Fluent Essays

attached Think of a person that you admire and consider successful—professionally or academically. The person you choose can be a public figure or someone from your own life. Conduct some research to learn more about that person. If it is a person in your life, ask them questions. If it is a public figure, conduct some online research. 1. In a one- to two-paragraph post to the discussion, answer the following questions: · What characteristics does that person have that you feel contributed to their success? Give examples to support your opinions. · What characteristics do you have that are similar to that person's? · What characteristics of that person do you wish you had? Specifically, what can you do to demonstrate that quality? College Success OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 1 Table of Contents MODULE 1: PLANNING FOR SUCCESS 4  Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4  Lesson 1.1: What Is a Successful Student? ..................................................................... 4  Lesson 1.2: The Learning Process ................................................................................... 8  Lesson 1.3: Planning for Success. ................................................................................. 12  MODULE 2: CHOOSING A CAREER PATH 25  Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 25  Lesson 2.1: Exploring Career Options ............................................................................ 26  Lesson 2.2: Creating a Cover Letter and Résumé ......................................................... 31  Lesson 2.3 Interviewing for a Job................................................................................... 33  MODULE 3: SETTING AND ATTAINING GOALS 36  Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 36  Lesson 3.1: Defining Goals ............................................................................................ 36  Lesson 3.2: Setting a Time Frame for Your Goals ......................................................... 37  Lesson 3.3: Writing Specific Goals ................................................................................. 37  MODULE 4: UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 3   Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 39  Lesson 4.1: Income and Expenses ................................................................................ 39  Lesson 4.2: Financial Planning Resources .................................................................... 42  Lesson 4.3: Creating a Financial Management Plan ...................................................... 43  MODULE 5: DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS 46  Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 46  Lesson 5.1: Understanding Critical Thinking .................................................................. 46  Lesson 5.2: Becoming a Critical Thinker ........................................................................ 50  Lesson 5.3: Using Critical Thinking Skills: Decision Making and Problem Solving ........ 58  College Success OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 2 MODULE 6: MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES 65  Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 65  Lesson 6.1: Making Healthy Choices: Eating, Exercise, and Drug Use ......................... 65  Lesson 6.2: Emotional Well-Being and Personal Safety ................................................ 70  Lesson 6.3: Asking for Help ............................................................................................ 76 MODULE 7: USING EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS 78  Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 78 Lesson 7.1: Communipcation Skills ................................................................................ 78  Lesson 7.2: Emotional Intelligence ................................................................................. 82  Lesson 7.3: Managing Conflict ....................................................................................... 83  Lesson 7.4: Strategies for Effective Writing and Public Speaking .................................. 85  Lesson 7.5: Improving Communication Skills ................................................................. 91  MODULE 8: MANAGING YOUR TIME 95  Introduction .................................................................................................................... 95  Lesson 8.1: Time Management Strategies .................................................................... 95  Lesson 8.2: Avoiding Procrastination ............................................................................ 99  Lesson 8.3: Time Management and Study Time .......................................................... 101  MODULE 9: DEVELOPING LEARNING STRATEGIES 105  Introduction ................................................................................................................... 105  Lesson 9.1: Reading Strategies ................................................................................... 105  Lesson 9.2: Test-Taking Strategies .............................................................................. 112 Lesson 9.3: Memory Strategies .................................................................................... 122  Lesson 9.4: Note-Taking Strategies ............................................................................. 132  MODULE 10: DEVELOPING MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS 151  Introduction ................................................................................................................... 