2021-2022

STUDY SKILLS

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀ NỘI

KHOA TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH
2021-2022
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Unit 1: Introduction to study skills ................................................................................... 2

Unit 2: Accepting personal responsibility ........................................................................ 16

Unit 3: Wise choices in college: Reading ........................................................................ 32

Unit 4: Motivation and stress management .................................................................... 47

Unit 5: Effective procrastination management ................................................................ 69

Unit 6: Strategies for preparing for tests ......................................................................... 78

Unit 7: Managing test anxiety ........................................................................................ 91

Unit 8: Adopting lifelong learning ................................................................................... 106

1
Introduction to study skills
UNIT
1
OBJECTIVES
 Discuss differences between high school and university
 Identify learning approaches suitable for higher education
 Identify study skills
 Sketch out skills clouds for first year at University

Activity 1: Work in pairs and answer the following questions.

1. In your opinion, can the learning process be fun or is it always boring and tiring?
Why?
2. How do children learn new things?
3. What are the best ways for you to learn a new subject or topic?

Activity 2: Read carefully the following list and answer the questions:
- Which activities can be considered beneficial when learning new
contents?
- Which activities do you usually put into practice when learning new
contents? Which one is the most effective for you?

Writing down information

Linking information to previous knowledge

Skipping pages of a book to finish earlier

2
 Listening carefully to any recording related to the topic

Exchange ideas with a classmate

Not asking questions about the topic

Show your interest for the topic

Activity 3: Read the Seven Approaches, then, analyze the following sentences
and say if they are True or False.

___ The use of several senses gives the brain less connections and associations
And makes it harder to find information.

___ Writing essays and meeting deadlines is usually less attractive to students.

___ It is usually your responsibility to catch up in case you are not fully prepared in
a certain area.

___We learn with a deeper understanding when we are not actively and personal
engaged.

___ Each of us learns in an individual way.

___ People can be divided into ―types‖ such as: visual, auditory and writers.

3
- - - - - - - - Seven approaches to learning - - - - - - -
- The Study Skills Handbook uses seven approaches to learning

1
Learning can be an adventure opportunities we give the brain to take in
It is difficult to learn if you are information using our preferred sense.
stressed or bored. This Handbook The use of several
encourages you to be effective rather than senses also gives
virtuous, and to seek out ways of making the brain more
your learning more fun. Degree courses connections and
take several years, so you need to find associations, making it easier to find
ways of making your learning enjoyable. information later, which assists memory
Small children learn and learning. This book encourages you
extraordinary to use your senses to the full and to
amounts without incorporate movement into your study.
trying particularly This will make learning easier – and more
hard – simply interesting.
through being

3
relaxed, observing, playing, role-playing, Identify what attracts you
trying things out, making mistakes, and It is easier to learn by keeping
being interested in what they are doing. desirable outcomes in mind than by
They don't regard setbacks as failures; forcing ourselves to study out of duty.
they don't worry about what others think; Some aspects of study may be less
and they don't tell themselves they might attractive to you, such as writing essays,
not be able to learn. When a child falls meeting deadlines, or sitting exams, and
over, she or he just gets up and moves yet these also tend to bring the greatest
again, and eventually walking becomes satisfaction and rewards.
easy. Adults can learn in this way too – if It is within your power to find in any aspect
they allow themselves. of study the gold that attracts you. For
example, visualise yourself on a large

2 Use many senses

The more we use our senses of
sight, hearing and touch, and the
cinema screen enjoying your study - or
your later rewards. Hear your own voice
telling you what you are achieving now.
more we use fine muscle movements in Your imagination will catch hold of these
looking, speaking, writing, typing, drawing, incentives and find ways of making them
or moving the body, the more happen.

4
4 Use active learning itself, make it hard to learn. That is why
We learn with a deeper this book considers ideas about
understanding when we are both intelligence and stress. Many students
actively and personally engaged: who were not ideal pupils at school do
 juggling information extremely well at college, following
 struggling to make sense thorough preparation.
 playing with different options
 making decisions
 linking information.
For this reason, most pages of this book
7 Personalise your learning
Recognise your learning
preferences.
require you to do something, however Each of us learns in an individual way -
small, to increase your active engagement though we also have a lot in common.
with the topic. Some theorists divide people into 'types'
such as visual, auditory and kinaesthetic,

5 Take responsibility for your

learning
As you will see from Chapter 1, it is
or introverted and extroverted – there are
lots of ways of dividing people up. The
important thing, however, is not to

generally understood in Higher Education discover which 'type' you are but rather to

that: recognise the many different elements

 at this level, it is a good thing for that contribute to how you yourself learn

students to take on increased amounts of best. If you regard yourself as a 'type' you

responsibility for their learning may overidentify yourself with that type.

 and you will arrive with sufficient You may then get stuck with that image of

preparation to be able to study in an yourself - and always consider yourself a

independent way for much of the week. It 'visual introverted' type, or a 'chaotic

is generally your responsibility to catch up extrovert'. This may leave you with rigid

if you are not fully prepared in a certain views about the one way you learn. What

area, especially for more basic skills such you need to do is experiment with

as spelling or grammar. strategies and skills you currently under-

use. The human brain is highly adaptable:
able learners move easily between

6 Trust in your own intelligence

Many students worry in case they
are not intelligent enough for their
different strategies and learning styles,
depending on the task in hand.
The good thing about being aware of how
course. Some did not do well at school,
you learn best is that you can adapt your
and worry that being a good student is 'not
learning environment and your
in their genes'. Panic about this can, in

5
approaches to learning to fit where you opportunities to personalise the learning
are now. You may also be able to see experience to suit yourself. The various
more clearly why you did well or badly at chapters of this book provide ideas about
school, depending on whether the how you can do this.
th
teaching matched your personal learning (Source: The study skills handbook 4 edition,
Stella Cottrell p.4-5)
preferences.
As you are more in charge of your
learning at this level, this gives you

- - - - - - - - - - What are study skills? - - - - - - - - - -

What is a skill?
Skill : To be skilled is
to be able to perform
a learned activity
well and at will.

