Becoming A Learner Summary

841 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: College education and promoting personal growth of students

In Matthew Sanders, “Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education,” he teaches the readers that there is much more to college than the basic material in which we learn. We should approach our college education with an optimistic view on learning both who we truly are, as well as the material for specific job skills. Matthew Sanders states, “I am suggesting that you be more concerned about who you are becoming as a learner rather than about the specific job skills you may be acquiring.” It is vital to our growth in our educational studies. There are so many opportunities that come our way during college. He suggested we take these opportunities and make something out of them. When we become a learner, we seek out the most opportunities …show more content…

I wanted to avoid difficult situations and do the least amount possible in order to receive an A. I have realized that doing this will not benefit my life at all. I should embrace opportunities, live to understand the things that I have being taught, I should appreciate the material. This book also makes me want to achieve the best things while I am here at Virginia Tech. This is an opportunity to grow into a more knowledgeable person in many different aspects. Coming to this amazing school has created so many opportunities and possibilities for my future, and I know if I would have stayed at my community college, these opportunities would not have presented to me. Something that I will hold close to my heart that I read was, “My own successes and failures were largely determined by the role I adopted. Yet my experience has taught me that we can decide to become learners who actively pursue knowledge and understanding. And that decision—simply choosing to act as a learner—can enable you to grow and improve in all of your learning opportunities.” This information is very important to remember because I am the person who determines the grades I make, not anyone else. Even if I do not have the best professor, I should not blame them, because ultimately, I am the one responsible for my academic success. Virginia Tech is a school that provides the most academic and mental help, which makes me very blessed to call this school my home. The professors I have come into contact with have shown me nothing but supporting and kindness. The points that Matthew Sanders made in his wonderful book are extremely applicable and I agree with each and every one of them. The points he made in his book made me open my eyes to new outlooks on my college experience. I hope to no longer be a “passive student” but rather work to become a “thriving

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Becoming A Learner

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this section of Becoming a Learner, Sanders effectively emphasizes an important truth of college life: the student’s education is the student’s responsibility, and to be truly successful, the student must take their education into their own hands and they ought to do what they can to ensure that they

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'Learning (Your First Job' By Dr. Robert Leannson

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Zig Ziglar once said, "If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you." Basically, Ziglar is emphasizing how learning can be accomplished, only if you put your mind to it. In “Learning (Your First Job),” Dr. Robert Leamnson shares his strong belief of beginning students entering the post-secondary education. Leamnnson discusses the many ways of learning that can be used in college, such as studying, notes, assignments, and exams. Leamnson continuously discusses how no one will learn unless they want to. Learning is a biological process that relies on the brain. Just like how our bodies need maintenance, the brain does too. College is a place where you learn things that help you later. Leamnson mentions how students are responsible for succeeding in college not by just showing up, but by putting in effort towards the classes they are taking. In order to succeed in the learning of the post-secondary education process, students should be aware of how to make notes, understand what they are studying, and take assignments seriously.

    Read More

  • Mark Edmundson's On The Uses Of A Liberal Education

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    The multiple choices students have today in college have made the university a party environment, resulting in complacent students. Mark Edmundson raises important questions and makes valid points in this essay that are worth thinking about. If people don’t take a look at our present college system and start thinking outside the box, the college education system will continue on its downward spiral of consumerism. It is fun to graduate high school and go to college to party and to have a comedic professor, but there is so much more to college then having fun. People need to realize that by challenging student, students can then start to recognize their own potential end become better for it. Learning and utilizing the information that is being taught in college is essential. “Everyone is born with their own mind, all that is left to do is break out of the stereotypical college student mold, and use

    Read More

  • Patrick Sullivan's 'Essential Habits Of Mind For College Readiness'

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    We have been taught all throughout our years of school that grades are important. True, grades are very important, but are they the only quality we should be focusing on as we enter college? Perhaps we should look past grades and focus on things such as the adaptation into the college life. Patrick Sullivan shares college education is more than just tests and intelligence. He also shares tips on how to prepare for this life-changing move into adulthood. In his article “Essential Habits of Mind for College Readiness”, Sullivan discusses specific qualities that are crucial in college years and beyond, such as curiosity, openness, creativity, accountability, humility, and character. I believe these qualities are what shape a college student, because

    Read More

  • College as the Pathway to the American Dream

    2356 Words  | 5 Pages

    Over the past few years, people have begun to see going to college as a way to achieve the American Dream through career-readiness. People used to go to college, hoping to get a better well-rounded education. For most the well-rounded education, it usually came with the courses required for a liberal arts education. The courses would provide a level of analytical and in-depth understanding that would prepare the students for both life and whichever career path chosen. No matter the amount of money paid, parents would be willing to gi...