151 Lesson 10.1: Interacting in the Classroom ................................................................... 151  College Success OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 3 Lesson 10.2: Getting Involved ...................................................................................... 156  Lesson 10.3: Interacting with Others ............................................................................ 159  College Success MODULE 1 P L A N N I N G F O R S U C C E S S Introduction Module 1 Introduction Imagine a person who walks up to a counter at the airport to buy a plane ticket for his next vacation. “Just give me a ticket,” he says to the reservation agent. “Anywhere will do.” The agent stares back at him in disbelief. “I’m sorry, sir,” she replies. “I’ll need some more details. Just minor things—such as the name of your destination city and your arrival and departure dates.” “Oh, I’m not fussy,” says the would-be traveler. “I just want to get away. You choose for me.” Compare this person to another traveler who walks up to the counter and says, “I’d like a ticket to Ixtapa, Mexico, departing on Saturday, March 23, and returning Sunday, April 7. Please give me a window seat, first class, with vegetarian meals.” Now, ask yourself which traveler is more likely to end up with a vacation that he’ll enjoy. The same principle applies in any area of life, including school. Suppose that you asked someone what she wanted from her education and you got this answer: “I plan to get a degree in journalism, with double minors in earth science and Portuguese, so that I can work as a reporter covering the environment in Brazil.” The details of a person’s vision offer clues to her skills and sense of purpose. Discovering what you want and having a plan to get there helps you succeed in higher education. Many students quit school simply because they are unsure about what they want from it. With well-defined goals in mind, you can look for connections between what you want and what you study. The more connections, the more likely you’ll stay in school—and get what you want in every area of life. By design, you are a learning machine. As an infant, you learned to walk. As a toddler, you learned to talk. By the time you reached age 5, you had mastered many skills needed to thrive in the world. And you learned all these things without formal instruction, without lectures, without books, without conscious effort, and without fear. Shortly after we start school, however, something happens to us. Somehow, we start forgetting about the successful student inside us. Even under the best teachers, we experience the discomfort that sometimes accompanies learning. We start avoiding situations that might lead to embarrassment. We turn away from experiences that could lead to mistakes. We accumulate a growing list of ideas to defend, a catalog of familiar experiences that discourage us from learning anything new. Slowly, we restrict our possibilities and potentials. However, don’t let this become your journey. You can take a new path in your life, starting today. You can rediscover the natural learner within you. Each module in this course is about a step you can take on your journey to becoming a successful student. Lesson 1.1: What Is a Successful Student? Lesson 1.1 Introduction OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 4 College Success Becoming a successful student means mastering learning for you, based on your skills and personal characteristics. Mastery means attaining a level of skill that goes beyond technique. For a master, work is effortless and struggle evaporates. The master carpenter, for example, is so familiar with her tools that they are part of her. To a master chef, utensils are old friends. Because these masters don’t have to think about the details of the process, they bring more of themselves to their work. Likewise, the successful student is one who masters her learning and makes learning look easy. She works hard without seeming to make any effort. She’s relaxed and alert, disciplined and spontaneous, focused and fun-loving. You might say that those statements don’t make sense. Actually, mastery does not make sense. It cannot be captured in words. It defies analysis. It cannot be taught. It can only be learned and experienced. Do you possess the skills and characteristics of a successful student? Characteristics of a Successful Student Successful students share certain qualities. These are attitudes and core values. Although they imply various strategies for learning, they ultimately go beyond what you do. These qualities are ways of being exceptional. As you read the following list of qualities common to successful students, look to yourself. Make a list of each quality that you already demonstrate. Make another list of each quality that you want to possess. This is not a test. It is simply a chance to celebrate what qualities you possess so far—and to start thinking about what’s possible for your future. Inquisitive. A successful student is curious about everything. By posing questions, she can generate interest in the most mundane, humdrum situations. When she is bored during a biology lecture, she thinks to herself, “I always get bored when I listen to this instructor. Why is that? Then she asks herself, “What can I do to get value out of this lecture, even though it seems boring?” And she finds an answer. Competent. Mastery of skills is important to a successful student. When he learns mathematical