Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education

by Matthew Sanders

Too often students begin college without a clear understanding of the purpose of higher education. As a result, many students will miss important learning opportunities. Becoming a Learner challenges students to carefully reconsider conventional common sense about college and learning, and invites them to consider a new conversation about college and learning that focuses on who they are becoming and their ability to learn.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Read For School, Teaching, Academic, College

70 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published August 9, 2012

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

trigger warnings and other info at the end of the review

This book, on the surface, was an okay read. In fact, I liked it. Where it all feel apart was when I thought about it more deeply. Not only does this book grossly oversimplify college and having a major, but it's extremely repetitive.

I thought the book was fine. I wouldn't read it again, but I could see why some people might like it.

_________________book info____________________

Genre(s): Self-Help, Nonfiction, Education
Recommended Age Rating: 15+
Reasons Why: Meant to help students going into college/high school
Overall Rating: C-

[Dallin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The primary purpose of college isn't learning a specific set of professional skills; the primary purpose of college is to become a learner."

I only wish this book would have been written before I began my undergraduate studies. Although my time in college was amazing and I learned so much, I can only imagine how much better it would have been with this in the back of my mind for those four and a half years.

Great points on the importance of how students become learners in the classroom and then transfer as learners to life and professional settings. I'm glad I took all those general education classes. I definitely understood my major classes because of the foundation they provided, especially my economics classes. I really dislike when someone says or thinks that general education classes are a waste of time and money. I completely disagree with that. I remember more from those classes and am able to apply concepts learned in those classes to my everyday life and profession than most of my major classes. If we think that the only outcome of college is to obtain an expensive piece of paper to hang on the wall, we have completely missed the point.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas. A bit repetitive.

[Lily Kent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read half of this for school…told me I’m stupid

[Becca McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that should be required of any student heading to a university. I love the analogy of a university and a gym. We get out of our membership what we put in. As a professor, I found him on point and his suggestions are exactly what I'd love for every student in my class to understand.

[Hailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

No I am worse of a learner

[Anna Woolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book changed my perspective on how I treat my college experience and classes. 10/10 would recommend. it’s a short read but very influential.

[Jenny Schow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a class last semester and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
My liking may have been entirely selfish in that this book reaffirmed much of my reasoning for finally deciding to go back to college, but it did have a few tips and insight into being proactive in the exploration of knowledge and the ways in which you can actively learn, much like learning how to actively listen. This book especially helped me push on after our classes went remote this spring. I bought the book instead of renting it too, so I will probably flip through it again as I start the new semester. I imagine this being very formative for kids fresh out of highschool jumping into college, and I'm glad my university requires it.

[angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

At this point, I'm just really glad it was a short book.

[sariah! · Rating 3 out of 5]

had to read this for my first college class!! honestly super interesting i just thought it was fairly repetitive, and could've been a much shorter ... article

[Emery · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate when men think they have new ideas

[Anny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this because it is required Freshman reading for USU students and I was supposed to "speak the same language" as an instructor. It reads like a sermon of the most pedantic sort. Not sure what the students were supposed to take away from it other than "Hey, it's college! You're here to learn, not to hang out."

[Kasi Beorchia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a textbook used in a dual credit course I teach, and it was time for a re-read as I prepare for our class "book club" chat. Each time I open this book for a new semester, I am reminded about how powerful this concept of being a learner really is, even for a middle-aged adult like myself. (Note that the primary target of this book is a college student.)

I would recommend this 52-page book to learners of all ages, from high school on up. In fact, I am about to share my copy with a colleague so that we can have a really great discussion about this book. And if you read it too, I would love to chat with you. There is so much to discuss here!

I'll share just a few of my favorite nuggets of wisdom from this book that posits that the primary purpose of college (note the term "primary" here) isn't gaining a set of professional skills but is instead becoming a learner.

"You can seek out courses, teachers, projects and activities that will help you develop your creative capacities. Remember, creativity isn't just confined to art or dance or music. Creativity is possible in every field of study and in all learning environments."

"Now it's no longer only about what happens in the classroom. Instead, learning becomes something that you're doing all the time. It never stops."

"Significant problems and challenges aren't solved with ready-made answers; they are solved by learners who can carefully think through the problems and come up with wise solutions."

"You don't have to have a perfect learning experience in college to reach your potential. It's who you become as a result of that process--no matter how imperfect that process may be--that matters most. And since you will never have perfect circumstances in your community, profession, and relationships, becoming a learner in a less-than-ideal college situation can prepare you for solving problems and succeeding in this less-than-ideal world."

