Experimental Essay Experienced Teachers Only Kim Woods

*** Please focus on the topics listed and the attached guidance for this assignment.**

Pregnancy and Birth: Stages in the Life Cycle

Using Kolb’s (4) areas of model Learning please address the following subtopics related to Preganacy and Birth: Stages in the Cycle of Life:

1. Discuss the development of parenting skills

2. Discuss parental values and attitudes that accompany stages in the development of the child

3. Analyze methods of effective guidance

4. Discuss the role of discipline; compare and contrast discipline with punishment

5. Discuss constructive and destructive elements in parenting styles; identify at least three categories of parenting styles; include an overview of the parenting behaviors associated with each style and the results obtained from each

6. Discuss the challenges to responsible and effective parenting presented by contemporary society

Experiential Learning Essay Template

Review this check list in prior to submitting your experiential learning essay. If you have completed all of the items listed below, you are ready to submit your essay. Keep in mind, your evaluator may still request additional material, however, the list below will guide in your essay submission preparations. Not adhering to these guidelines will cause a delay in processing.

** Review each of the items below and check if you have completed each of them:

1. I have selected an approved essay topic from the essay course descriptions page. http://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment/experiential-essays/essay-topics.html

2. Some essays have specific experience requirements. I have checked the essay description and I meet all of the experience requirements listed.

3. I have written and included a 1,500 to 2,100 word autobiography; autobiography is only required with first Experiential Learning Essay, subsequent essays do not require additional autobiographies.

4. I have written an experiential essay: 3,000 to 4,500 words for 3 credit essay

5. My essay is written in first person (1st) without references.

6. I have written to all four (4) areas of Kolb’s model of learning.

7. I have addressed all of the required subtopics in each of the four areas of Kolb’s model of learning.

8. I have included supporting documentation that validates my personal/professional experience with the essay course description/topic.

9. My essay is based on personal, life learning experiences, not based on research, history, or another individual’s learning experiences.

Kolb’s Model

Below is a description of Kolb’s Model. All experiential essays must be written following Kolb’s Model. Below
you will find the four sections of Kolb’s Model, a brief description of the section, and a sample of how that
section should be addressed. The samples are pulled from the sample essay found on the PLA website, and it is recommended that you review the sample essay for a more complete example of how to write an experiential essay in Kolb’s Model. The words on this page do not count toward the essay length requirement.

1. Description of Concrete Experience

Description: Concrete experience represents your personal participation with the people, places, activities, and events of an experience. You should describe your involvement relative to the experience, demonstrating the opportunity for learning.

Sample

: My career in public relations started off as a staff assistant in the Public Information Office of a community college system. After two years of on-the-job training, I was promoted to the position of community relations officer.

2. Reflections

Description: Reflections represent your thinking and processing relative to the experience. You should demonstrate your learning by describing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed through the reflective process.

Sample
: I have observed that some organizations are very good at garnering free publicity. They appear at local events and frequently appear as experts in television and newspaper interviews.

3. Generalizations/Principles/Theories

Description: Generalizations, principles, and theories are constructs that organize and guide academic learning. A typical college course is built around several such generalizations, principles, and/or theories.

In this stage, you identify and describe the generalizations, principles, and/or theories to demonstrate your learning outcomes. These learning outcomes result from analyzing and reflecting on your experience. The generalizations, principles, and/or theories should be comparable to those addressed in typical college courses and should match the course description selected.

Sample
: Whether working with large or small one-owner organizations, it makes no difference in establishing rules, guidelines, or policies regarding image and public relations. Developing a detailed plan of action makes it much easier to schedule and implement appropriate applicable strategies.

4. Testing and Application

Description: Testing and/or application represent situations in which the new learning can be used. You should describe how you did, or could in the future, test and/or apply what you learned.

Sample
: A fun promotional idea that emerged as a by-product profit center for the bookstore was t-shirts.
We printed t-shirts with the bookstore logo on the back with advertisements for the bookstore on the front.

Name:

Date:

Individual Record Number:

Approved Essay Title:

Describe the experiences that taught you about the subtopic, reflect on that experience, explain the principles learned, and then explain how those principles were tested and applied. You are then ready to move on to the next subtopic. Follow this process until you meet the length requirement, and have addressed all required subtopics. *Word count begins at the first subtopic.

