Gibbs 1 Mason Gibbs Professor Adam Pradgett English 1101 8 October 2013 The Informal Learning Process Learning

toda in the modern !orld has become a chore" The boring #a#ers$ %&i''es$ and e(ams ta)e &# o&r time and o&r mone " The modern st&dent sa s *I ha+e to go to college in order to be s&ccessf&l," -o!e+er$ college can ma)e &s s&ccessf&l b&t can also bring &s &nder debt" I argue that without a formal education, learning is still possible but you must have inspiration, dedication, and make learning personal in order to learn anything successfully. I !ill &se Malcolm ./s #rison st&dies as m e(am#le" 0irst$ I belie+e that learning re%&ires ins#iration" 1h go to the ne(t le+el if o& don/t )no! !h o& are going there in the first #lace2 In Malcolm/s case$ the #erson !ho ins#ired him

to #&rs&e an ed&cation !as an inmate named 3imbi" Malcolm !as 4ealo&s of 3imbi beca&se of his #ro!ess in con+ersation" 1hen someone ins#ires o&$ o& tend to !ant to do the things that the do" Malcolm tried to mirror 3imbi/s habits and attem#ted to read on his o!n" I/m s&re there !ere man times !hen Malcolm !anted to gi+e &#$ b&t 3imbi/s constant #resence #&shed him to!ards s&ccess" 5o I thin) its safe to sa that if 3imbi !asn/t there to moti+ate Malcolm$ then he !o&ld ha+e gi+en &# !hen he became fr&strated" I s&##ort this claim !ith a direct %&ote from Malcolm/s a&tobiogra#h 6 *Pretty soon, I would have quit even these motions, unless I had received the motivation that I did.(113) 1itho&t ins#iration$ the moti+ation for starting in the first #lace !o&ld +anish" After this ha##ens$ fr&stration and fail&re !ill ta)e moti+ation/s #lace" Ins#iration can also ma)e a #erson reflect on themsel+es" If o& are lac)ing a certain

Gibbs 2 s)ill$ then o& !ill !ant to im#ro+e o&rself" There are times !hen !e loo) at another #erson/s accom#lishments or standings that !ill ma)e &s !ant to ste# &# and be !here the are" This ha##ened to Malcolm !hen he !as tr ing to !rite letters to Eli4ah M&hammad" Malcolm !as ashamed to tal) to M&hammad in his street lang&age" This ca&sed Malcolm to reflect on himself and !hat he needed to do to im#ro+e himself" To s&##ort m claim$ I !ill &se another direct %&ote from Malcolm/s a&tobiogra#h 6 *I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to e !ress what I wanted to convey in letters that I wrote, es!ecially those to "r. #li$ah "uhammad... I wasn%t only articulate, I wasn%t even functional. (113) The ins#iration of !anting to im#ro+e himself is the first ste# of learning and the diffic&lt #rocess of im#ro+ement" 5econd$ Learning re%&ires dedication" Ins#iration is for the beginning" 7edication !ill see o& thro&gh the trials that o& !ill face !hile learning" If o& are not dedicated to !hate+er it is that o& are doing$ then the first diffic&lt !ill sto# o& dead in o&r trac)s" In Malcolm/s case$ he #&rs&ed reading regardless of his lac) of &nderstanding abo&t it" I thin) that tr ing for the first time !as diffic&lt for him" In his a&tobiogra#h $ Malcolm describes in a sentence 4&st ho! conf&sing !ords !ere for him6 *I s!ent two $ust riffling uncertainly through the dictionary%s !ages.(113) 1hene+er !e tac)le the &n)no!n$ !e can be ins#ired to tac)le it on" Once realit sets in and the diffic&lt comes in f&ll force$ !e ma feel disco&raged" 7edication !ill allo! o& to #erse+ere thro&gh these trials" Malcolm/s dedication ga+e him a desire for him to learn more and to re%&est hel# for his ed&cation" Malcolm as)ed for the materials that !o&ld hel# him" 8nli)e the time I !anted to learn ho! to 4&ggle$ Malcolm &sed the tools that !ere gi+en to him" This dedication to his !or) allo!ed him to s&r+i+e the fr&strations of not &nderstanding !hat certain !ords meant" This dedication !as also +ital to ma)ing #rogress" Malcolm described ho! he read his o!n hand!riting" I/m s&re that the first fe!

