Education and Learning through the Lens of Mirabelli and Lowrey

Education and Learning through the Lens of Mirabelli and LowreyYour view of education and learning is influenced by a number of people. Your educators are often the first line of defense for you in your journey to become a successful individual. Your parents are your educators, your community is your educators, your mentors are your educators, and so on. While all of these teachers form a network that develops your individual experience as a student, some individuals may be more influential than others.One person who has greatly influenced my development as a student and as an individual is Dr. Michael Mirabelli. Dr. Mirabelli's first of many professional titles is Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Theory, which is an open position in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at The Ohio State University. In his teaching practice, Dr. Mirabelli has developed a method for students to self-examine their academic and social experiences through a process called th e Mirabelli Pedagogy.My second of four teachers influenced me to embrace the benefits of peer tutoring was Dr. Burt Donaher. Dr. Donaher is an expert in teaching methodologies that focus on encouraging healthy relationships among students. These relationships often come into play in our everyday classroom behaviors, such as working together or dealing with each other, listening to each other, being reflective, and as well as evaluating and critiquing each other. In addition to sharing his practice of teaching multiple methods of teaching and making his method the center of his teaching style, Dr. Donaher also developed a system for evaluating students and their progress.My third teacher who has had a major impact on my career and education is Dr. Richard Karp, a clinical psychologist and expert in mental health education. Dr. Karp has developed a unique combination of education, leadership, and application called the KarpLearning Model. In his teaching practice, Dr. Karp has used th e model to teach one hundred classes at The College of New Jersey, a historically black university, to almost every student enrolled in all four years of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The degree he has earned from a highly respected institution is the result of his experience working with students who were struggling academically.My fourth teacher is Dr. Michael Mirabelli, a therapist specializing in mental health and addiction education. He created an entire course called the Mirabelli Method to help the at-risk student to gain and utilize his/her unique skills and develop those talents to help in life. The ultimate purpose of the course is to assist the student in knowing why she/he desires and has an interest in the field of substance abuse/addiction. In addition to helping the student to apply these skills in her/his life, the course teaches the student how to use skills to enable them to become an influence in the peer tutoring community. Ultimately, Dr. Mirabelli states that the course should be used as a curriculum that will be taught for students all over the world.The fifth and final teacher I would like to introduce to you is Mr. Richard Lowrey, author of The Mirabelli Method: A Toolbox for Life Transformation. Dr. Lowrey is a former clinical psychologist who developed the Mirabelli Method as a 'toolbox' in order to transform his clients' lives in ways that benefited them and their families. The Mirabelli Method consists of three modules: foundational modules (modeling), approach modules (advice), and response modules (self-critique).As you can see, my decision to accept this education and learning process came out of my own personal experiences and education and developmental purposes. FromDr. Donaher, Dr. Karp, and Dr. Mirabelli, I learned that education and learning should be empowering and directly relevant to my specific life and career goals.