formulas, he studies them until they become second nature. He practices until he knows them cold and then puts in a few extra minutes of practice. He also is able to apply what he learns to new and different situations. Joyful. More often than not, a successful student is seen with a smile on her face—sometimes a smile at nothing in particular other than amazement at the world and her experience of it. Energetic. Notice the student with a spring in his step, the one who is enthusiastic and involved in class. When he reads, he often sits on the very edge of his chair, and he plays with the same intensity. He is determined and persistent. He is a successful student. Self-aware. A successful student is willing to evaluate herself and her behavior. She regularly tells the truth about her strengths and those aspects that could be improved. Responsible. There is a difference between responsibility and blame, and successful students know it well. A successful student is willing to take responsibility for everything in his life. He remembers that by choosing his thoughts and behaviors, he can create interesting classes, enjoyable relationships, fulfilling work experiences, and just about anything else he wants. Courageous. A successful student admits her fear and fully experiences it. For example, she will approach a tough exam as an opportunity to explore feelings of anxiety and tension related to the pressure to perform. She does not deny fear but embraces it. If she doesn’t understand something or makes a mistake, she admits it. When she faces a challenge and bumps into her limits, she asks for help. And she’s just as willing to give help as to receive it. OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 5 College Success Self-directed. Rewards or punishments provided by others do not motivate a successful student. His desire to learn comes from within, and his goals come from himself. He competes like a star athlete—not to defeat other people but to push himself to the next level of excellence. Spontaneous. A successful student is truly in the here and now. She is able to respond to the moment in fresh, surprising, and unplanned ways. Tech savvy. A successful student defines technology as any tool that is used to achieve a human purpose. From this point of view, computers become tools for deeper learning, higher productivity, and greater success in the workplace. He searches for information efficiently, thinks critically about data, and uses technology to create online communities. If he isn’t familiar with a type of technology, he doesn’t get overwhelmed. Instead, he embraces learning about the new technology and finding ways to use it to help him succeed at a given task. Intuitive. A successful student has an inner sense that cannot be explained by logic alone. She trusts her gut instincts as well as her mind. Creative. Where others see dull details and trivia, a successful student sees opportunities to create. He can gather pieces of knowledge from a wide range of subjects and can put them together in new ways. A successful student is creative in every aspect of his life. Optimistic. A successful student sees setbacks as temporary and isolated, knowing that she can choose her response to any circumstance. Hungry. Human beings begin life with a natural appetite for knowledge. In some people, it soon gets dulled. A successful student has tapped that hunger, and it gives him a desire to learn for the sake of learning. Caring. A successful student cares about knowledge and has a passion for ideas. She also cares about other people and appreciates learning from them. She collaborates on projects and thrives on teams. She flourishes in a community that values win-win outcomes, cooperation, and love. Reading: Actions and Behaviors of a Successful Student In addition to improving personal characteristics, successful students must be willing to take actions that would contribute to her success. Which of the following are you willing to do? Willing to change. The unknown does not frighten a successful student. In fact, she welcomes it—even the unknown in herself. We all have pictures of who we think we are, and these pictures can be useful. But they also can prevent learning and growth. A successful student is open to changes in her environment and in herself. Willing to take risks. A successful student often takes on projects with no guarantee of success. He participates in class discussions at the risk of looking foolish. He tackles difficult subjects in term papers. He welcomes the risk of a challenging course. Willing to participate. Don’t look for a successful student on the sidelines. She is in the game. She is a team player who can be counted on. She is engaged at school, at work, and with friends and family. She is willing to make a commitment and to follow through on it. Willing to accept paradox. The word paradox comes from two Greek words: para (meaning beyond) and doxen (meaning opinion). A paradox is something that is beyond opinion or, more accurately, that seems contradictory or absurd yet might actually have meaning. For example, a successful student can be committed to managing money and reaching his financial goals. At the same time, he can be totally detached from money, knowing that his real worth is independent of how much money he has. A successful student recognizes the limitations of the mind and is at home with paradox. He can accept that ambiguity. Willing to be uncomfortable. A successful student does not place comfort first. When discomfort is necessary to reach a goal, she is willing to experience