Subtopic (1):

Description of Concrete Experience:

Reflections:

Generalizations, Principles and Theories:

Testing and Application:

Subtopic (2):

Description of Concrete Experience:
Reflections:
Generalizations, Principles and Theories:
Testing and Application:

Subtopic (3):

Description of Concrete Experience:
Reflections:
Generalizations, Principles and Theories:
Testing and Application:

Subtopic (4):

Description of Concrete Experience:
Reflections:
Generalizations, Principles and Theories:
Testing and Application:

Subtopic (5):

Description of Concrete Experience:
Reflections:
Generalizations, Principles and Theories:
Testing and Application:

Subtopic (6):

Description of Concrete Experience:
Reflections:
Generalizations, Principles and Theories:
Testing and Application:

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Sample-Autobiography

Autobiography

My name is Michael Smith and I was born on the 30th of August, 1967 in Long Beach,

California. My parents were Eddie Smith and Joan Smith. Both of my parents are deceased.

My mom died at the age of 57 in 1994 from lung cancer which was the result of smoking her

whole lifetime. My father died at the age of 69 in 2006 from a massive heart attack, which was

also the likely result from a lifetime of smoking. Fortunately I have been smart enough to avoid

that bad habit.

My early childhood was a typical middle class environment circa the 1960’s. My dad

worked for Simpson Buick as a parts salesman and my mom was a stay at home mother. I had a

happy, normal childhood as an only child, leaving me somewhat spoiled. My mom and dad

divorced when I was eight years old and both remarried within a year or so of the divorce. My

dad remained married to my stepmom Bev until his death. My mom would marry two more

times. My first stepdad Vince became a big part of my life and I maintained close contact with

him until his death in 2006, two days after my real dad died. Yes, that was a very bad week,

losing both of my dads.

Growing up with split parents was not especially difficult since each of my parents kept

me out of their divorce and they got along fine at events where both of them were present. I

lived with my mom until I was 16 and in high school. By my sophomore year in high school I

had begun to hang around with friends that got me into a lot of trouble with a number of things

including smoking pot and drinking. I was rapidly heading down a negative path, but was

fortunate enough to notice it before I had done any serious damage. I moved in with my dad and

changed high schools and friends.

With the fresh start I was able to finish high school without further incident, graduating

from Downey High School in 1985. Even with my questionable behavior earlier in my life I had

always wanted to become a police officer, which I could not do until I was 21 years of age. So,

to kill time and stay out of trouble I joined the United States Army immediately after turning 18.

I joined the army and was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training, advanced infantry

training, and finally airborne jump school. After becoming a paratrooper (11B1P, Airborne

Infantry) I was assigned to Bravo Company, 2/325th Airborne Infantry Regiment.

What stands out the most about my time in the army are the extremes that you are

subjected to. Some of my happiest memories and some of my worst memories come from my

time in the army. One thing that I am sure of is that it shaped me to become the man that I am

now. The army really straightened me out from my troubled teenage years. When I came out of

the army I had put on 50 solid pounds and was old enough to attempt to become a police officer.

Fresh out of the service I waited on tables and did some bartending while in the long

application process for law enforcement. I applied to the Long Beach Police Department, the

Los Angles Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol. My hope and dream was to

be accepted by the Long Beach Police Department and it came true for me. I was accepted into

the Long Beach Police Academy on July 10th, 1988. My military experience definitely made the

police academy much easier for me. I was already conditioned to withstand the extreme stress of

the police academy. The only difficulty I had in the police academy was a number of injuries

suffered during it, but I was able to continue in spite of them. I attribute this to my time in the

army as well because I had learned to “Play through the pain.” During the time that I was in the

police academy I was living with my girlfriend. Shortly after graduating from the police

academy we made the mistake of getting married. As so happens in law enforcement we ended

up divorced two years later, which was a mutual decision and really the best thing for both of us.

Fortunately, (and unlike many other police officers, both male and female) she is my only ex-

wife.

After five months I graduated from the police academy and was assigned as a police

rookie in training for the Patrol Division. My field training period went quickly and I was able

to complete field training without any problems. It became immediately clear to me that I had

made the right career choice. The excitement of being a police officer lived up to all my

expectations. I literally enjoyed the police work so much that I looked forward to going to work

and I could not believe that I was getting paid for it. The job only got better as I became more

experienced, leading to more confidence that I could handle the job regardless of what came

along.