A skill is a learned ability rather than

an outcome achieved through luck or
chance and can, therefore, be relied
on reasonably securely when you
perform an equivalent task again. You
can fine-tune skills through practice,
feedback and reflection, just as
athletes improve their performance by
developing underlying skills in
movement, breathing and pacing.
What are study skills?
Self-management skills fo study
The term “study skills” is used here to
refer to more than just 'academic' Academic skills
skills. It includes a wider range of
abilities that enable achievement in
your studies. These can be viewed as
People skills for studying with others
four categories of skills:
Task management skills
6
The first of these, self-management, helps you to develop the other three sets of study
skills.
The APT-S study skills framework

th
(Source: The study skills handbook 4 edition, Stella Cottrell)

The skills landscape in Higher Education can sometimes seem complex, as subject
disciplines, institutions, employers and professional bodies produce ever longer lists of skills
they feel students should develop. The APT-S framework simplifies such complexity by
looking at three key things:
1.You, the student, as the starting point
2.The learning environment in its entirety - everything that relates to your study
3.The skills that help you manage that learning environment, its people,
tasks, conventions, tools and resources.
You as the starting point
In practice, the skills you will need and acquire as a student will be
different from those of other students.
Past experience

7
Your starting point will be different: your educational history, past opportunities and personal
challenges influence the way you are now as a student. They shape your current levels of
knowledge, confidence, motivation, study habits, preferences and skills.

Your current experience

Your choice of subject, course,

options and topics will develop
specific sets of skills.

Your own motivation for, and

application to, learning new skills
will be distinct.

Many other current factors will

also differ, from the people you
study with to other aspects of the
learning environment described
overleaf.

Future aims
Your ambitions for your life and career influence, and will be influenced by, the choices you
make for skills development whilst a student.

 The learning environment

The 'learning environment' refers here to
everything that forms part of the wider context in
which you are studying. It includes such factors
as:
the academic discipline and its conventions
the subject content of your course
the way you are taught and assessed and
the tasks and assignments you are set the people, tutors, students or others
the communications required
technological and other resources available
the everyday demands on your time that you juggle with those of being a student.
Study skills
Academic, people and task-management skills
As detailed below, your learning environment will frame the particular range of study skills
that you will need and develop, and to what extent.
Self-management skills

8
The sets of interactions between the learning environment and you as an individual are
complex. These will change frequently as you progress through your course. Good skills in
self-management help you to manage these interactions more effectively and to identify the
skills and qualities you need at any given time.

- - - - - - Self: managing yourself for study - - - - - -

Self-management is an essential study skill in Higher Education. It is needed to
enable students to cope with the responsibilities of taking charge of their studies
and to engage fully in the learning process.

Self-management skills in this context involve:

Independence: being a well- informed, Your turn
resilient, independent student.
1. Make a copy of the diagram on page 9.
Skills management: understanding and
2. Feel free to add in other aspects of
using strengths, and improving your weaker
your learning context that are not listed
skills.
Learning: understanding and personalising here but which have an impact on your
your learning, capitalising on strengths and learning.
preferences. 3. Highlight those aspects of the
Strategies: creative, reflective, effective,
environment that you find most
active and motivated study strategies.
challenging.
Time: managing your study time effectively.
4. List the sort of skills you need to
Improving performance, using feedback
from others. develop in order to manage better the

Metacognitive skills: reflecting aspects that you highlighted.

meaningfully about how you think, learn and 5. Which self-management skills will be
manage yourself for study. most important for you in developing
those skills?
Personal qualities:
Fine-tuning a skill, including a study skill, involves the development of personal qualities too.
Of particular importance are:
self-awareness
commitment
determination
perseverance
self-motivation
th
(Source: The study skills handbook 4 edition, Stella Cottrell)

9
 Reflection: Personal qualities

Which qualities do you think are important to the development of good study

skills?

Which of these are strengths for you?

Which do you need to develop further?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - Academic skills - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 Basic research skills
At each level of study, you will need to use increasingly sophisticated strategies for:

Making notes
of what you observe,
hear, read and think - and
then using them
Using multiple
sources of
information Organisational skills:
sorting, storing and
retrieving information for re-
Reading use, applying the
large amounts at right tools for the task
speed

Finding information: Using numerical data:

searching for information collecting, analysing and
presenting these
and knowing what is
available

10
 Thinking skills
At this level of study, this means such skills as:

Critical thinking skills:

Creative problem-solving and
evaluating the quality of sources of
synthesis: drawing on diverse
information; developing a strong
knowledge and skills to create
line of reasoning based on sound
new ways of looking at an issue
evidence; interpreting material,
or to find new solutions
data and theories

Memory skills:
developing strategies for
recalling information easily
and accurately when
needed.

Understanding:
Decision making:
making sense of increasingly
using sound decisions
about the material to complex and difficult data and
select and draw upon concepts, including problems
for your work without clear-cut answers.

11
 Understanding academic conventions
For students, that means understanding:

Knowledge:

Foundation how this is constructed

concepts and advanced in your

in the discipline - its subject

core theories and

ideas
Your academic Specialist terminology
discipline: the used in the discipline
specialist branch
of learning that
Sound methodologies,
underpins your
relevant to the subject,
course
used to establish the
evidence base
Higher Education
as a learning
community
Ethical awareness,
Evidence
as relevant to context
as the basis
of your Academic integrity,
argument including the use of
reputable sources,
attributing these correctly,
and avoiding plagiarism

12
 Written and other communications skills
In the context of academic study, this includes:

Style and format

for specific kinds of
assignment such as essays,
reports, case studies,
Structure and clarity: Audience awareness:
dissertations
organising your ideas for written, spoken

and using a clear line of and electronic

reasoning communication

Citing and
referencing
Precision: sources correctly
using words and data
accurately and
succinctly, and keeping to Subject discipline:
word limits using the style, format
and conventions used in
your subject.

People: studying with others: as part of a group

Many academic tasks are undertaken in Collaborative team working and
social contexts with other students, the groupwork, face to face and/or using
public, clients, face to face or using video links or social networking
technology. This calls for such skills as: Supporting others, encouraging them
Taking an active part, without and sharing ideas without cheating them
dominating or letting others take over and sharing ideas without cheating or
Contributing constructively in class, collusion.
seminars, or in online discussions Task management skills
Peer feedback: giving and receiving You will need to draw together the above
constructive criticism skills in meaningful ways in order to
Making presentations, to a group or

13
complete required study tasks such as Following the appropriate protocols
exams or particular assignments. Task and guidance for your subject, such
management, in itself, requires skills such as for lab work, clinical practice, field
as: work, studio, performance, practical
Producing set items such as essays, or technical skills
reports, portfolios, presentations, case Using specialist equipment and
studies applying methodologies, resources relevant to your course and
conventions and styles relevant to the circumstances, or using apps designed
discipline to support study
Managing the process of taking a Project management of larger, more
task through from start to finish complex tasks such as research
Meeting given requirements such as projects, dissertations, exams, field work
the assignment brief, marking and end of year shows
criteria, ethical standards, deadlines (Source: The study skills handbook
th
and word limits 4 edition, Stella Cottrell)

Combining skills
The skills are outlined here, for clarity, as if they were separate categories. In
practice, you would combine many skills from each category for most study tasks.
For example, you cannot easily separate out basic research tasks, such as searching
for information, from the process of thinking through what is relevant for a given
assignment in the context of your discipline.
As you develop through your course, you will integrate a wide range of skills fluidly,
without noticing that you are doing so.

