Learning takes place in all aspects of our lives, but often we confine learning to formal institutional educational settings. As an avid adult educator, Pierre Domincé developed a method to encourage adult learners to reflect on how they have learned throughout their lives. He uses his method in a university setting to acquaint students with the way “they learn through the vehicles of informal education and experiential learning.”¹ I have adapted his method for use in small-group settings as a process of developing a learning narrative, a story of our life learning.

A learning narrative is one method to help adults look at their entire lives as a locus for learning. In church life, we use the language of storytelling. We listen to the stories of the Old and New Testaments and attempt to connect the biblical story with the stories of our lives. Some of the benefits of creating and telling the story of our learning include:

None of us lives in isolation. We are shaped by many people and events. Self-awareness is raised when we become more conscious of the intricate web of living. A learning narrative offers a tool to learn about how we learn, when we have learned, and what we have learned, to shed light on what has shaped our beliefs and ways of being. Whether working in a small group, engaging in a pastoral conversation, or reflecting in a supervisory conversation, understanding how and what we learn can encourage openness to learning from our lives.

Step 1: Introduction

A first meeting can be a time of sharing food, getting to know one another, and introducing the notion of a learning narrative. Distribute the questions outlined below as a guide for reflecting on learning in general. The questions are designed to stimulate reflection on significant learning moments. In subsequent sessions, participants can take turns offering oral responses to the questions, and then deepen the experience through written work as described below.

Step 2: Oral Narratives

Participants will reflect on the questions below individually; then, with a supervisor or in a small group, participants will share aloud what insights arose from that reflection. Participants may find it helpful to make notes in the reflection time to assist memory. As facilitator, you may choose to offer your presentation first, unless someone else is eager to begin. Give each person 20 to 30 minutes to present, with an additional 10 minutes for clarifying questions and constructive comments from the group. As many as three people might present at each gathering. Or the whole group can share thoughts about one chosen question.

Learning Narrative Questions

Use the following list as a guideline for your oral and written narratives. Do not be restricted by these questions. Rather, use them as a jumping-off point to dive into the pool of your narrative.

Step 3: Written Narratives

After sharing aloud with the group or with your supervisor, take time to reflect further by writing a reflection on your learning narrative. The following questions may assist your writing: What surprised you? Where were you challenged? What discoveries did you make? What do you want to explore further?

Step 4: Presenting Written Narratives

In a subsequent meeting, share written narratives with one another. Engage in discussion about each person’s presentation to draw out central themes and affirm the ongoing learning journey.

Adapted from Shaping Spiritual Leaders: Supervision and Formation in Congregations, copyright © 2007 by the Alban Institute. All rights reserved.
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¹Pierre Domincé, Learning from Our Lives (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000), xv.

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Photo by Johnny Baker
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