During my career in law enforcement I worked in patrol as an officer, later as a field

training officer, and finally as a patrol sergeant. Over the course of my career I also worked in

detectives, in the Gang Enforcement Section, and as a detective sergeant. One of the best things

about being a police officer is that once what you are doing becomes routine or boring, you can

change what you are doing. By the time I had been a patrol officer and field training officer for

five years and beginning to burn out on it I was able to go to detectives. This gave me a new

dimension of experience and I learned a lot during my years as a detective, particularly while I

was assigned to the Gang Enforcement Section. I did this for several years and eventually

became an acting detective sergeant in gangs.

After my time in detectives and the Gang Enforcement Section I decided to return to the

patrol division as a patrol sergeant. Of all of the assignments I had as a police officer being a

patrol sergeant was easily my favorite. In law enforcement sergeants are the middle men in

between the patrol officers (aka “The Troops”) and the lieutenants and above (aka “The Brass”).

Unlike many careers where being the middle man is a bad thing (“Being stuck in the middle”), in

law enforcement I found the opposite to be true. As a patrol sergeant you don’t get stuck with

the routine paper calls that the patrol officers do, but you can still handle calls that are

interesting, require a supervisor, or are more complicated. While being a sergeant does bring

around a lot of paperwork, it is still less than the ranks above you often have to handle.

My retirement from law enforcement came sooner than I would have liked because of a

number of injuries sustained in the line of duty. The primary of these injuries required having

my spine fused at the L5-S1. This injury alone was enough to end my law enforcement career. I

miss my time in law enforcement nearly every day. But, I try to look at it as getting to do a

whole career of doing something that I loved. My father worked at the same place for 30 years

and hated every day of it. I got to spend a slightly shortened career doing something I loved.

Since my retirement I have run a private investigations company that I built from the

ground up. I’m now going to school for a bachelor’s degree in psychology and will move on to a

master’s degree afterwards. I am planning to go into counseling for police officers and military

veterans. Both police and military are fields that are likely to cause the need for counseling, but

each of those careers are often closed to outsiders. As a veteran of both the military and law

enforcement I believe that I have the insight to be helpful to both groups, and share a common

ground with them that may make it easier for them to open up to me.

I will close out this autobiography with the most important thing in my life, my family. I

am married to my best friend, Amanda. We knew each other and were just close friends for the

first five or six years but we became a couple nine years ago and have been married for eight

years. Neither of us can have children, but we have a large family of dogs and cats that are our

“kids.” All of our animals are rescues, some of which we have bottle fed from birth when the

animal’s mother died during birth. It makes us a happy, close knit pack of two people, three

dogs, and two cats.

Sample-Essay-2013

Experiential Learning Essay Template

Review this check list in prior to submitting your experiential learning essay. If you have completed all of the
items listed below, you are ready to submit your essay. Keep in mind, your evaluator may still request
additional material, however, the list below will guide in your essay submission preparations. Not adhering
to these guidelines will cause a delay in processing.

** Review each of the items below and check if you have completed each of them:

1. I have selected an approved essay topic from the essay course descriptions page.
http://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment/experiential-essays/essay-topics.html

2. Some essays have specific experience requirements. I have checked the essay description and I
meet all of the experience requirements listed.

3. I have written and included a 1,500 to 2,100 word autobiography; autobiography is only required
with first Experiential Learning Essay, subsequent essays do not require additional autobiographies.

4. I have written an experiential essay: 3,000 to 4,500 words for 3 credit essay

5. My essay is written in first person (1st) without references.

6. I have written to all four (4) areas of Kolb’s model of learning.

7. I have addressed all of the required subtopics in each of the four areas of Kolb’s model of learning.

8. I have included supporting documentation that validates my personal/professional experience with
the essay course description/topic.

9. My essay is based on personal, life learning experiences, not based on research, history, or another
individual’s learning experiences.

http://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment/experiential-essays/essay-topics.html

http://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment/experiential-essays/kolbs-experiential-learning-model.html

Experiential Learning Essay Template

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Kolb’s Model

Below is a description of Kolb’s Model. All experiential essays must be written following Kolb’s Model. Below
you will find the four sections of Kolb’s Model, a brief description of the section, and a sample of how that
section should be addressed. The samples are pulled from the sample essay found on the PLA website, and it is
recommended that you review the sample essay for a more complete example of how to write an experiential
essay in Kolb’s Model. The words on this page do not count toward the essay length requirement.

