Using the Concepts of the Knowing Self and the Situated Self, in Which You Critically Reflect on How Your Background Has Influenced You as a Learner.

In this essay I will briefly outline my understanding of the concepts of the situated and knowing self. I will then reflect on how my background has influenced me as a learner and in doing this I apply the concepts to my discussion.

My understanding of the concept of the situated self is that it is the aspect of the self that involves cultural and social background and the surroundings of the self. The situated self changes over time, it can have a past and a present. The knowing self is those aspects of the self that involves the physical body, emotions, knowledge and skills. The situated self affects the knowing self and the knowing self can develop or grow through experience.

When I reflect on my background it is obvious to me that my situated self has had many advantages in life that positively influence me as a learner. I am situated as a white, English-speaking female who grew up in a middle class family, in a middle-class suburb of a small city in Australia, attending both privet and public schools. In this situation an education is valued; learning and knowledge is encouraged and praised. My knowing self was given the opportunity to be stimulated and challenged.

As my knowing self, I have always enjoyed learning and had an active and inquiring mind. Growing up, I was lucky to be physically fit and healthy, as well as emotionally stable, factors which were an advantage in the pursuit of acquiring knowledge and skills. I was also supported by family, friends and teachers. Thus, I developed a positive concept of, and confidence in, my knowing self. As a child my favourite past times were reading books and writing letters, thus I became a fast reader and an excellent speller. At school I developed excellent language and numeracy skills and took pride in my work. Overall, most aspects of my background as a child and student, as both my situated and knowing self, have been a great advantage to me as a learner.

However, I am no longer a child. I am a full-time student. I am currently situated as a single parent living in an inner city suburb. As my situation has changed, so has my knowing self. Most aspects of my background have had a positive influence on me as a learner.

Throughout life people are faced with a variety of hurdles. How they choose to overcome these hurdles determines whether they learned from past experiences. People who get a better understanding of how