Activity 4 :
A. Choose the correct ending to each statement.
1. A skill is:
___a learned ability.
___ an outcome achieved through luck.
2. The learning environment refers to:
___ the times you study a subject.
___ the people, tutors, students or others.
3. Good skills in self-management help you to:
___ forget the skills you need at a certain time.
___ manage interactions more effectively.
4. Thinking skills include:
___ decision making and memory skills.
___ writing precision and reading skills.

14
 B. Read carefully the topic ―Study skills‖ and answer the following questions.
1. What are the four categories of skills?
2. How can you relate you past experience, your current experience and your future
aims?
3. What is the ―learning environment‖?
4. What do self-management skills involve?

C. Read the topics ―Academic skills‘‘ and ‗‘ People and Task management
skills‖ and complete the following table.
Basic research skills - Finding information
- _________________
- _________________
- Making notes
- _________________
_______________ skills - Decision making
- ______________
- ______________
- ______________
_____________________ - Taking an active part without
dominating or letting other take
over
- Supporting others

Activity 5:
Self-reflection. How have Self-management skills, Academic skills and People
and task management skills enabled you to look at your previous learning habits
and how they will change now?

15
Accepting personal responsibility
UNIT
2
OBJECTIVES
 Discuss personal responsibility in academic context.
 Learn the language of responsibility.
 Discuss how to improve quality of decisions you make.

Activity 1: Work in pairs and answer the following questions

a) Write down some of the obstacles that you face as a student.

b) Do you consider yourself a struggling student or a successful student? Explain why.
c) Mention some excuses you make to yourself in order to avoid studying or working
harder.

Activity 2:

a) Read the following words and select the most accurate synonyms for the
word ―responsibility‘‘:
___ commitment
___ freedom
___ duty
___ obligation
___ devoir
___ exemption

b) Read the following words and select the most accurate synonyms for the
word ―advisor‘‘:
___ consultant
___ pupil
___ student
___ enemy

16
 ___ counselor

c) Read the following words and select the most accurate antonyms for the
word ―blame‘‘:
___ criticism
___ compliment
___ praise
___approval
___ accusation

Activity 3: Read the definitions of “SUCCESFUL STUDENTS’’ and “STRUGGLING

STUDENTS’’, and complete theses tasks:
- Match each statement with the corresponding type of student:

(Struggling S) or (Successful S).

- Describe yourself as a Successful student or a Struggling student.

Explain why.
___ They make decisions without thinking of its consequences.
___ They use Victim language.
___ They make smart decisions.
___ They adopt the Creators role.
___ They use the Creator language.
___ They accept the Victim role.
___ They consciously design the future they want.

17
 ___ They reject personal responsibility.
___ They let the future happen by chance rather than by choice.

Activity 4: Read the topic “Adopting the Creator Role” and say whether the
following statements are True or False.

a) ___ Some people see responsibility as a burden they have to lug through

life.

b) ___ Accepting personal responsibility drags you away from cooperating

with yourself and the world.

c) ___When you keep doing something you have been doing, even if it
doesn‘t work, you are acting as Creators.

d) ___When people change their beliefs and behaviors to create better

results, they are acting as Victims.

e) ___ If you accept responsibility for creating your own results, you will find
a way to create your desired outcome despite the obstacles.

f) ___The key ingredient of personal responsibility is ―CHOICE‖.

g) ___The difference between acting as a Victim and acting as a Creator

depends on how we listen to other people‘s advice.

h) ___When we respond to life as a Victim we complain, blame and make

excuses.

18
Adopting the Creator Role
FOCUS QUESTIONS: What is self-responsibility?
Why is it the key to gaining maximum control
over the outcomes and experiences of your life?

When psychologist Richard Logan studied people who

survived ordeals such as being imprisoned in
concentration camps or lost in the frozen Arctic, he
found that all of these victors shared a common belief.
They saw themselves as personally responsible for the
outcomes and experiences of their lives.

Ironically, responsibility has gotten a bad reputation.

Some see it as a heavy burden they have to lug through
life. Quite the contrary, personal responsibility is the
foundation of success because without it, our lives are
shaped by forces outside of us. The essence of
personal responsibility is responding wisely to life's
opportunities and challenges, rather than waiting
“
passively for luck or other people to make the I am the master of my fate;
choices for us. I am the captain of my soul.
Whether your challenge is surviving an Arctic blizzard or
excelling in college, accepting personal responsibility William E. Henley
moves you into cooperation with yourself and with the
world. As long as you resist your role in creating the
outcomes and experiences in your life, you will fall far
short of your potential.
I first met Deborah when she was a student in my
English 101 class. Deborah wanted to be a nurse, but
before she could qualify for the nursing program, she
had to pass English 101. She was taking the course for
the fourth time.
―Your writing shows fine potential told Deborah after I
had read her first essay. ―You'll pass English 101 as
soon as you eliminate your grammar problems.
"I know, she said. ―That's what my other three instructor

19
 said ―Well, let's make this your last semester in

“
The more we practice the
English 101, then. After each essay, make an
appointment with me to go over your grammar

habit of acting from a problems.‖

position of responsibility, the "Okay."
more effective we become as
"And go to the Writing Lab as often as possible. Start
human beings, and the more
by studying verb tense. Let's eliminate one problem
successful we become as
at a time.‖
managers of our lives.
―I'll go this afternoon!‖ But Deborah never found time:
Joyce Chapman
No, really .... I'll go to the lab just as soon as I...
Deborah scheduled two appointments with me during
the semester and missed them both: I'm so sorry ....
I'll come to see you just as soon as I...
To pass English 101 at our college, students must
pass one of two essays written at the end of the
semester in an exam setting. Each essay, identified
by social security number only, is graded by two other
instructors. At semester's end, Deborah once again
failed English 101. ―It isn't fair!‖ Deborah protested.
―Those exam graders expect us to be professional
writers. They're keeping me from becoming a nurse!‖
I suggested another possibility: ―What if you are the

“
one keeping you from becoming a nurse?"
Deborah didn't like that idea. She wanted to believe
Every time your back is
that her problem was ―out there.‖ Her only obstacle
against the wall, there is
was those teachers. All her disappointments were
only one person that can
help. And that's you. It has their fault. The exam graders weren't fair. Life wasn't
to come from inside fair! In the face of this injustice, she was helpless.
I reminded Deborah that it was she who had not
Pat Riley, studied her grammar. It was she who had not come
professional to conferences. It was she who had not accepted
basketball coach personal responsibility for creating her life the way
she wanted it.
―Yes, but ...‖ she said.