1. Description of Concrete Experience

Description: Concrete experience represents your personal participation with the people, places, activities,
and events of an experience. You should describe your involvement relative to the experience, demonstrating
the opportunity for learning.

Sample: My career in public relations started off as a staff assistant in the Public Information Office of a
community college system. After two years of on-the-job training, I was promoted to the position of
community relations officer.

2. Reflections

Description: Reflections represent your thinking and processing relative to the experience. You should
demonstrate your learning by describing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed through the reflective
process.

Sample: I have observed that some organizations are very good at garnering free publicity. They appear at
local events and frequently appear as experts in television and newspaper interviews.

3. Generalizations/Principles/Theories

Description: Generalizations, principles, and theories are constructs that organize and guide academic
learning. A typical college course is built around several such generalizations, principles, and/or theories.

In this stage, you identify and describe the generalizations, principles, and/or theories to demonstrate your
learning outcomes. These learning outcomes result from analyzing and reflecting on your experience. The
generalizations, principles, and/or theories should be comparable to those addressed in typical college courses
and should match the course description selected.

Sample: Whether working with large or small one-owner organizations, it makes no difference in establishing
rules, guidelines, or policies regarding image and public relations. Developing a detailed plan of action makes it
much easier to schedule and implement appropriate applicable strategies.

4. Testing and Application

Description: Testing and/or application represent situations in which the new learning can be used. You
should describe how you did, or could in the future, test and/or apply what you learned.

Sample: A fun promotional idea that emerged as a by-product profit center for the bookstore was t-shirts.
We printed t-shirts with the bookstore logo on the back with advertisements for the bookstore on the front.

Experiential Learning Essay Template

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Name: Ima Student
Date: 06/02/11

Individual Record Number: 0123456789
Approved Essay Title: Bereavement and Loss

Describe the experiences that taught you about the subtopic, reflect on that experience, explain the principles
learned, and then explain how those principles were tested and applied. You are then ready to move on to the
next subtopic. Follow this process until you meet the length requirement, and have addressed all required
subtopics. *Word count begins at the first subtopic.

Subtopic (1): Identity Crisis That Occurs When One Loses a Significant Person

Description of Concrete Experience: 1984 began with so much promise. The summer

Olympics were to be held in my hometown of Los Angeles, California, Cabbage Patch Kids

were all the rage and I was going to finally be a Bat Mitzvah. While technically I lived under

my parent’s roof, it was my paternal grandmother who assumed the role of “mother” to me at

an early age. Sarah, my paternal grandmother, was a very special person. She was a devout,

traditional Jew in a modern world and she was responsible for setting the backbone that has

become my life today. While 1984 held much promise, it was also the year I made a mistake

that I will regret for the rest of my life.

I was twelve (almost thirteen), and according to Jewish law, on the verge of becoming a woman.

My grandmother wanted to watch the Olympic torch run by her home and bribed me with a

“Cabbage Patch” doll, if, I could just afford her these few moments. I was as eager as a puppy

begging for a treat and I had no concept of time. All I knew was I desired virtually needed that

doll and nothing could come between that. When my grandmother asked, almost begged for my

patience, I responded in anger and screamed, “I hate you.” It has been twenty- six years and I

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still remember her response: “someday Samantha, I will be dead and you will regret those

words.” Well, someday happened just months later and I learned the most valuable lesson of my

life.

It was a sweltering September day, Rosh Hashanah, the most religious of the Jewish holidays. It

was a time of repentance, a time when G-D opened the book of life and evaluated who shall live

and who shall die. We had just completed services and went to lunch at my favorite restaurant.

During lunch, my Grandmother excused herself to the restroom and as time went on and she

didn’t return, I went to the restroom to find her. I was thirteen at the time and completely

unprepared for what I found. My grandmother was lying on the floor of the bathroom,

mummified with thin, gauze-like strands of toilet paper. I asked her what she was doing and she

told me she was cold, yet beads of sweat ran down her face and she was obviously in

tremendous pain. My Grandmother left the restaurant, never to see the light of day again. She

was transported to a hospital, where she deteriorated and subsequently passed away on

December 26, 1984 at the young age of seventy-three.

