Understanding Learner

Isabel L. Matías Cruz

Doulos Discovery School

DOULOS Project

Ms. Janice Esau

February 17, 2023

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It would only make sense for every student at Doulos, and even every student in the

world, to excel in the skill Understanding Learner. After all, if there’s anything we take away

from school, it’s the ability to learn, right? Well, over the years, I have noticed that not all

students acquire the skills necessary to learn effectively. However, I have made an effort to find

ways to tailor the high school experience to my personal learning style in order to absorb as

much as I can. The past few years I have gained several abilities of an Understanding Learner

that have helped me in and out of the classroom.

In the first place, I have been in the process of discovering the most effective learning

techniques for years, in order to take steps to involve said techniques in my learning experiences.

This journey began by discovering that I am mainly a visual and kinesthetic learner, which

means it is very difficult for me to learn information by merely listening to it. I adjust to this

knowledge by taking actions such as always watching educational videos, such as for

Precalculus, with subtitles on. This way, I read the words as they are said and facilitate my

comprehension of the material. Another example is that, whenever in a lecture-style class, I write

down notes of the most important points explained and I collect any print-outs and backup

materials given throughout the class that I can revisit later to refresh my memory. Small changes

such as these have allowed me to maximize the way in which I retain information.

I am also skilled in analyzing and summarizing different ideas presented to me, and thrive

under adverse circumstances. An example of a time where I used this ability was for Quick

Writes in English class. These exercises consisted of answering a question prompt given about

the content we were studying in detail with examples in no more than 15 minutes. The prompts

asked about elements such as themes, inferences and interpretations of the material that allowed

me to go beyond what was explicitly said in the texts. Also, partaking in these required me to
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create and organize those ideas under a strict time limit, and then be able to portray them clearly

and directly in a text. This also proves that I can use technology and the many tools it has to offer

to my advantage because, when given the choice between writing them by hand or in a digital

document, I chose the latter to be able to go quickly. Furthermore, these Quick Writes are an

especially good example of a time I have excelled in this skill because I received a 100% grade

in nearly every Quick Write I produced.

Moreover, whenever I have a query, I do everything possible to get a response that leaves

me without further confusion. This is usually displayed in my classes, especially ones that rely

on reasoning and logic, such as Science and Math. My classmates and teachers can attest to the

fact that, when in doubt, I continue to ask questions and seek explanations until I can fully grasp

a concept. In other words, I make an effort to be an Understanding Learner: someone who

understands concepts as a whole, not merely a student that memorizes all the “correct” answers.

Lastly, an ability befitting of an Understanding Learner that benefits me both in and out

of the classroom is being able to give and receive feedback in a group setting, and act upon the

ideas shared by everyone. An instance where I display this is during volleyball games. Whenever

we are in a game scenario, and things are not going our way, we stop for a second and convene to

discuss the situation. Several of us, including the coach, share different perspectives of how we

got there and possible solutions to fix it. In these scenarios, I provide encouragement and

constructive feedback to my team, and also listen to the things my peers have to say about the

situation. Ultimately, I adjust in whatever way we all agreed upon.

In summary, I have successfully appropriated several of the tenets of an Understanding

Learner, and I have been able to take advantage of this skill in multiple aspects of my life.
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Throughout school, I have focused on being a good student, a good scholar, and I am confident

that this will make me into an upstanding worker and member of society.