As I read the book, “What the Best College Students Do” by Ken Bain, I identified myself as a surface learner on page 35. Ken Bain defines surface learners as students who memorize as much as information they possibly can. Surface learners “focus only on passing the exam” (Bain, 36). I identify myself as a surface learner because as I read this I saw that I have been doing this a year after I started high school. At the beginning of the school year I was interested in learning. I finish my freshmen year with straight A’s. As the years passed after that I wasn’t motivated in school, so I would pass with low C’s or D’s sometimes F’s. I believe my loss of interest in school had to do with the teachers I had. There was some classes that motivated me and others who I just couldn’t handle so I would ditch. I also try to memorize as much as I can. Memorizing doesn’t help me because by the time I finish my exam I have already forgotten what I read. Ken also states surface learners “become bored with school and suffer from major bouts of anxiety and depression” (38). I actually went through a period of anxiety and depression last year. I couldn’t handle my classes and the pressure of expectations my parents had on me. I went through all that and noticed I needed to change my learning habits to do better with school. I am finding new ways I can better in school, like becoming a deep learner who will use the information they are learning in real life and trying to look into it with more depth. I have also been looking a videos with different learning strategies that have helped me.
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