice. However, there were times when I feel disinterested in my class, not
because of the topics but because sometimes my professor would just be a traditional teacher
who would teach consuming the class hours with just him doing all the talking, and probably that
is when the topic is so complicated which is quite understandable but the participation of the
class is compromised and the objectives of learning was not fully attained. Aside from that
approach which seemed to be a teacher-centered sometimes resulting in less engagement of
the entire class, the tonality of his voice also affects the teaching and learning process. There
were times when he sounded monotonous and speak fast and slow which affects the retention
of ideas and also influence our perception of him during that particular moment. Nevertheless, I
would never forget my professor who has been a firm believer of active learning trying his best
to gradually stick away from being a dispenser of knowledge to just a facilitator of learning and a
firm believer of the good effect of change be it in his approach, delivery, and strategy to
teaching just to cater and address the gaps of his teaching and learning needs of his students.
Despite his inconsistency in approach to teaching, that does not make him an ineffective
professor in fact, I was amazed by his intelligence and memory that at his old age he was able
to impart and share straightforward wordings and accurate teachings which helped me a lot in
my note-takings and throughout college. Here are some of my feedback on his teaching in our
class:
 He encourages learning from experience. He believes in the concept of learning
by doing.
 He lets students teach. He would let us present and report to class to share and
be responsible of our learning.
 He models as he teaches. He would help us grasp new concept and process by
demonstrating it to the class.