    Read More

  • 655

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    One thing that I learned from this course is to follow directions. In the first assignment, we were told to write a personal story of what shaped you as a whole. At first, I had a difficult time thinking of a topic to write about, but after viewing other students’ essays, I finally understand what the professor was asking for, and I came up with an idea of writing how I got my cats and wanted to become a veterinarian. Writing this type of essay was difficult because I am not good at expressing myself. Therefore, I always did a bad job in describing my feelings, my thoughts, and etc. Since English is my second language, I know I have a lot of mistakes with my writing. Thus, I went to the Writing Center to ask for professional help. The tutors are very nice and willing to give you academic advices. After going to the writing center, the essay turned out to be my favorite essay that I have even written. However, the assignment was not asking to tell the story, the main theme is to write what shaped you as a whole. As a result, I got a poor grade and realized that this college level course was not the same as a high school writing course. In high school, I was only satisfied in completing the essay and receiving an A. What really ...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Hunter Rawlings's College Is Not A Commodity

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to

    Read More

  • Vocation Or Exploration By Alina Tugend

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a young girl in school, I always believed that I would one day would be successful and had the hope that a college education would assist me in being successful. I exceled in school even with circumstances such as hurricane Katrina and September 11 and had a thirst for knowledge. At the same time, the teachers that influenced me in life convinced me to attend college for the betterment of knowledge and a potential for a job or a career. However, those same teachers were teaching me textbook methods and no real on hand training that is essential in an education especially a college education. In "Vocation or Exploration? Pondering the Purpose of College”, Alina Tugend ponders the idea of college being either Vocation—job training— or Exploration learning. She starts off by referring to her oldest son is about to graduate high school, but quickly goes straight to the point of her essay with “What exactly is a university education for?” She provides answers such as college is a way to automatically receive a job if one majors in science, technology or a major that can be applied to a changing world that we live

    Read More

  • America 's Most Overrated Product : The Bachelor 's Degree

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this article Nemko is illuminating the issues that our modern society is facing involving higher education. Students are starting off college with bare minimum requirements for next level learning and feeling disappointed when they are not succeeding in their courses. The author acknowledges that the courses being taken by students are sometimes not beneficial to life after college. Nemko states, “A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below ‘proficient’ levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks…”(525). Students are specializing in areas of learning to in turn be denied to working in that field and stuck with unnecessary skills. “Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar”( ...

    Read More

  • Is College Worth The Effort?

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine telling that to a student who just finished four years of hard, grueling, expensive work; or, even worse, a parent who paid for their child to finish that same grueling work. But, in some ways, that statement can’t be any further from the truth. College can prepare a student for life in so many more ways than for a career. However, in the way that college is supposed to prepare soon-to-be-productive students, that statement could be right on. As a student myself, I’ve found college to be a little bit of both. I often find myself asking, "How will this help me later in life?" But, then again, college gives me more control over my life and where I want it to go. In trying to figure out what exactly made college like this, and whether the way I felt was felt by others as well, I interviewed an Anthropology teacher at Las Positas College, Mr. Toby Coles, and I examined an essay by Caroline Bird called College is a Waste of Time and Money. The two sources offered interesting views from both side of the spectrum.

    Read More

  • English 1301 Reflective Essay 1

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    During my first semester of college, I felt like this course overshadowed all the others. I faced many challenges, gained better habits, and even increased the value of myself as a scholar. Not only did my professor provide her students with the course material she built a confidence inside of us that will allow us to be able to tackle any task, especially pertaining to any written compositions. The things that I have learned from this course could and will be applied to any and everything I do from here on out, whether that writing an essay or even taking a test. Again, the journey was long, but I will be forever grateful for the things that I, and all of my peers have gained from this

    Read More

  • Becoming A Learner Summary

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    Becoming a Learner by Matthew L. Sanders is a book written with the intention of teaching college students how to make the most out of the opportunity for an education. Sanders states that the primary purpose of college “isn’t learning a specific set of professional skills; the primary purpose of college is to become a learner” (2). In preparing for college, I found the book a helpful guide in realizing that the way that you approach your work is just as important as the work you do. In the book, Sanders emphasizes that attaining a college degree does not necessarily make someone valuable to society.

    Read More

  • Personal Growth Through Learning

    1429 Words  | 3 Pages

    I’ve made it my passion to be a life-long learner to sharpen my skills, abilities and God-given talent. When an individual doesn’t make a conscience effort to expand their minds, then they are actually making a decision to begin to digress. Being an older college student, my desire is to learn everything that I possibly can with the aid of Victory University. It was fascinating reading about Rene’ Descartes who grew up in France. Descartes was also a life-long learner. He was the thinker and writer who coined the phrase, “I think, therefore I am” (Gluck, Mercado, & Myers, 2014, p. 7). Although Descartes existed during the time of the Renaissance, his theory that the eyes were significant to stimulating other parts of the body, such as the fingers, arms and legs was brilliant. It is now understood that this” process begins with the stimulus, a sensory event from the outside world entering” through the eyes (Gluck et al., 2014, p. 7).

    Read More

  • Terry Doyle Review

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    College is not the end of the journey. Students need to be reminded constantly that their learning will continue on into their careers and life. All the learning activities and assignments are simply a foundation for the skill of the lifelong learner. The instructor simply points them out and directs the student.

    Read More

  • My Personal Learning Philosophy

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people in history, as well as my mentors, have influenced my personal learning philosophy about early childhood learning.

    Read More

More about Becoming A Learner Summary

Open Document