The call came early December 26, 1984, a day I had already come to fear, for my paternal

grandfather and maternal grandfather had both passed away on that day, in different years prior.

The phone rang with an eerie ring, and I automatically knew that I would have a third

grandparent to mourn on December 26. When my mother confirmed the news I feared, I felt as

if the light of my life had been turned off. Life went black for me and I felt lost, alone and

desperate. My Grandmother was not just my “grandmother” she was everything: my “mother”,

my protector, my mentor and my best friend. Without her, I felt an uncertainty about my life,

my future and how I would ever exist without her by my side. Everything that I knew in my life

was about to change. I felt as if the rug had been pulled out beneath me, or a movie stopped at

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the height of its plot. It seemed cruel to me that G-D didn’t take me instead of her, as I could not

see myself living without her. Her death was so unexpected, the thought of not having her dance

at my wedding or hold my child was not even a factor in my life, especially not at the age of

thirteen. To complicate matters, I was on Christmas break from school and had no friends I

could turn to. No one my age could relate, so I felt further alienated in my grief.

Reflections: I watched my parents grieve. My mother derived strength from the loss, vowing to

step in where my Grandmother left off, an idea I was not comfortable with at the time. My

father, on the other hand, became paralyzed with grief. His anger, pain and despondency

became the norm in our household and we became a family in crisis. We watched him curse

G-D, denounced my coveted Jewish religion, blame everybody and everything, and then

eventually come to us, broken, and in need of fortification, love and understanding. It was

more than any thirteen year old should ever go through, watching my father, my “super hero”

crumble at the time when I needed him the most. Everything that was my world had changed,

and I felt that I know longer knew who I was.

Generalizations, Principles and Theories: Witnessing my father’s grief, albeit frightening,

taught me to navigate the uncharted, rocky terrain of grieving. I understood from his actions,

that there was a certain method of grieving and no matter how old or young you were, when

you lost someone you love, you would experience the full spectrum of emotions. I knew that

when people lost a loved one, they often felt hopeless and helpless, lonely and scared and often

times angry and mad. They lost touch with who they were prior to the loss and became

consumed with the loss. Many people confuse the loss of a loved one with loss of their

identity. They remain living, yet a piece of them dies along with their loved one.

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Testing and Application: I loved my Grandmother but I wasn’t ready to allow myself to die with

her. I was only thirteen years old and had my whole life ahead of me. I knew that part of me did

leave with her but I also knew that the part of me that did die with her was replaced with a rebirth

of her and I was determined to find a way to live. I tried my Father’s grief on for size and I

allowed myself to really grieve, to embrace and really feel each emotion that I was faced with,

and I found that by doing this, I could prepare for the next stage of loss, healing.

Subtopic (2): Conditions & Symptoms That Accompany Acute Grief

Description of Concrete Experience: While I had an understanding of grief and had hopes of

healing, I knew I had a long way to go. Reverberations of my exchange with my grandmother

before the Olympic torch passed played in the back of my mind day in and day out. I was laden

with regret, riddled with shame and guilt and fraught with pain, loneliness and desperation. I

no longer found solace in the faith that sustained me, spending time with my friends was more

than I could bear, and I had little desire to do any of the things that I derived pleasure in prior.

The only comfort I found was when I curled up in a little ball and rocked myself to music, curled

up from dusk to dawn and sometimes, when allowed, from dawn until dusk. Days melded into

each other and soon, the months passed without me ever taking notice.

Reflections: I remember being mesmerized at the audacity of the sun to rise each day, when I

felt I was dying inside. To me, no matter how beautiful the day was, darkness cloaked me and

I succumbed to my grief. I felt so alone, estranged from life, but in retrospect, I wasn’t. My

father was just down the hall, imbued by his own grief, loneliness and fear and while merely

gypsum and wallpaper separated us, it seemed as if we were a stratosphere apart, yet we each

were experiencing the exact same symptoms of grief.

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Generalizations, Principles and Theories: With only thirteen years of life experience under my

belt, I lacked the comprehension that what I was experiencing was normal symptoms of grief,

and just began to embrace it as my new life. I was too young to know that people who experience

grief often experienced depression, a loss of will to live and often times retreat into their own

lives, shutting others out.

