Aadventures in Adult Learning

Opening Windows: Adventures in Life

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Developing Competence

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In my life I have been taught a range of practices and processes that work excellently well in human group settings. And then I had the great good fortune to practice these lessons so that they became very well ingrained skills and abilities. You could say I have developed competence in them.

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Initially, I used these skills as part and parcel of trying to make a living, which I managed quite well. Of course, I had colleagues, and peers, and mentors, and partners though all this practicing time and so I won’t say I am self-taught, but I will say I am well taught. 

 

Together with friends and colleagues and peers I worked in psychotherapy settings and organisational consulting settings and adult learning and training settings in conferences, in community settings, using action methods and psychodrama and sociodrama and sociometry and role training and the wisdom I drew from a rather vast array of super smart folks.

 

It's all about learning: but what the heck is that?

 

These folks spoke and wrote well about learning, what gets in the way of learning, how we go about crafting ourselves, and how we craft our understanding of life, our life and that of the lives around us. They had names like Jung, and Moreno, and Dewey, and Kolb, and Rogers, and when I looked up who else I could have remembered I recalled Knowles, Mezirow (I wrote an peer reviewed journal article just on his theory, which I forgot), Argyris, Schön, Piaget, Gardner, Lewin, Bion, Senge, Brookfield, Cranton, Robinson. They all swirl around in me. 

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I learned about how groups work and don’t work, I learned that what works for one may not work for another or in other words: what’s good for the goose may or may not be good for the gander, and it may be terrible for the gander. I learned many of my own limitations as well as spotting some of the limitations of others. I learned that some people lie, and I never had a clue. I learned that being authentic may or may not get you anywhere, or even make things far, far worse. I learned that honesty is a tricky thing: both determining what it is and finding out ways to communicate in an honest manner. I wound up wandering into the deep end of the linguistic and semantic swimming pool and finally began to notice that while many folks speak English, that each person uses the language as though they have their own private dictionary but believe that everyone else has the same dictionary. Personally, I quite like the Oxford dictionary as a starting point, often!

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Working as a group therapist using psychodrama, teaching others these skills; working as an organisational developer principally teaching leadership (look that one up in the Oxford) I made enough of a living while also raising kids, being part of a family, investing in learning, health, love, and other things led me to study even further.

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Community Focus

 

Lives change and move on and now I am setting out to use what I know in more of a community minded manner without quite the focus on earning!

 

So I’m very keen to work with folks in the areas of adult learning as it relates to relationships, sex and pleasure, and what, if anything, do we know about such arcane areas as love, presence, wisdom, passion, free will, truth, love, discipline, freedom, and other expansive topics. The area where we know we know something and presume maybe so do some others but how or earth do we investigate and work meaningfully with these vast enormous concerns.

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Opening Windows

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So I have termed this move ‘opening windows’ as I am opening a new window on life and I am  inviting people to join with me to learn what I can teach, learn together using my particular action methods and skills, and individually and together allow ourselves to open windows on previously opaque areas, and see vistas that we perhaps have never noticed or seen or even knew existed.

Opening windows means I am opening them for others as well as myself. Also these windows are need not be so commercially bound so the prices reflect my interest in this work and working with you, not my need to compete with others or make a zillion.

 

Aadventures in Life

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Aadventures in Life is how I approach most days and certainly most interaction with other folks, people, humans, players, family, friends, strangers, and other creatures wandering this remarkable world. And I do find this a remarkable world, so rather unapologetically positive though in a sardonic, sometimes satirical, often ironic manner. Perhaps you might see me as a dark optimist. I left the misspelling in the title as I am pretty sure no decent AI would dare let it go through.

So please consider coming to one or all of my programs, or letting other folks know about them or reach out and talk to me on zoom or for a coffee.

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Please consider leaving your email here and I’ll keep you informed about my work and some other very interesting pebbles and shells I’ve picked up along the way.

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For more information

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So go here if you want more information on the sexuality side of what I do.

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Go here if you want more on the very practical psychodrama training I am offering.

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Go here for self-development, dating, and relationship groups – some for me and some for mixed groups.

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Or just check out my essays here

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Or you are welcome to email me at drpeter@drpeterhowie.com or text or call me on 0411873851

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