20
Victims and Creators
When people keep doing what they've been doing even
when it doesn't work, they are acting as Victims. When
people change their beliefs and behaviors to create the
best results they can, they are acting as Creators.

When you accept personal responsibility, you believe

that you create everything in your life. This idea upsets
some people. Accidents happen, they say. People treat
them badly. Sometimes they really are victims of outside
forces.
This claim, of course, is true. At times, we are all
affected by forces beyond our control. If a hurricane
destroys my house, I am a victim (with a small ―V‖). But
if I allow that event to ruin my life, I am a Victim (with a
capital ―V‖).
The essential issue is this: Would it improve your life to
act as if you create all of the joys and sorrows in your
life? Answer ―YES!" and see that belief improve your life.
After all, if you believe that someone or something out
there causes all of your problems, then it's up to them‖
to change. What a wait that can be! How long, for
example, will Deborah have to wait for ―those English
teachers‘ to change?

If, however, you accept responsibility for creating your

own results, what happens then? You will look for ways
to create your desired outcomes and experiences
despite obstacles. And if you look, you've just increased
your chances of success immeasurably!

21
 The benefits to students of accepting personal
responsibility have been demonstrated in various
studies. Researchers Robert Vallerand and Robert
Bissonette, for example, asked 1,000 first-year
college students to complete a questionnaire about
why they were attending school. They used the
students' answers to assess whether the students

“
I believe that we are
were "Origin-like‖ or ―Pawnlike.‖ The researchers
defined Origin-like students as seeing themselves as

solely responsible for our the originators of their own behaviors, in other words,
choices, and we have to Creators. By contrast, Pawn-like students see
accept the consequences themselves as mere puppets manipulated by others,
of every deed, word and in other words, Victims. A year later, the researchers
thought throughout our returned to find out what had happened to the 1,000
lifetime. students. They found that significantly more of the
Creator-like students were still enrolled in college
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
than the Victim-like students. If you want to succeed
in college (and in life), then being a Creator gives you
a big edge.

Responsibility and Choice

The key ingredient of personal responsibility is
choice. Animals respond to a stimulus because of
instinct or habit. For humans, however, there is a
brief, critical moment of decision available between
the stimulus and the response. In this moment, we
make the choices-consciously or unconsciously-that
influence the outcomes of our lives.
Numerous times each day, you come to a fork in the
road and must make a choice. Even not making a
choice is a choice. Some choices have a small
impact: Shall I get my hair cut today or tomorrow?
Some have a huge impact: Shall I stay in college or
Responsibility Model drop out? The sum of the choices you make from this
day forward will create the eventual outcome of your
life. The Responsibility Model shows what the
moment of choice looks like.
22
In that brief moment between stimulus and response,
we can choose to be a Victim or a Creator. When we
respond as a Victim, we complain, blame, make
excuses, and repeat ineffective behaviors. When we
respond as a Creator, we pause at each decision point
and ask, ―What are my options, and which option will
best help me create my desired outcomes and
experiences?"
The difference between responding to life as a Victim
or Creator is how we choose to use our energy. When
I'm blaming, complaining, and excusing, my efforts
cause little or no improvement. Sure, it may feel good
in that moment to claim that I'm a poor Victim and
“
I do think that the greatest
―they‖ are evil persecutors, but my good feelings are lesson of life is that you are
fleeting because afterward my problem still exists. By responsible for your own life.

contrast, when I'm seeking solutions and taking Oprah Winfrey

actions, my efforts often (though not always) lead to
improvements. At critical forks in the road, Victims
waste their energy and remain stuck, while Creators
use their energy for improving their outcomes and
experiences.
But, let's be honest. No one makes Creator choices all
of the time. I've never met anyone who did, least of all
me. Our inner lives feature a perpetual tug of war
between the Creator part of us and the Victim part of
us. My own experiences have taught me the following
life lesson: The more choices I make as a Creator, the
more I improve the quality of my life. That's why I urge
you to join me in an effort to choose more often as a
Creator.. It won't be easy, but it's worth it. You may
have to take my word for it right now, but if you
experiment with the strategies in this book and
continue using the ones that work for you, in a few
months you'll see powerful proof in your own life of the
value of making Creator choices.
Here's an important choice you can make
immediately. Accept, as Creators do, this belief: I am

23
 “
responsible for creating my life as I want it. Of course
sometimes you won't be able to create the specific
When you make the shift outcomes and experiences you want. The reality is that
to being the predominant some circumstances will defy even your best efforts.
creative force in your life,
But, believing that you always have a way to improve
you move from reacting
your present situation will motivate you to look for it, and
and responding to the
by looking you'll often discover options you would never
external circumstances of
have found otherwise. For this reason, choosing to
your life to creating
directly the life you truly accept personal responsibility is the first step toward
want. your success.