Testing and Application: There were times where I tried to break out of my darkness, cautiously

inviting my father out for a burger, but once we actual got out, it was apparent each of us could

not wait to return home to our grief. I sometimes would wake up with the desire to take on the

day, but would soon remember the state of my life, and would retreat to my little ball, rocking

myself to music, allowing the days to float on by. I had embodied one of those “grieving”

individuals and was not only depressed, but I, too, loss my will to live and shut others out.

Subtopic (3): Discuss the Patterns & Stages of the Grieving Process

Description of Concrete Experience: Ironically, I was no stranger to grief and loss. My

Grandmother’s husband, my Grandfather, passed away two years, exactly to the day, prior.

While I loved my Grandfather deeply, I was too young to comprehend the magnitude of losing

him. The loss of my Grandmother as I embraced the beginning of my teenager years was an

entirely different blow. I experienced all the stages of grief, from anger, to fear to regret and

complete and total devastation. I was mad at G-D for taking her away from me and yet I was

desperate for him to save me from the pain. I felt betrayed by my Grandmother for giving up on

me and yet I missed her so terribly I would have given anything to just hold her hand one last

time. I took all of her photos down so I wouldn’t have to look at my pain, and yet secretly I

revered them. I wanted to sleep all the time, yet my dreams always took me back to her, so I

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tried to stay up to not go there again and again. I replayed every conversation I could remember

and questioned whether or not I said I loved her enough. Did she know what she meant to me?

Did she know that I would live with regret for the rest of my life for telling her I hated her? My

life became a dichotomy and I was torn by my grief.

Reflections: I remembered that my Grandmother had actually experienced many of the same

emotions that I was feeling when she lost my Grandfather, her love of over 50 years. She was

mad, betrayed, lonely and confused, as she lost her other half and I remember witnessing her

grief and asking her if she would “die of a broken heart?” Now I was asking myself if I, too,

would die of a broken heart or if there was a way that I could still reclaim my life. The problem

with reclaiming my life was the guilt that I experienced if I allowed myself to be happy again. I

felt that if I were ever to embrace happiness again I would somehow betray my Grandmother. I

had decided that my grief kept her memory alive and if I were to let that go, I would ultimately

be letting her go. The truth was on the contrary; holding on to my grief would not allow me to

remember all the wonderful things we shared together.

Generalizations, Principles and Theories: I was experiencing the same grief other people went

through. I felt the shock, the anger, the loneliness and despair that I somehow thought was

reserved for other people. Where I struggled was with reflecting not only on my Grandmother’s

life, but on her death, and ultimately choosing acceptance.

Testing and Application: My Grandmother slowly emerged from her grief. She began to test the

waters by doing what she loved best, cooking. Then she moved on to venturing out of the house

with her grandchildren and finally, while I never thought she returned to her old self, she

assumed a new life without my Grandfather. My Grandmother’s final lesson to me came not

within her lifetime, but with her death. I began to emulate the stages and steps she took in

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dealing with her grief, and I gave myself permission to take the necessary steps to reclaim my

life. I was ready to accept life without her.

Subtopic (4): Examine Coping with Grief, Alternatives and Choosing Change

Description of Concrete Experience: Armed with the permission I gave myself to reclaim my

life, I began to pick up the pieces and cope with my grief. I struggled with the guilt that I felt in

moving on, but began to take my life minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour. Coping with grief I

found, was different than any other feeling or experience I had encountered. Coping with grief

was not something that happened to you, but something you participate in, a lesson I learned

slowly.

Reflections: While I never felt there was an alternative to experiencing the grief in the way that

I did, I was very happy to begin to see the sun shine again and I began to choose change. I

relieved myself of the responsibility of carrying on the grief eternally and embraced the idea

that I could continue to honor my Grandmother’s memory while living. I began to think about

how my Grandmother would want me to live, how I could actively best serve her life and how I

could continue to make her proud. Everything she instilled in me still lived within me and I

was not about to let all her hard work go to waste. While it appeared that I wasted a year of my

life grieving, I learned a tremendous amount and felt I was much wiser than my now fourteen

years of life. It was an immeasurably painful time for me, yet one that implored me to grow

more than I have ever done since.