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok so i read this book for school but i still have my opinion.
so this book i guess was good, but i think i'm in denial because everything bad he addresses in this book i do lol. this whole things is about how in college you need to go not just to learn the stuff for your major, but to become a learner and a overall a better part of society or something.
as a junior in high school, not a college freshman, which this book is intended for it was kind of a lot. it made me gain more anxiety about college because half of the time he was saying that your major didn't matter and that it's what you learn from it and that your major doesn't mean you're going to get a good job. like i already have no clue what i want to do with my life and this made it worse.
what bothered me though is throughout the whole thing he brings up what you should do and never explains how. like man you have been yelling at me about changing and not telling me how. i'm not really planning on doing it, but those who are that would be nice.
if you want to learn how to learn better i guess this is the book for you. i'm okay with how i am, but i may try this at some point. probably when i actually get to college and this stuff will apply to me,

[kai ☆ [hiatus] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for my college prep class.

Summary:
Privileged white man tells you that in college, your grades don't matter and that the information you learn in class is basically useless and that the whole point of going to college is to become a 'learner' without actually telling you how to become a 'learner' (and apparently becoming a learner means getting good grades but to him grades don't matter so idk how that checks out). Also, he does not account for the fact that people have different learning styles, mental health is a thing, neurodivergence exists, and college now is incredibly different from when he went to college.

Review:
Even my teacher said this book was kind of stupid.

[Jared · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a game-changer! If all high school and college students would read this book and apply the principles, they would get so much more out of their college experience. The author makes a simple thesis that "the primary purpose of college is to become a learner." The author supports this by analyzing common discussions we have that undermine the ability to become a learner and emphasizes how our attitude changes the we recognize the purpose of college is to become a learner. It is a simple idea that can have drastic affects! Trust an inspiring book that I will be recommending to my students!

[Katarzyna Bartoszynska · Rating 4 out of 5]

A straightforward (somewhat repetitive) and useful pamphlet for people about to start college. Sanders' main argument is that college is intended for learning, not merely job training, and that part of becoming a learner is taking responsibility for your own education. A necessary corrective for students who see themselves as consumers and college as a product. Though this might be one of those books that is only persuasive to people who already agree with it - I'm curious to see how students will respond.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Purpose of college is to become a learner."
Degree doesn't guarantee a good job, will forget much of what learned, job skills become oboslete
Outcomes of learning - creativity (original ideas will value), critical thinking (world pays you to solve problems), communication skills (build relationships and work with others), character (sum of qualities the impact how you accomplish tasks and goals)

This reads like a lecture on the value and importance of learning as "becoming" rather than as "doing".
Quick read, a bit repetitive and water down. Good message overall.

[Nichola Gutgold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this is a little gem for teachers and learners (that means all of us). Dr. Sanders makes the point that college is not to learn specific facts but to learn how to learn, something that will serve us forever. I highly recommend this book for everyone, but specifically all high school and college students and their parents, too! Take-Away: Learn how to LEARN and if you do, you will continue to learn for the rest of your life!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super short read (52 pages) with a lot of great food for thought for students about the value of a college education. It addresses many of the issues I saw on a regular basis as a college instructor and explains useful general approaches and mindsets that are critical, but not always easy to get across. I think it is a great way to start discussions about what it means to actually learn and get the most out of any educational experience.

[Nikhil Math]

Funny story about this. I bought this book, then I liked it. I lost it, so I bought it again and I read it again. Then I found my old book, so I had two copies. In the mean time I was meeting up with the author of this book a few times, because he was doing work with USU helping set up the Non-Profit stuff. Turns out he wrote this book and I did not know. I never got to talk to him about this lol.

[ana . · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some great ideas that every student should hear, but incredibly repetitive and sometimes a little bit tone-deaf to today’s society. It could’ve definitely been condensed. I thought a book this long would talk about the pressures students face more in-depth and how difficult it is for some students to get a higher education.

[Michele Rubinstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly repetitive… a book that could have easily been an essay or article. There were also so many points that were contradictory (ex. Starting with “College is not about being a good employee,” then proceeding to list the attributes one should leave college with… to be seen as a good employee.)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy is the 2012 or first edition. I'm hoping the update whose TOC looks the same contains up-to-date material. Perhaps this is helpful if shaped in discussions, but I see lots of platitudes and generalizations. I would recommend it for first-year college students, particularly those who enter college thinking those four years will be all it takes to get a job.

[Pershelle Rohrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on what it means to get a college education. Matthew Sanders explains how we should strive to not just be students, but learners. This book opened my eyes to many things I do well as a current college student and other things I could do better. Great for incoming freshmen, upperclassmen, and anyone who loves learning.

[Aaron Lozano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Largely what I try to convey in the classes I teach. Of course the topic and content varies, but the message often stays the same. A great read for anyone who is in the classroom, specifically in higher education.

[Graham Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me flip the script on how I viewed learning, education, and self-development. It got me interested in reading for the first time and I think about its content near daily. Highly recommend!

[Cassidy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read it for a class. Had a few good points but SO GOD DAMN REPETITIVE. Could have been a short article not a whole ass book. 2 stars Because again it did have a few decent points, but I would absolutely never read this again and could have easily gone my entire life without reading it.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, but excellent. He presented at a conference I attended. I enjoyed this.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the way this changed my perspective on higher education and the skills I learn as I experience learning.