it. She can endure personal hardships and can look at unpleasant things with detachment. OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 6 College Success Willing to laugh. A successful student might laugh at any moment, and his sense of humor includes the ability to laugh at himself. Going to school is a big investment with high stakes, but you don’t have to enroll in the deferred-fun program. A successful student celebrates learning, and one of the best ways to do so is to laugh every now and then. Willing to work. Once inspired, a successful student is willing to follow through with sweat. She knows that genius and creativity are the result of persistence and work. When in high gear, a successful student works with the intensity of a child at play. Willing to make choices to be well. Health is important to a successful student, although not necessarily in the sense of being free of illness. Rather, he values his body and treats it with respect. He tends to his emotional and spiritual health as well as his physical health. Reading: Personal Abilities of a Successful Student In addition to possessing personal characteristics and qualities, a successful student also has specific abilities that contribute to his success. Which of the following abilities do you possess? Able to focus attention. Watch a 2-year-old at play. Pay attention to his eyes. The wide-eyed look reveals an energy and a capacity for amazement that keep him absolutely focused on the here and now. The world, to a child, is always new. Because a successful student can focus attention, to him the world is always new, too. Able to organize and sort. A successful student can take a large body of information and sift through it to discover relationships. She can organize data by size, color, function, time lines, and hundreds of other categories. She has the guts to set big goals and has the precision to plan carefully so that those goals can be achieved. Able to suspend judgment. A successful student has opinions and positions, but he is able to let go of them when appropriate. He realizes he is more than his thoughts. He can quiet his internal dialogue and listen to an opposing viewpoint. He doesn’t let judgment get in the way of learning. Rather than approach discussions with a “Prove it to me, and then I’ll believe it” attitude, he asks himself, “What if this is true?” and then explores the possibilities. Able to be relaxed about grades. Grades make a successful student neither depressed nor euphoric. She recognizes that sometimes grades are important. At the same time, grades are not the only reason she studies. She does not measure her worth as a human being by the grades she receives. Able to be a generalist. A successful student is interested in everything around him. In the classroom, he is fully present. Outside the classroom, he actively seeks out ways to deepen his learning—through study groups, campus events, student organizations, and team-based projects. Through such experiences, he develops a broad base of knowledge in many fields that he can apply to his specialties. Ask yourself the following questions: • Which of these characteristics of a successful student do you have? • Which actions are you willing to take? • Which abilities do you possess? • Which characteristics, actions, and abilities do you need to work on? Focus on strengthening those characteristics that you already possess, and continue to build on those you don’t yet have. You are well on your way to success. OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 7 College Success Lesson 1.2: The Learning Process Lesson 1.2 Introduction Right now, you are investing substantial amounts of time, money, and energy in your education. What you get in return for this investment depends on how well you understand the process of learning and use it to your advantage. If you don’t understand learning, you might feel bored or confused in class. After getting a low grade, you might have no idea how to respond. Over time, frustration can mount to the point that you question the value of being in school. Some students answer that question by dropping out of school. These students lose a chance to create the life they want, and society loses the contributions of educated workers. You can prevent that outcome. Gain strategies for going beyond boredom and confusion. Discover new options for achieving goals, solving problems, listening more fully, speaking more persuasively, and resolving conflicts between people. OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 8 College Success Start by understanding the different ways that people create meaning from their experience and change their behavior. In other words, it is important to learn about how we learn. The Learning Process: Perceiving and Processing When we learn well, says psychologist David Kolb, two things happen. First, we perceive. That is, we notice events and “take in” new experiences. Second, we process. We “deal with” experiences in a way that helps us make sense of them. According to Kolb (1984), each mode of learning represents a unique way of perceiving and processing our experiences. The following image illustrates the four modes of learning: Mode 1: Concrete experience (feeling) Mode 2: Reflective observation (watching) Mode 3: Abstract conceptualization (thinking) Mode 4: Active experimentation (doing) Concrete experience. Some people prefer to perceive by feeling (also called concrete experience). They like to absorb information through their five senses. They learn by getting directly involved in new experiences. When