Gibbs 3 times doing this$ he tho&ght that he !o&ldn/t be able to read" -o!e+er$ he #ressed on in s#ite of his do&bts" This is tr&e dedication" I s&##ort m claim !ith a direct %&ote from his a&tobiogra#h 6 & I didn%t 'now which words I needed to learn. (inally, $ust to start some action, I began co!ying.(113) Malcolm !as &nafraid of his fail&re" -is dedication ga+e him the abilit to !rite" 1ith time$ d&e to his dedication to his st&dies Malcolm learned to !rite a !hole #age of the dictionar " -is goal !as no! com#lete d&e to his dedication9 I s&##ort this claim !ith a direct %&ote from his a&tobiogra#h 6 *I wo'e u! the ne t morning, thin'ing about those words) immensely !roud to reali*e that not only had I written so much at one time.(113) The final as#ect of learning s&ccessf&ll is #ersonali'ation" I thin) #ersonali'ation is im#ortant beca&se it moti+ates o& to learn so o& can better o&rself" 1hen o& ma)e learning #ersonal$ it becomes re!arding" :o& !ill en4o learning beca&se o& reali'e that it is for o&r o!n benefit" It does not ha+e to be for someone else an more" Personali'ation of learning is +ital to not onl o&r ed&cation$ b&t also o&r self image" This self image !ill carr o& after o&r

learning is com#lete" In Malcolm/s case$ he contin&ed to !rite e+en after he com#leted the first #age of the dictionar " I thin) that after that the first #age !as finished$ he felt com#lete" After learning and !riting a f&ll #age of the dictionar $ he co&ld ha+e been done !ith his st&dies" I belie+e that it !as his #ersonali'ation of his learning that #ro#elled him to contin&e" I s&##ort this claim of #ersonali'ation !ith a direct %&ote from his a&tobiogra#h 6 *I was so fascinated that I went on + I co!ied the dictionary%s ne t !age. ,nd the same e !erience came when I studied that. (113) The #ersonali'ation of his learning ca&sed him to de+elo# an interest in a contin&o&s ed&cation" This interest in learning bloomed into ne! a+en&es and interests" ;o! that he is learning for himself$ he &nleashes a entirel different mindset" This direct %&ote from Malcolm/s

Gibbs < a&tobiogra#h s&##orts m claim6 *,nyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that o!ened. (113) Once his hori'ons !ere broadened$ no one co&ld ta)e the desire of )no!ledge a!a from him" The #ersonali'ation of learning infl&enced him to contin&e his ed&cation" This so&nds a little familiar" Malcolm !ent thro&gh *high school,$ no! he 4&st decided to mo+e on to *college," In !anting to learn for himself$ he contin&ed to read and !rite beca&se he en4o ed doing these things" This thirst for )no!ledge ga+e &s a man that is intelligent and has the a##earance of a *college ed&cated, indi+id&al" The transformation of #rison inmate to a st&dent is finished" Malcolm didn/t ha+e to go to high school or college in order to learn" The desire to learn !as de+elo#ed on his o!n and beca&se of this$ he fo&nd !ithin himself !hat he had desired all along" I s&##ort this claim !ith the direct %&ote from his a&tobiogra#h 6 months !assed without my even thin'ing about being im!risoned. In fact, u! to then, I never had been so truly free in my life. (113) -e has s&r#assed 3imbi and e+en Eli4ah Mohammad" -e is no! Malcolm .$ and he feels right in his identit no!" I thin) that the conce#t of school teaches &s this #rocess" That !e sho&ld go from learning for someone else to learning for o&r o!n benefit" The desire to learn is not 4&st limited to schools" The re!ards of learning are o#en to e+er one" That is the meaning that I ha+e e(tra#olated from -earning to .ead" 5&ccessf&l learning is so m&ch more than tests$ %&i''es$ and long #a#ers" It tr&l lies !ithin the #erson" If the #erson learns for their o!n sa)e$then the !ill chase after )no!ledge beca&se the !ant to learn for themsel+es"

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1or)s >ited
.$ Malcolm" ?Learning to @ead"? /he ,utobiogra!hy of "alcolm 01 with the ,ssistance of ,le 2aley. London6 -&tchinson$ 1ABB" ;" #ag" Print