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Holy cow! These particular prompts are giving me a headache.....which, if the truth be known, is probably the intention. Honestly, I have never really sat down and thought about myself as a learner. I guess now is a good time to start.

For the first prompt, I decided to use the the handy Merriam Webster dictionary online to look up the word "forge." The simplest meaning that I could find was "to form." When I plugged the meaning into the prompt, it actually made more sense to me. Trust me, that's a very good thing. So, "how can I continue to form my academic and professional development?" I guess the answer to that would be to continue the learning process. If I were to stop learning right now, there would be now way that I could even think about starting a career in Speech Pathology, nor could I even attempt to grow academically. For me personally, I believe that learning should go "above and beyond the call of duty," so to speak. I know that I need to push myself to learn things that are required for a class, *AND* to learn things that are necessarily required. I can't tell you how many classes I have been in where not even half of the chapters were covered. Imagine how much more "learned" I would be right now if I had taken the initiative to learn beyond what was required of me. And that is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes I am so glad to get out of a class that the very last thing I want to do is keep on learning............ Yet it is essential to my livelihood as a student and someday Speech Pathologist.

I think that researching into my learning in an ongoing manner involves a constant "check up" of the methods that I use for learning processes. *They* always say that everyone uses and/or has a different process for learning material. I don't think that I can label myself under one certain learning process. Depending upon the material, I *think* that I use several methods to expedite my learning. I know for a fact that I have one process labeled "Cram Memorization to make it through a Test." And as I think about it, is probably shouldn't even be labeled under learning. Sometimes I think that I get into such a *rut* with learning. There are probably times when I need to use an accessory method while learning but I am too lazy to figure out what that method should be.

The next prompt brought one word to my mind: GENERALIZATION. I think it ties hand in hand with the previous prompt. As I do this *research* into my learning, and I discover *new* things, I need to generalize this to every area of my development including the academic, and professional.

Unfortunately, I believe that my responses to opportunities for research are not "gung-ho" in nature. Unlike Jennifer, I don't thrive on doing research. So I guess I am in a position where I have to push myself to take advantage of those opportunities. Lately, I have been feeling totally "burned out." Between last semester (what a wild one) and summer classes, I am feeling the pressure. And only having one week of summer free of classes, I am already feeling the pain of fall. Currently I am dealing with a lack of motivation at every angle. I just want a break, ever so small, to just breathe.

I meet my own learning needs by satisfying the "hunger" for knowledge. There are certain things that really interest me, and in those areas I am more willing to do my own research. But in areas where I am least interested, it takes all of my willpower to make myself learn it. It is during these times that I tend to "learn" the material on a short term basis. On the other hand, I don't want to be someone who knows a little about most things, but not alot about any one thing. I hear that phrase being used so often when referring to doctors. That really isn't a comforting thought. I don't want that stereotype attached to me. But I realize in order to be out of that group, I must take the initiative to learn the most that I can about everything.