I came across this great quote from John Dewey circa 1964 that I thought was worth sharing.
The explorer, like the learner, does not know what terrain and adventures his journey holds in store for him. He has yet to discover mountains, deserts, and waterholes and to suffer fever, starvation and other hardships. Finally, when the explorer returns from his journey, he will have a hard-won knowledge of the country he has traversed. Then, and only then, can he produce a map of the region. To give the map to others is to give the results of an experience, not the experience by which the map was produced. Although the logical organization of subject matter is the proper goal of learning, the logic of the subject cannot be truly meaningful to the learner without his psychological and personal involvement in exploration.
While taking a break from Masters reading, I thought I’d check my overloaded Google Reader. It’s so interesting that you posted this quote! Not only am I planning on reading Dewey’s Art as Experience for my coursework, but the reading I’m currently trying to figure out talks about mapping one’s learning. This quote is VERY helpful to me at this moment! Thanks for sharing:)