Surface Learning Essay

What does it take to succeed in college? Many people would attribute success in college to intelligence. They believe the level of one's brainpower determines their success in education and ultimately in life. However, this is not the case. Good study and learning skills are the major determinants of success in higher education. There are two major types of learning: deep and surface learning and both are essentials to succeed in higher education today.

Deep learning is a learning style in which students aim to understand rather than to just memorize. Students who practice this learning style don’t just accept whatever they are taught. They analyze the information they have been given and check if the information has errors. This makes their

Therefore, their success was determined by the amount of information they were able to memorize. But things in college and higher education levels are not quite the same. Since the large coursework is to be covered over a short period of time, only relevant things are mentioned in class. In this case, if the surface approach to learning were to be adopted alone, one might get the good grades but the whole purpose of learning which is to gain knowledge will be defeated.

However, this is not to say that Surface learning is entirely wrong or inefficient in higher education. It has been proven that the surface approach to learning is indeed essential for some subjects to be mastered, for example, law, medicine or a second language. In these subject areas, certain universally accepted principles are taught which ar impossible to be questioned or altered. Here it is acceptable to adopt the surface approach to learning as there is no need to deeply analyze the information to see if it is wrong or not. It is a known fact which cannot be argued. For example, the mathematics

SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. The SQ3R system involves both deep and surface learning approach to study. Surveying involves creating a mental image of what you are going to study. This adopts more of a surface approach to learning. The question aspect suggests that the student query the information they get. This involves the brain in trying to make sense of the material. Hence this skill leans towards the deep approach to learning. Reading involves going through materials as a means of finding answers to questions that may come up in the course of learning. This also adopts the deep learning approach. Recite which is one of the major pillars of surface learning is the process of repeating the information to oneself in order to naturally recall the information. Finally, review is supported by both the deep and surface learning styles and it involves rereading the important notes and facts to avoid being unable to recall them when they are needed.

With this claim, it has been proven that both of the learning styles need to be demonstrated well for full utilization of information. This will, therefore, contribute greatly to the student’s grades and hence in the student’s overall success in college.

Hence, one must adequately choose the learning approach that fits into the subject area they are dealing with. Although deep learning will fit perfectly with any subject area, surface