From Spin to Solid Ground: A Learner’s Journey

If you were a kid during the 80s and 90s, you probably remember going to the park for the merry-go-round. Like some of the best toys of that era, playing on the metal structure had a certain sense of danger—which probably drew us to it all the more.

It was exhilarating.

Usually, the youngest kids clambered onto the merry-go-round as the older, bigger kids pressed their feet into sand to heave it into lazy motion. But the speed quickly increased until the massive frame couldn’t move any faster. Finally, the metal clanged and dipped as the runners jumped on—the smallest kids holding on for dear life. 

Objects whizzed by in a blur. Brave kids held onto the bar to lean out over the spinning ground. Some even dared to stand. And as the merry-go-round slowed, we’d jumped off with big steps to slow our momentum, laughing at the thrill. 

But the rush of adrenaline came from the whole experience—from a slow build to dizzying spin to leaping onto solid ground. We couldn’t wait to jump back on to repeat it again.

We learn in motion

But the first time you got on the merry-go-round, you didn’t know what to expect. You found the experience disorienting. Maybe you wanted off long before it began to slow. Maybe you swore you’d never get back on it again.

But you got back on. And you learned to balance. Learned to keep the dizziness at bay by focusing on a friend.

Learned to jump to solid ground.

You learned in flow, play overcoming any distractions.

Research. Discovery. Wrestling with new ideas. Repetition. Retrieval. Integrating with what’s already known. Learning means immersing yourself in the experience.

Learning is a journey. Understanding the theories and science help us design and write for the whole experience.

Experience informs our learning

Like many, I took the indirect path into the role of instructional designer. My plans after college changed during the economic instability of the Great Recession. I worked retail in a big box store. I found my footing working in a public library. Along the way, I found myself asked to train, improve workflow, and find learning solutions. And then I joined a university’s eLearning team. 

With a few years of experience, I’m traveling my own learner’s journey. I intend to work out loud on this site as I explore the design and writing of instructional content.

Along the way, I’ll share useful tips, reviews, and resources (infused with stories and song lyrics and geekery). Hopefully, you’ll find this exploration helpful as you refine your own design.  

It’s easy to focus on the process of learning instead of letting it flow. I spent a lot of time thinking as I planned and designed, building momentum and finally taking this first leap. And so, I’m pressing publish—my once-whirling thoughts now focused and ready to land on solid ground.