Robert Fritz Here's a related choice. Set aside any thought that
Creator and Victim choices have anything to do with
being good or bad, right or wrong, smart or dumb,
worthy or unworthy. If you make a Victim choice, you
aren't bad, wrong, dumb, or unworthy. For that matter, if
you make a Creator choice, you aren't good, right,
smart, or worthy. These judgments will merely distract
you from the real issue: Are you getting the outcomes
and experiences that you want in your life? If you are,
then keep making the same choices because they're
working. But, if you're not creating the life you want, then
you'd be wise to try something new. We benefit greatly
when we shift our energy from defending ourselves from
judgments and put it into improving the outcomes and
experiences of our lives.
"Oh, I get what you mean!‖ one of my students once

“
exclaimed as we were exploring this issue of personal
responsibility, ―You're saying that living my life is like
I am a Shawnee. My traveling in my car. If I want to get where I want to go, I
forefathers were warriors.
better be the driver and not a passenger. I appreciate
Their son is a warrior ....
her metaphor because it identifies that personal
From my tribe I take
responsibility is about taking hold of the steering wheel
nothing. I am the maker
of our lives, about taking control of where we go and
of my own fortune.
how we get there. Ultimately each of us creates the
Tecumseh quality of our life with the wisdom or folly of our choices.
(Source: On course strategies to create success in college and in life Plus edition, Skip Downing)

24
Activity 5: Read again the topic “Adopting the Creator Role” and find the
following words in the texts. Explain their meaning in your own words.
a) Lug e) Defy
b) Enrolled f) Folly
c) Claim (noun) g) Urge
d) Tug h) Outcome (noun)

Activity 6: Read carefully the topic “Mastering Creator Language” and answer the
following questions.
a) What is the ―Inner Critic‖?
b) Do ―Inner Defenders‖ have a positive intention? Why?
c) What is the ―Inner guide‖? What does it do for us?
d) What do Victims focus on?
e) What do Creators focus on?
f) What are the three most common things that Victims do?

Mastering Creator Language

FOCUS QUESTION: How can you create greater
success by changing your vocabulary?

Have you ever noticed that there is almost always a

conversation going on in your mind? Inner voices chatter The
“
world of self-
away, offering commentary about you, other people, and the criticism on the one
world. This self-talk is important because what you say to side and judgment
yourself determines the choices you make at each fork in the toward others on the
other side represents
road. Victims typically listen to the voice of their Inner Critic or
a major part of the
their Inner Defender.
dance of life.
Self-Talk Hal Stone & Sidra Stone
THE INNER CRITIC. This is the internal voice that judges us as
inadequate: I'm so uncoordinated. I can't do math. I'm not
someone she would want to date. I never say the right thing.
My ears are too big. I'm a lousy writer. The Inner Critic blames

25
 us for whatever goes wrong in our life: It's all my
fault. I always screw up. I knew I couldn't pass
biology. I ruined the project. I ought to be ashamed.
I blew it again. This judgmental inner voice can find
fault with anything about us: our appearance, our
intellect, our performance, our personality, our
abilities, how others see us, and, in severe cases,
even our value as a human being: I'm not good
enough. I'm worthless, I don't deserve to live. (While
nearly everyone has a critical inner voice at times, if
you often think toxic self-judgments like these last
three, don't mess around. Get to your college's
counseling office immediately and get help revising
these noxious messages so you don't make self-
destructive choices.)
Ironically, self-judgments have a positive intention.
By criticizing ourselves, we hope to eliminate our
flaws and win the approval of others, thus feeling
more worthy.
Occasionally when we bully ourselves to be perfect,
we do create a positive outcome, though we make
ourselves miserable in the effort. Often, though,
selfjudgments cause us to give up, as when I tell
myself, I can't pass math, so I drop the course.
What's positive about this? Well, at least I've

“
A loud, voluble critic is
escaped my problem. Freed from the pressures of
passing math, my anxieties float away and I feel

enormously toxic. He is more better than I have since the semester started. Of
poisonous to your psychological course, I still have to pass math to get my degree,
health than almost any trauma so my relief is temporary. The Inner Critic is quite
or loss. That's because grief and content to trade success in the future for comfort in
pain wash away with time. But the present. Where does an Inner Critic come from?
the critic is always with you, Here's one clue: Have you noticed that its self-
judging, blaming, finding fault.
criticisms often sound like judgmental adults we

Matthew McKay & Patrick Fanning have known? It's as if our younger self recorded
their judgments and, years later, our Inner Critic

26
replays them over and over. Sometimes you can
even trace a self-judgment back to a specific
comment that someone made about you years ago.
Regardless of its accuracy now, that judgment can
affect the choices you make every day.

THE INNER DEFENDER. The flip side of the Inner Critic

is the Inner Defender. Instead of judging ourselves,
the Inner Defender judges others: What a boring
teacher. My advisor screwed up my financial aid. My
roommate made me late to class. No one knows
what they're doing around here. It's all their fault!
Inner Defenders can find something to grumble about
in virtually any situation. Their thoughts and
conversations are full of blaming, complaining,
accusing, judging, criticizing, and condemning
others.
Like Inner Critics, Inner Defenders have a positive
intention. They, too, want to protect us from
discomfort and anxiety. They do so by blaming our
problems on forces that seem beyond our control,
such as other people, bad luck, the government, lack
of money, uncaring parents, not enough time, or
even too much time. My Inner Defender might say, I
can't pass math because my instructor is terrible.
She couldn't teach math to Einstein. Besides that,
the textbook stinks and the tutors in the math lab are
rude and unhelpful. It's obvious this college doesn't
really care what happens to its students. Now I
breathe a sigh of relief because I'm covered. If I drop
the course, hey, it's not my fault. If I stay in the
course and fail, it's not my fault either. And, if I stay in
the course and somehow get a passing grade
(despite my terrible instructor, lousy textbook,
worthless tutors, and uncaring college), well, then I
have performed no less than a certified miracle!
Regardless of how bad things may get, I can find

27
 comfort knowing that at least it's not my fault. It's
their fault!

“
What you're supposed to do
And where did this voice come from? Perhaps you've
noticed that the Inner Defender's voice sounds

when you don't like a thing suspiciously like our own voice when we were scared
is change it. If you can't and defensive little kids trying to protect ourselves
change it, change the way from criticism or punishment by powerful adults.
you think about it. Don't Remember how we'd excuse ourselves from
complain. responsibility, shifting the blame for our poor choices

Advice to Maya Angelou onto someone or something else: It's not my fault. He

from her grandmother keeps poking me. My dog ate my homework. What
else could I do? I didn't have any choice. My sister
broke it. He made me do it. Why does everyone
always pick on me? It's all their fault!
We pay a high price for listening to either our Inner
Critic or Inner Defender. By focusing on who's to
blame, we distract ourselves from acting on what
needs to be done to get back on course. To feel
better in the moment, we sabotage creating a better
future.
Fortunately, another voice exists within us all.