solving problems, they rely on intuition as much as intellect. These people typically function well in unstructured classes that allow them to take initiative. Reflective observation. Some people prefer to process by watching (also called reflective observation). They prefer to stand back, watch what is going on, and think about it. They consider several points of view as they attempt to make sense of things and generate many ideas about how something happens. They value patience, good judgment, and a thorough approach to learning. Abstract conceptualization. Other people like to perceive by thinking (also called abstract conceptualization). They take in information best when they can think about it as a subject separate from themselves. They analyze, intellectualize, and create theories. Often, these people take a scientific approach to problem solving and excel in traditional classrooms. Active experimentation. Other people like to process by doing (also called active experimentation). They prefer to jump in and start doing things immediately. These people do not mind taking risks as they attempt to make sense of things; this helps them learn. They are results oriented and look for practical ways to apply what they have learned. Perceiving and Processing—An Example Suppose that you’re considering a new smartphone. It has more features than any phone you’ve used before. You have many options for learning how to use it. If you were to get the phone, which of the following would you tend to do to learn how to use it? • Get your hands on the phone right away, press some buttons, and see whether you can browse online and access apps. This is an example of learning through concrete experience. • Recall experiences you’ve had with phones in the past and what you’ve learned by watching other people use their phones. This is an example of learning through reflective observation. • Read the instruction manual and view help screens on the phone before you try to make a call. This is an example of learning through abstract conceptualization. • Ask a friend who owns the same type of phone to coach you as you experiment with making calls and sending messages. This is an example of learning through active experimentation. OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page 9 College Success In summary, your learning style is the unique way that you blend feeling, thinking, watching, and doing. You tend to use this approach in learning anything—from cell phones to English composition to calculus. Reference Kolb, David A. Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984. The Learning Process: Multiple Intelligences People often think that being smart means the same thing as having a high IQ, and that having a high IQ automatically leads to success. However, psychologists are finding that IQ scores do not always foretell which students will do well in academic settings—or after they graduate (Bernstein et al. 2006, 368–69). Howard Gardner of Harvard University believes that no single measure of intelligence can tell us how smart we are. Instead, he defines intelligence in a flexible way as “the ability to solve problems, or to create products, that are valued within one or more cultural settings” (Gardner 1993). He also identifies several types of intelligences. Multiple Intelligences People using verbal/linguistic intelligence are adept at language skills and learn best by speaking, writing, reading, and listening. They are likely to enjoy activities such as telling stories and doing crossword puzzles. People who use mathematical/logical intelligence are good with numbers, logic, problem solving, patterns, relationships, and categories. They are generally precise and methodical, and they are likely to enjoy science. When people learn visually and by organizing things spatially, they display visual/spatial intelligence. They think in images and pictures and understand best by seeing the subject. The enjoy charts, graphs, maps, mazes, tables, illustrations, art, models, puzzles, and costumes. People using bodily/kinesthetic intelligence prefer physical activity. They enjoy activities such as building things, woodworking, dancing, skiing, sewing, and crafts. They generally are coordinated and athletic, and they would rather participate in games than just watch. Individuals using musical/rhythmic intelligence enjoy musical expression through songs, rhythms, and musical instruments. They are responsive to various kinds of sounds; remember melodies easily; and might enjoy drumming, humming, and whistling. People using intrapersonal intelligence are exceptionally aware of their own feelings and values. They are generally reserved, self-motivated, and intuitive. Outgoing people show evidence of interpersonal intelligence. They do well with cooperative learning and are sensitive to the feelings, intentions, and motivations of others. They often make good leaders. People using naturalist intelligence love the outdoors and recognize details in plants, animals, rocks, clouds, and other natural formations. These people excel in observing fine distinctions among similar items. Each of us has all of these intelligences to some degree. And each of us can learn to enhance them. Experiment with learning in ways that draw on a variety of intelligences—including those that might be less familiar. When we acknowledge all of our intelligences, we can constantly explore new ways of being strategic in our learning. Reference y OpenNow College Success. Authored by Cengage Learning License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Page …