To me, regardless of how my professor delivered the lesson what matters to me when I
was in college are the instructions given to us. I do not totally focus on how enthusiast or strict
my professor is so long as teaching and learning instructions are clear. This I believe are to be
strictly followed in order to achieve a certain objective or goal. Instructions have been
considered as the blueprint in every teaching and learning process. Without it and without the
clear and proper construction of it, learners will be left behind, learners will not be on the same
page or path as where the teacher is. This is anchored with Bruner’s Theory of Instruction. He
describes the key instructional components of curriculum: its sequence of activities in which
learners become self-sufficient problem-solvers. According to him, Instruction consists of
leading the learner through a sequence of statements and restatements of a problem or body of
knowledge that increase the learner’s ability to grasp, transform, and transfer what he is
learning (Bruner, 1966). In addition, Instruction is a provisional state that has as its object to
make the learner of problem-solver self-sufficient. The tutor must correct the learner in a fashion
that eventually makes it possible for the learner to take over the corrective function himself. For
me, a good instruction starts with a teacher being an analytical thinker. Ensuring that the
instructions are clear, concise, and easy to follow. Following the teaching and learning
instructions, will pave way for us to better do things on our own with just a little supervision. A
clear instruction in mind will lead us to exploration and unlocking of ideas. On the other side of
the coin, not being able to follow an instruction may lead you to failure and consequences but it
may teach you lessons that you may gain from your several attempts of trials and errors and
eventually attainment of objective once you have learned the best way. While, managing the
group and taking responsibilities is always anchored to cooperative learning which teach us,
students to work together as a group and maximize our own learning. I have reliance on
cooperative learning task as it enables learners to learn co-dependence, brainstorming, and
teamwork as what is cultivated in the activity given to us by our teacher. Me and my groupmates
during group task have established positive interdependence, individual accountability,
interaction, social skills, and group processing which lead us to finishing our task within the
given timeframe. That is why that experience has become memorable to me because I was able
to earn the trust of my groupmates and was able to perform well through our collaborative
efforts.
I have learned that in college, regardless of how difficult or complicated a lesson may be,
once should be aware of his progress in learning. As a student, one should be aware of the
responsibilities accompanied to it, to name a few: time management, being prepared, attending
classes, and meeting academic expectations. Once we have these in mind, our college journey
will be less challenging. Aside from the responsibilities of a student, the concept of following the
teaching and learning instructions and collaborative learning to activate active learning must be
instilled in the learners’ minds and must be cultivated in all academic undertakings. But of
course, the effectiveness of the instructions begins with a good one that is written by a teacher
followed by a seamless receipt to the students’ end. The first thing the instructor can do is
provide both written and verbal instructions. These instructions should be concise, written in
student-friendly language, and given in order of operation (ie, step A then step B). Students can
read (and reread the written instructions), which should minimize errors resulting from not
paying attention or insufficient working memory. Although distracted when verbal instructions
were given, a student can review written instructions in a self-paced manner, thus reducing
cognitive load and increasing the probability of remembering them.  Moreover, according to
Brockbank and Robert (2016), there are two possible ways to address societal effects on
following instructions. The first way is to establish an expectation of professionalism by
explaining why instruction following is important. The second way is to create the fear of
reprimand. In this case, faculty members hold students responsible for following the rules. This
could be with respect to assignment formatting, assignment deadlines, or other aspects that
might be tied to a penalty. The instructor then must monitor the completion of the task, possess
the ability to impose a consequence, and observe the effect of the consequence on the student.
With regard to cooperative learning, will it help students learn? Research has shown that
students who work in cooperative groups do better on tests, especially with regard to reasoning
and critical thinking skills than those that do not (Johnson and Johnson, 1989).
"In extensive meta-analyses across hundreds of studies, cooperative arrangements were found
superior to either competitive or individualistic structures on a variety of outcome measures,
generally showing higher achievement, higher-level reasoning, more frequent generation of new
ideas and solutions, and greater transfer of what is learned from one situation to another."
(Barkley et al., 2005). Slavin (1996) further argues that "cooperative learning has its greatest
effects on student learning when groups are recognized or rewarded based on the individual
learning of their group members" Instructors who routinely have students work in groups not
only conserve materials but also provide opportunities for students to engage in more
substantial projects or a larger number of smaller projects than they could achieve individually.
Within each moment we encounter in our lives, there is always room for reflection that
will lead to changes and improvements. The aforementioned learning experience and theories
may include the change of the way we address our gaps, the change of the situation, and also
the change that can arise and manifest within ourselves. It is imperative to give room for these
changes, so that we may refine and enhance our skill sets and our critical thinking so that there
will be betterment in our approach to learning and teaching. This part of the essay will therefore
contain all of the possible improvements which we could focus on after we reflect upon the
situation that was presented in the earlier paragraphs.
Now, we may ask ourselves "How can we improve our approach to teaching and
learning?” “How do we address our learning needs”
The first course of action we can take to make these improvements is by always
accepting changes that will develop ourselves. That is, to learn what we need to learn, and
unlearn what we need to unlearn as everything evolves in accordance to what is required and
need in the situation. Why is it significant to change one's self? One quote from Dalai Lama
perfectly exemplifies this, "Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into the
water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." Changing one's self creates a
ripple effect wherein the changes that we generate, helps change the things around us. Just
showing the things we can do can help inspire and teach others to do the same. Before we
attempt to change the people around us, we must take a look into the mirror and help change
ourselves for the better since that is the only way. As they say, action speaks louder than words
and there is nothing louder than showing others the possibilities of the things they can
accomplish that are limitless and endless. 
It is also beneficial to be aware of the situation of other people and to recognize the
strengths and weaknesses that they present in the current situation. It is perhaps, some people
are not ready to make transitions and make changes from what they are used to that is why as
they pretend to change for the better they tend to become inconsistent with their practices kept
going back to their old practice. However, it is important to note that we need to become flexible
and try to adapt practices that would yield better result and positive outcome and feedback from
the people around us. If we encounter someone trying to improve and doing what seems to be
effective, then we must also look at ourselves to evaluate if we also need to make progress so
we can help people better. It is beneficial in the sense that we can implement the changes we
see in other people to ourselves. That's why the awareness of one's self and one's actions are
as important as being aware of the actions of others. The possible changes that we can see in
others, can help us in changing and improving ourselves for the better.
We have reviewed and reflected upon the experiences and encounters in my class with
our professor and it seems to it that inconsistency may lead to affecting other people’s way of
thinking and perceiving. Let me ask, why are improvements considered a necessity? According
to Petterson (2015), there are a few reasons that change is necessary for personal
development. The change enables you to become the person you want to be. Practicing and
enacting change yourself is one of the most rewarding processes you will ever experience. It
also displays a very valuable life skill. If you can pinpoint areas in your career that you are
unhappy with, or need further development, being able to change your approach shows a
commitment to progression and confidence in your ability. No matter whether change is internal
or external, it is undeniable that it keeps your career interesting. Each change in your career is
an invitation to try a new experience or take advantage of a new opportunity. Whether it is
incited by you or whether it occurs organically, change is your ticket out of any situation or any
place where you are unhappy or unfulfilled.
In general, change paves the way for improvement in our general lives, especially in the
career path that we choose. Whether we insist upon it or not, change will come about and bring
forth developments in our lives. It is imperative to embrace these changes, for if we embrace
them we are also allowing others to be inspired and to follow up on the changes that we create.
Change is a beautiful thing that we must embrace in our daily lives.
References:

Bruner, Jerome S. 1966. Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge MA: Harvard University

Press. pp. 49–53. || Amazon || WorldCat

Jha V, Brockbank S, Roberts T. A framework for understanding lapses in professionalism

among medical students: applying the theory of planned behavior to fitness to practice
cases. Acad Med. 2016;91(12):1622-1627.

Patterson, G. (2015). 10 reasons why change is important for personal development.

https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2015/03/12/10-reasons-why-change-is-important-for-
personal-development