Taking Control of My Own Learning | Learning The Connectivist Way – Part I

Author’s Note:
“Learning the Connectivist Way” is a three-part series describing my journey toward self-directed learning and connectivism.

• Part I – Narrates how my learning context led me to take control of my own learning.
• Part II – Explains what Connectivism is, its salient features, and why I gravitate toward it.
• Part III – Describes my Personal Learning Networks (PLN) and the technologies I use to support them.

First, My Story

I grew up in Tacurong City, part of Sultan Kudarat in southeastern Mindanao. Private educational institutions offered the best available education in the area—but tuition and school fees were expensive. Many students studied elsewhere, believing that learning quality was better in urban educational hubs.

My family could afford neither private school fees nor the cost of living in cities. Because of this personal and social context, I learned to take control of my own education.

Why I’m Learning the Connectivist Way

Changing Learning Context

I was taught the behaviorist way since childhood. Formal schooling wasn’t much different—teaching was focused on acquiring desirable behaviors or specific skills.

Later, due to social and technological changes at the turn of the 21st century, cognitivism and constructivism shaped my higher education experience. Naturally, I sought learning—and probably taught—within those frameworks.

But this outlook changed with the information explosion of the 21st century. There’s simply too much information to learn. Knowledge expanded rapidly and spread globally, thanks to the Internet and digital communication technologies. Traditional pedagogies couldn’t keep up.

In medicine and orthopedics, for instance, some of what I learned when I entered medical school had already become obsolete by the time I completed residency training. Clearly, my approach to learning and teaching had to change if I wanted to remain relevant in the knowledge economy.

Studying Multiple Disciplines at the Same Time

I took a radio electronics technician course with NMYC (the forerunner of TESDA) while simultaneously completing my secondary education. Later, I juggled extra computer classes, scholarships, and part-time work while pursuing my college degree.

While in medical school, I also earned teaching units, and even after becoming a physician, I continued to take courses in organic agriculture and accounting.

At the heart of this seemingly scattered journey across different disciplines is a core belief: learning is lifelong and interconnected. The ability to traverse and integrate knowledge from various fields provides an edge over narrow, domain-specific expertise—especially in a rapidly changing knowledge economy.

Interconnected disciplines representing lifelong, cross-domain learning

Why Synchronous, Face-to-Face Instruction Isn’t Always Sustainable for Me

The behaviorist and cognitivist modes of learning are deeply ingrained in medical education. Essential medical knowledge and skills are taught and assessed in structured, standardized ways. There’s little room for deviation—particularly in fields like surgery, where standardization ensures safety and consistency.

The goal is to develop a “skilled surgeon” shaped by the accumulated wisdom of mentors from previous generations.

However, the information explosion and advances in Internet and communication technologies have changed everything. New discoveries have rendered parts of our traditional medical knowledge obsolete. Technological innovations now enhance surgical precision, multiply our “working hands,” and free us from many routine tasks.

By the time I completed orthopedic training, I realized there was still so much more to learn. Returning to my hometown to practice orthopedics only strengthened that realization.

To keep pace with rapid developments in my field, I affiliated with the nearest teaching hospital—a three-hour drive from my practice. Whenever possible, I attended conferences, conventions, and workshops to update my knowledge and skills.

While returning to formal training was always an option, it was both costly and time-consuming. Even short, face-to-face courses required me to leave my practice and income behind.

I eventually realized that formal, face-to-face learning alone wasn’t sustainable. It couldn’t keep up with the rapid evolution of medical knowledge.

Thus, I began to direct my own learning, combining formal and informal methods—both online and offline—from multiple sources.

A visual metaphor for the lifelong journey of continuous, connected learning

Next: Part II

In the next installment, I’ll explain what Connectivism is, its key features, and why I gravitate toward this framework for lifelong learning.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Have you ever examined your own learning context?
How does your personal learning environment relate to today’s overwhelming flow of information?

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Last modified: October 18, 2025