Generalizations, Principles and Theories: One of the lessons I learned from my grief is that

people cope with grief in a variety of ways. My Mother was devastated by the loss of my

Grandmother, yet she found strength in the loss and transformed herself into the mother and

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woman she always set out to be. My Father on the other hand was incapacitated and it took years

for him to cope with his grief.

Testing and Application: I, however, found myself in between the two of them. I was first

devastated by the loss, but then empowered at the idea of carrying on my Grandmother’s

memory. I began to set small goals for myself; going to the grocery store with my Mother or

watching a movie with my younger brother. Coping with grief to me was simply stepping out of

my room for any amount of time, and once I began to be comfortable doing this, I would move

the bar a bit higher and challenge myself to leave the house. There were many days I failed, but

I persevered. One triumph begot another and I was soon on my way to reclaiming my life. While

coping with my grief seemed slow at times, it was the perfect speed for me. When I emerged

from my grief, I found I was a better person in so many ways.

Subtopic (5): Contrast “Normal Grieving” with “Chronic Grief”

Description of Concrete Experience: Even at the young age of fourteen, I knew that what my

father was experiencing went beyond normal grief. He could not find closure and could not

reclaim his life. I exhausted myself trying to pry him from his grief; I engaged him endlessly and

tried to reach him on a variety of levels, always to no avail. My efforts to pluck him from his

grief failed, but my understanding of grief deepened.

Reflections: As I look back upon the years immediately following the death of my

Grandmother, I realize that I experienced normal, healthy grief. While there were periods of

complete devastation, I was able to move through them and eventually move on with my life.

My father, on the other hand, experienced chronic grief. He continued to covet the grief he was

experiencing and never allowed himself to move on. I would see him out in public, perhaps at a

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dinner party, just going through the motions, no one noticing the grief, yet I knew all too well

what he was thinking. He couldn’t wait to get home to his grief.

Generalizations, Principles and Theories: Grief is as individual as the individual who is

experiencing it. There are no “rules” to grieving, just emotions that need to be dealt with.

Normal grieving, which I discovered later, does have a pattern. The pattern starts with anger,

and then moves to self-reflection, loneliness, pain, tears and desperation. However, while it is

normal for all of these emotions to be experienced during the grieving process, part of normal

grieving is also finding the strength to move on. Chronic grieving is not allowing one’s self to

move past the grieving process and embrace the change that ultimately allows individuals to

reclaim their life.

Testing and Application: I learned there was a time and a place for people to come out of their

grief and no matter how an individual is coaxed they must come out when they are ready to. I let

go of my Father’s grief around the same time I let go of mine. It was cathartic on one hand

because I felt that in letting his grief go, I was truly starting over, yet on the other hand, I

struggled with the idea of leaving him behind. Ultimately I knew that I could only save myself

and the time had come to move on.

Subtopic (6): Discuss Growth Towards Normalcy and Improvement

Description of Concrete Experience: As I was emerging from my grief, I asked my Mother how

life would ever be normal again. I absolutely could not envision life ever having any semblance

again. My Mother, with her newfound strength and wisdom, turned to me and told me that life

would now take on a “new normal” and it was up to me to embrace it. I thought about what a

new normal meant to me, and while I loved my old normal, I knew it was time to move on and

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welcome the change. The first thing I did was re-frame my Grandmother’s photo and place it

prominently on my desk. She was the first person I saw when I rose and the last I saw before I

lied down. Her smiling face gave me strength and it was for her that I began to thrive in my new

life. My mother also empowered me with some very special, classified information. She told me

that my Grandmother lived in my pocket and she was with me where ever I went. She told me

that if I needed her, all I had to do was reach in my pocket and my Grandmother would be there.

Reflections: I still think about my Grandmother everyday and carry her in my pocket. Her

memory never has faded and I always go back to her when I am in need. All these years later, I

still remember a poem that was read at Rosh Hashanah services the very last day my

Grandmother attended Temple. The poem began: birth is a beginning and death a destination

and life is a journey.

Generalizations, Principles and Theories: Before my Grandmother passed away, my life was

about the destination. I looked from point “A” to point “B” and so on. I viewed each stage of

my life as just that, a stage and never paid attention to the “journey” that got me there. I think

many people also live their life moving from stage to stage, with the destination on the

forefront of their mind, but not the journey that takes them there. Its unfortunate that it takes a

life altering event like losing a loved one to implore us to embrace new normal’s, but if there is

ever a silver lining in losing someone you love, it is the journey it takes to overcome grief and

carry out the memory of the loved one who is no longer with us.

