Personal Strengths and Weaknesses as a Student Learner
In this essay, I will write self-reflection piece in which I will discuss my strengths and weaknesses as a learner. The questionnaire I have chosen and studied is the Felder-Solomon questionnaire. According to the Felder-Solomon questionnaire, the results I have gotten comes under the category of active and reflective learners. Active learners are usually those who like to learn by doing practical stuff and looking at examples. Reflective learners are those who first think about what they have done, read or other things.
As a learner, I have a great number of strengths and also weaknesses. Well, in life everyone has strengths and weaknesses and as he goes on further, he learns from his mistakes and improves on the weakness part. I have a lot of strengths but the greatest strength that I have as a learner is that I am great at solving problems that are challenging. While solving a problem a lot of communication and discussion is needed and also advises are needed to be given. As problem-solving is one of my hobbies, that’s the reason why solving-problems that are challenging, is one of my greatest strengths. This helps others as people can benefit from each other’s advice and also in problem solving, personal opinions are given which are beneficial for the other group members.
On the other end, I also have weaknesses. One of my weaknesses is that I don’t complete my assignments on time, and I leave it till the last minute. The problem is that I don’t focus on the assignment as soon as I get it, so this leads me, to do the assignment at the last moment. I need to improve this by focusing on the assignments as soon as I get it. As I hope to be a software developer in the future, I will need to manage my tasks carefully and complete it on time.
Learning Styles
Everyone has different ways to learn. In life there are a lot of learning styles and people can either follow one or several learning styles. There are a lot of learning styles such as active, reflective, sensing, intuitive, visual, verbal and a lot more. It is very important that the learning style of a student and the teaching of a teacher matches, otherwise there could be some misunderstanding between the students and the teachers, such as the student may not understand what is going on in class, or he may be confused about a certain topic.
According to the Felder-Solomon questionnaire the results that I have got, shows me that I am an active and a reflective learner. “Active learners learn by doing something with the information. They prefer information by talking about it and trying it out”. “Reflective learners learn by thinking about the information. They prefer to think things through and understand things before acting”. According to the results I got, I agree that I am an active and reflective learner. I am sometimes active but usually, I am reflective. The reason I agree with the results because when I start doing some work, I don’t just start working away, well I first think about it then I ensure that there is no confusion in the work that I am supposed to do. I cannot straight start working on something unless I don’t reflect on it otherwise I will get stuck later on. In the same way, I cannot reflect on something for a long time as I won’t be able to complete the task. For me to be a good active learner, I will need to work with other people in groups and listen and share opinions about a particular topic. To be a good reflective learner I will need to think carefully about the topic that was explained and to ensure I understand it fully.
Everyone would like to become an effective learner. To become a good effective learner, you need to fulfill certain requirements, such as have a plan to study, set a place to study, a routine to study etc. The strategies I am putting in place to become a good effective learner are, that I will make a study plan for the whole semester at once, and also set a fixed time. Another strategy I hope to put forward is to set a fixed place to study as it will create a good study environment, which means you will able to study quickly and effectively.
According to the MBTI test, the results I got were ISTJ, which describes that I am a bit serious and quiet and make decisions calmly and do things in order.
Deep and Surface Learning
“Deep learning is examining new facts and ideas critically and tying them into existing cognitive structures and making numerous links between ideas”.
Every student is usually a deep learner or a surface learner. There is a quite bit of difference between deep and surface learners. Deep learners intend to understand and fully engage in a certain topic. They will have the interest and will link the concepts to daily life experiences. They wouldn’t just cover the topic but they will go further and research beyond the topic so they can have the maximum amount of knowledge of that topic. Deep learners would also be curious about what is happening and why is it happening i. e. , they would be looking for a reason for concepts and ideas behind it. A deep learner wouldn’t rush in doing a task rather he would take time and complete his task in a way he could be successful.
A surface learner is a learner who is not interested that much in the subject and he will only put effort to get marks and would not be serious about the subject.
Usually, first students are surface learners then as they go on further, they become a deep learner. A surface learner would learn the content rather than understanding it and would not go in to further detail of the topic. A surface learner would not make their own notes but will depend on the lecturer’s notes. They usually don’t like to put in some effort, as they just need to pass exams rather getting high marks. They would be involved more in sports rather academic studies.