THE INNER GUIDE. This is the wise inner voice that

seeks to make the best of any situation. The Inner
Guide knows that judgment doesn't improve difficult
situations. So instead, the Inner Guide objectively
observes each situation and asks, Am I on course or
off course? If I'm off course, what can I do to get
back on course? Inner Guides tell us the impartial
truth (as best they know it at that time), allowing us to
be more fully aware of the world around us, other
people, and especially ourselves. With this
knowledge, we can take actions that will get us back
on course.
Some people say, ―But my Inner Critic (or Inner
Defender) is right!‖ Yes, it's true that the Inner Critic
or Inner Defender can be just as ―right‖ as the Inner
28
Guide. Maybe you really are a lousy writer and the
tutors in the math lab actually are rude and unhelpful.
The difference is that Victims expend all their energy
in judging themselves or others, while Creators use
their energy to solve the problem. The voice we
choose to occupy our thoughts determines our
choices, and our choices determine the outcomes and
experiences of our lives. So choose your thoughts
carefully.
“
You must change the way
The Language of Responsibility
you talk to yourself about
Translating Victim statements into the responsible your life situations so that
language of Creators moves you from stagnant you no longer imply that
judgments to dynamic actions. In the following chart, anything outside of you is
the lefthand column presents the Victim thoughts of a the immediate cause of your
student who is taking a challenging college course. unhappiness. Instead of
saying, "Joe makes me
Thinking this way, the student's future in this course is
mad," say, "I make myself
easy to predict ... and it isn't pretty.
mad when I'm around Joe."
But, if she changes her inner conversation, as shown
in the right-hand column, she'll also change her
Ken Keyes
behaviors. She can learn more in the course and
increase her likelihood of passing. More important, she
can learn to reclaim control of her life from the
judgmental, self-sabotaging thoughts of her Inner
Critic and Inner Defender.
As you read these translations, notice two qualities
that characterize Creator language. First, Creators
accept responsibility for their situation. Second, they
“
Excuses rob you of power
and induce apathy.
plan and take actions to improve their situation. So,
when you hear ownership and an action plan, you Agnes Whistling Elk
know you're talking to a Creator.

Victims Focus on their Weaknesses Creators Focus on How to Improve

I'm terrible in this subject. I find this course challenging, so I'll start a
study group and ask more questions in
class.

29
Victims Make Excuses Creators Seek Solutions
The instructor is so boring he puts me to I'm having difficulty staying awake in this
sleep. class, so I'm going to ask permission to
record the lectures. Then I'll listen to them a
little at a time and take detailed notes.

Victims Complain Creators Turn Complaints into Requests

This course is a stupid requirement. I don't understand why this course is
required, so I'm going to ask my instructor to
help me see how it will benefit me in the
future.

Victims Compare themselves Creators Seek Help from Those More

Unfavorably to Others Skilled
I'll never do as well as John; he's a genius. I need help in this course, so I'm going to
ask John if he'll help me study for the
exams.

Victims Blame Creators Accept Responsibility

The tests are ridiculous. The professor I got an "F" on the first test because I didn't
gave me an "F" on the first one. read the assignments thoroughly. From now
on I'll take detailed notes on everything I
read.

Victims See Problems as Permanent Creators Treat Problems as Temporary

Posting comments on our class's Internet I've been trying to post comments on our
discussion board is impossible. I'll never class's Internet discussion board without
understand how to do it. carefully reading the instructor's directions.
I'll read the directions again and follow them
one step at a time.

Victims Repeat Ineffective Behaviors Creators Do Something New

Going to the tutoring center is no help. I've been going to the tutoring center right
There aren't enough tutors. after lunch when it's really busy. I'll start
going in the morning to see if more tutors
are available then.

Victims Try Creators Do

I'll try to do better. To do better, I'll do the following: Attend
class regularly, take good notes, ask
questions in class, start a study group, and
make an appointment with the teacher. If all

30
 that doesn't work, I'll think of something
else.

Victims Predict Defeat and Give Up Creators Think Positively and Look for a
I'll probably fail. There's nothing I can do. I Better Choice
can't ... I have to ... I should ... I quit ... I'll find a way. There's always something I
can do. I can... I choose to ... I will ... I'll
keep going...

“
When Victims complain, blame, and make excuses,
I used to want the words "She they have little energy left over to solve their
tried" on my tombstone. Now I problems. As a result, they typically remain stuck
want, "She did it." where they are, telling their sad story over and over
to any poor soul who will listen. (Ever hear of a ―pity
Katherine Dunham
Party?‖. In this way, Victims exhaust not only their

“
Blaming... is a pastime for
own energy but often drain the energy of the people
around them. Whenever you feel yourself of
losers. There's no leverage in slipping into Victim language, ask yourself: What do
blaming. Power is rooted in I want in my life-excuses or results? What could I
self-responsibility. think and say right now that would get me moving

Nathaniel Branden toward the outcomes and experiences that I want?

(Source: On course strategies to create success in college and in life Plus edition, Skip Downing)

Activity 7: Do you consider yourself a Creator or a Victim? Explain why.

Activity 8: Self-reflection. How will your personal responsibility be changed after
the lesson? And what should you do to improve the quality of your decision, at
least in your learning process?

31
 UNIT
Wise choices in college: Reading
3
OBJECTIVES
 Identify reading strategies needed for higher education.
 Evaluate reading approaches and plans.

Activity 1: Work in pairs and ask your partner the following questions. Then,
share the details with the rest of the classmates.

1. How often do you find yourself reading?

2. What do you prefer to read, a book, a newspaper or a magazine?

3. What obstacles do you face when reading?

Activity 2: Based on the results of activity 1, find out how many people in the
classroom prefer to read a book, a newspaper and a magazine. Which is the item
most read by the majority?

Then fill in this table with some of the reasons why people might prefer to read a
book, a magazine or a newspaper.

32
 Book Magazine Newspaper

Activity 3: Read the topic “Wise Choices in college: Reading” and say whether the
following statements are True or False.

a) ___ According to ACT, many college-bound students possess the reading

skill.

b) ___ When you read you are actively collecting concepts, ideas and
supporting details.

c) ___ A main idea is the most important idea the author wants to covey

about a key concept.

d) ___ A secondary idea is never called a ―topic sentence‖

e) ___ When reading, your goal is to collect key concepts, important ideas
and supporting details.