Testing and Application: Overcoming my grief gave me the power to become everything my

Grandmother wanted me to be. At fifteen years old I was confirmed, a not so traditional Jewish

ceremony which solidifies an individuals belief in the religion. I approached that ceremony with

a conviction I never knew I possessed. Pursuing my confirmation was more than just

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solidifying my belief in the religion, for me it was reacquainting myself with G-D. I knew my

Grandmother was smiling down upon me as I read my Torah portion and it was at that moment

that I was not only proud of how far I had come but knew there was no hurdle that I could not

overcome.

It is twenty-six years later and I still awake each day to the photo of my Grandmother. I still

carry her in my pocket and go to her almost daily. I have experienced subsequent losses after my

Grandmother and have taken the experience I had in losing her to help me get through the pain

of other losses. I have learned to allow myself to feel pain, to experience each and every

emotion and then give myself permission to move forward. The short thirteen years that I was

blessed to have my Grandmother pale in comparison to the lifelong lessons that my

Grandmother taught me in her death. While birth is the beginning and death is the destination, it

is how we live the journey that makes the difference. My Grandmother’s death taught me to live

my life and embrace the journey. It is this lesson that allowed me to forgive myself for telling

her that I hated her and has freed me to become the woman that I know she would have been

proud of.

Three-Credit-Essay-Template[1]

Experiential Learning Essay Template

** Review each of the items below and check if you have completed each of them:

1. I have selected an approved essay topic from the essay course descriptions page.
http://www.phoenix.edu/admissions/prior_learning_assessment/experiential-essays/essay-topics.html

2. Some essays have specific experience requirements. I have checked the essay description and I meet all of the experience requirements listed.

3. I have written and included a 1,500 to 2,100 word autobiography; autobiography is only required with first Experiential Learning Essay, subsequent essays do not require additional autobiographies.

4. I have written an experiential essay: 3,000 to 4,500 words for 3 credit essay

5. My essay is written in first person (1st) without references.

6. I have written to all four (4) areas of
Kolb’s model of learning
.

7. I have addressed all of the required subtopics in each of the four areas of Kolb’s model of learning.

8. I have included supporting documentation that validates my personal/professional experience with the essay course description/topic.

9. My essay is based on personal, life learning experiences, not based on research, history, or another individual’s learning experiences.

Kolb’s Model

1. Description of Concrete Experience

Sample
: My career in public relations started off as a staff assistant in the Public Information Office of a community college system. After two years of on-the-job training, I was promoted to the position of community relations officer.

2. Reflections

Sample
: I have observed that some organizations are very good at garnering free publicity. They appear at local events and frequently appear as experts in television and newspaper interviews.

3. Generalizations/Principles/Theories

4. Testing and Application

Description: Testing and/or application represent situations in which the new learning can be used. You should describe how you did, or could in the future, test and/or apply what you learned.

Name:

Date:

Individual Record Number:

Approved Essay Title:

Enter your name, the date, your IRN, and the approved essay title of the essay topic you have chosen from the
PLA website. When you are ready to begin writing the essay, type out the essay subtopics as they appear in the essay course description, and follow the four steps of Kolb’s model.
Describe the experiences that taught you about the subtopic, reflect on that experience, explain the principles learned, and then explain how those principles were tested and applied. You are then ready to move on to the next subtopic. Follow this process until you meet the length requirement, and have addressed all required subtopics. *Word count begins at the first subtopic.

Subtopic (1):

Description of Concrete Experience:

Reflections:

Generalizations, Principles and Theories:

Testing and Application:

Subtopic (2):

Description of Concrete Experience:

Reflections:

Generalizations, Principles and Theories:

Testing and Application:

Subtopic (3):

Description of Concrete Experience:

Reflections:

Generalizations, Principles and Theories:

Testing and Application:

Subtopic (4):

Description of Concrete Experience:

Reflections:

Generalizations, Principles and Theories:

Testing and Application:

Subtopic (5):

Description of Concrete Experience:

Reflections:

Generalizations, Principles and Theories:

Testing and Application:

Subtopic (6):

Description of Concrete Experience:

Reflections:

Generalizations, Principles and Theories:

Testing and Application:

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