- - - WISE CHOICES IN COLLEGE: READING - - -

The first step in the CORE Learning and more. Most of the tests you'll take
System is Collecting knowledge, and will be based on your reading. And so
one of the most important ways you'll will the essays and research papers
Collect knowledge in college is by you'll write. Obviously, then, reading is
reading. During your studies you can one of the most important skills you can
expect to read many thousands of have for success in college.
pages. You'll read textbooks, reference Sadly, according, to American College
books, journals, handouts, Web pages, Testing (ACT), many college-bound

33
students lack this skill. Nearly half of the
1.2 million students who recently took the
ACT college entrance test scored low in
reading. This is bad news for those
students. According to the ACT, the
ability to read and understand complex
texts is the skill that separates students
who are ready for college from those
who are not. And because of all of the
reading that is required in college, even
students with good reading skills will Figure 1
benefit from becoming more
A key concept is the main topic you are
accomplished.
reading about. Examples of key concepts
The learning strategies you'll encounter include inflation, mitosis, World War II, or
in this chapter have one thing in symbolic interactionism. Ideas that
common: the ability to cure mindless expand on concepts are divided into
reading. Mindless reading is the act of main and secondary ideas. A main idea
running your eyes over a page only to (sometimes called a ―thesis‖) is the most
realize you don't recall a thing you read. important idea the author wants to
The opposite of mindless reading is convey about a key concept. Two
active reading. Active reading is authors may write about the same key
characterized by intense mental concept but present different main ideas.
engagement in what you are reading. For example, they may both write about
This highly focused involvement leads to inflation but disagree about its cause.
significant neural activity in your brain, One might say, ―The primary cause of
assists deep and lasting learning, and inflation is war.‖ The other may say, ―The
(good news for students) leads to high rising cost of production is the main
grades. cause of inflation.‖
Reading: The Big Picture A secondary idea (sometimes called a
When reading mindfully, you are actively ―topic sentence‖) elaborates on a main
Collecting key concepts, ideas (main idea by answering questions that readers
and secondary) and supporting details may have about it. For example, one
(major and minor). When placed by question about inflation might be, ―What
levels of significance, information you effect do taxes have on rising costs?‖
read looks like Figure 1 Another might be ―How do labor unions
affect the cost of production?"

34
 Each idea-main or secondary—is make responsible choices. And a third
typically followed by supporting details idea is that using a decision-making
such as examples, evidence, model called the Wise Choice Process
explanation, and experiences. helps us make responsible choices."
To illustrate the relationship of levels, "Excellent," your instructor enthuses.
imagine that your instructor asks your "You've demonstrated you understand
class the following. "In Chapter 2 of On some of the important ideas of the
Course, a key concept is personal chapter. Now, someone please elaborate
responsibility. What is the main idea on the Wise Choice Process." In
about it?" (Pause for a moment and response, a third student explains the six
decide how you would answer, because steps of the Wise Choice Process and
how well you answer provides feedback then gives an example of how she used
about your present reading abilities.) it to make a recent decision. By
Imagine one of your classmates replying, elaborating, she offers supporting details
"The main idea in the second chapter of that answer the questions a thoughtful

On Course is that personal responsibility reader would have about the Wise
is an important inner quality for creating Choice Process, such as "What is it and
academic, professional, and personal how can it be used?"
success." So as you look at the following learning
"Well done," your instructor says, "and strategies, keep in mind the big picture of
what are some of the secondary ideas?" reading: Your goal is to Collect key
concepts, important ideas, and
Another student answers, "When we are
supporting details.
being responsible we respond to life's
challenges as Creators not as Victims. (Source: On course strategies to create
success in college and in life Plus edition,
Another secondary idea is that our inner
Skip Downing)
conversations affect whether or not we

Activity 4: Read the topic “Academic Skills Plan for reading”

A. Answer the following questions

a) Why is attitude the foundation of your success?
b) Is it important to read in a place where you can concentrate? Why?
c) What does previewing a reading assignment provide?
d) What do words in CAPITALS, Bold, italics or color do?
e) What is the main function of Visual Elements?

35
f) Why is it important to read in chunks?
g) What does ―to annotate‖ mean and why is it important?
h) What are the red flags that we should look for in order to verify the credibility
of the reading?

B. Read the text again and match each strategy with the correspondent
stage of the Reading process (Before, While, Post)
a)______ Concentrate on reading faster.
b)______ Read when you are most alert.
c)______ Seek assistance.
d)______ Do a quick read.
e)______ Pause to recite.
f)______ Talk about what you read.
g)______ Create a list of questions.
h)______ Mark your text.
i)______ Take notes.
j)______ Reread difficult passages.
k)______ Identify the purpose of what you are reading.

- - ACADEMIC SKILLS PLAN FOR READING - -

Before reading
1. Approach reading with a positive attitude. Attitude is the foundation of

your success because it influences the choices you make. Nowhere is this truer
than in reading. Do you have negative attitudes about reading in general or
reading specific subjects? Or do you harbor doubts about your ability to
understand what you read? Do you think of any of your reading assignments as
boring, worthless, stupid, or beyond your understanding? If so, replace negative
attitudes with positive ones. Realize that reading offers you access to the entire
recorded knowledge of the human race. With effective reading skills, you can
learn virtually any information or skill you need in order to improve your life, but
only if you approach each reading assignment with a positive attitude.

36
2. Create a distributed reading schedule. A marathon reading session before an
exam is seldom helpful. Instead, spread many shorter sessions over an entire
course. For example, plan to finish vour 450-page history text by reading 30 to 40
pages each week. You can easily reach that goal by reading just five or six pages
a day. A distributed schedule like this keeps you current with your assignments,
helps you concentrate for your entire reading session, and increases how much
you recall from what you read.

3. Read when you're most alert. Are you a morning person or a night person? Or
do you hit your mental peak in the middle of the day? Whenever you experience
your greatest mental alertness, that's the time of day to read, especially your most
challenging subjects.

4. Read where you can concentrate. Focus is essential to active reading. Ideally,
read in a quiet room with a desk, an ergonomic chair, good lighting, a comfortable
temperature, and a do-not-disturb sign on the door. Short of this ideal, consider a
quiet corner in the library or even an empty classroom. Choose a place that
eliminates (or at least minimizes) distractions. Turn off your cell phone, open your
book, and dive in.

5. Review past readings. As a warm-up before you read, glance at pages you have
previously read. Look at chapter titles and text headings to jog your memory and
prepare for what you are about to read. Review any marks and comments you
added on the first read-through. Reviewing like this takes advantage of one of the
three principles of deep and lasting learning prior learning. When you connect
what you are reading now to previously stored information (i.e., already-formed
neural networks), you learn the new information or skill faster and more deeply.

6. Preview before reading. Like observing a valley from a high mountain,

previewing a reading assignment provides the big picture of what's to come. You'll
see the important ideas and their organization, which increases understanding
when you read. At the beginning of a course, it's wise to preview the entire book.
Most of the time, however, you'll be previewing a single chapter. Thumb through
the pages, taking in chapter titles, chapter objectives, focus questions, text
headings, charts, graphs, illustrations, previews, and summaries. Note any words
that are specially formatted, such as with CAPITALS, bold, italics, and so on. In
just a few minutes, you will have a helpful overview of what you are about to read.
A chapter preview should take no longer than five minutes and include a quick
look at some or all of the following features:

37
 7. Do a quick read. With a quick read" you skim an entire assignment, reading as
fast as you can. Insufficient by itself, a quick read lays a foundation so you can
return a second time and read more thoroughly with some familiar information to
build on. A quick read is a particularly helpful prereading strategy when you're
learning subjects about which you know very little. It's also a good option when
you have only a few minutes... just remember to come back later and do a more
thorough reading.

8. Identify the purpose of what you're reading. To keep the big picture in mind,
ask yourself, "What's the point of what I'm about to read?" For example, the
"point" of every section of On Course is to present empowering beliefs and
behaviors that you can add to your toolbox for success in college and in life. By
keeping this purpose in mind as you read, you program yourself to Collect the
most important ideas.

9. Create a list of questions. If the author provides focus questions, use them to
start this list. Next, turn chapter titles or section headings into questions. For
example, if the heading in a computer book reads "HTML Tags," turn this heading
into one or more questions: What is an HTML tag? How are HTML tags created?
If you see questions within the text, add them to your list. The process of reading
for answers to questions, especially those you're really curious about, heightens
your concentration, increases your active involvement, and improves your
understanding

While reading
10. Read in chunks. Poor readers read one word at a time. Good readers don't read
words; they read ideas, and ideas are found in groups of words, or chunks. For
example, in the following sentence, try reading all of the words between the
diamonds at once:
 If you read  in chunks  you will increase  your speed  and your
comprehension. Like any new habit, this method will initially feel
awkward. However, as you practice you'll find you can take in bigger
chunks of information at increasingly faster rates of speed, like this:
If you read in chunks  you will increase your speed  and your
comprehension.  Since much of your reading time occurs while you
pause to take in words (called a "fixation"), the fewer times you pause, the
faster you can read. In addition to taking in larger chunks of information,

38
 you can nudge yourself even faster by moving your fingers along the line
of text as a speed regulator. As you get practiced at taking in more words
in one fixation, you can increase the speed of your fingers and read even
faster.

11. Concentrate on reading faster. In one experiment, students increased their

reading speed up to 50 percent simply by concentrating on reading as fast as they
could while still understanding what they were reading. You, too, can probably
read faster by just deciding to. Time yourself to see how long it takes you to read
five pages of a book. Then see if you can improve your reading time for the next
five pages. And so on. However, dismiss the idea that you're ever going to read
an entire book in thirty minutes, as some speed reading programs promise. There
is little evidence that the average person can achieve anywhere near that reading
speed with enough comprehension to make the effort worthwhile. Be happy if you
can improve your reading speed by 50 percent without losing comprehension.
After all, the goal of reading is not to finish fast but to Collect key concepts, main
ideas, and supporting details.

12. Pause to recite. Have you ever finished reading an assignment only to realize you
have no idea what you just read? Here's a remedy. Stop at the end of each
section and summarize aloud what you understand to be the main ideas and
supporting details. The more difficult the reading, the more often you'll want to
pause to recite. Each recitation will give you instant feedback about how well you
understand the author's ideas. When you can't smoothly recite the essence of
what you have read, go back and read the passage again. Try reading aloud the
words you have underlined or highlighted. Keep working actively with the ideas
until you understand them completely.

13. Read for answers to questions on your list. If you've created a list of questions ,
now is the time to cash in on that effort. For example, suppose you're about to
read a chapter in your accounting book titled "The Double-Entry Accounting
System." On your list of questions, you've written "What is a double-entry
accounting system?" As you read the chapter, look for and underline the answer.
Then write the question in the margin alongside. If you finish your reading
assignment and still have unanswered questions on your list, ask your instructor
for answers during class or office hours.

14. Write new questions and their answers. As you read, you may realize the author
is answering a question you don't have on your list. For example, after answering

39
 "What is a double-entry accounting system?" the author may go on to answer
another question: "Why is a double-entry accounting system better than a single-
entry system?" In fact, authors will often present you with a question and then
immediately go on to answer it. Underline the answer and write the question in the
margin alongside.

15. Mark your text. As you read, keep asking yourself: What's the key concept...
what are the main ideas about the concept... and what support is offered?
Identifying main and supporting ideas is usually easier after you've read a whole
paragraph, or even a whole section. Once you decide what's important, mark
these ideas in your book. As a guideline, mark only 10 to 15 percent of your text,
selecting only what is truly important. How you mark is limited only by your
imagination, but here are some options:
• Underline with a pen or pencil.
• Highlight with a colored accent marker (main ideas can be highlighted in one
color and supporting ideas in another).
• Circle specialized terms and underline their definitions.
• Place a symbol in the margin to draw attention to an important idea (e.g., an
asterisk).
• Place a question mark next to a puzzling idea you want to ask about in class.
• Later you'll be Collecting these ideas to create effective study materials, and
your markings will make that process much easier.

16. Annotate your text. To annotate means to add comments. Writing your own
comments in the white spaces on each page helps you minimize mindless reading
and maximize your understanding. And, like marking your text, annotating will
help you Collect main ideas and supporting details from which to later create
powerful study materials. Here are some ways to annotate:
• Summarize an important idea in your own words.
• Draw a diagram or picture to represent information in the text.
• As mentioned in Strategies 13 and 14, underline the answer to a question (either
yours or the author's) and write the question in the margin alongside.
• Write questions you want to ask in class.
• Create a written conversation with the author: "What's your evidence for this
claim?" or "This seems to contradict what my instructor said in class!"

40
17. Take notes. Many strategies exist for Collecting ideas from textbooks by taking
notes in a separate binder or computer file, and in future chapters you'll learn a
number of strategies for doing just that. However, there is one option that is
particularly suited for taking notes while reading a text, so we'll look at it here.
Start by writing the chapter title at the top of your note page or computer file (this
is usually the key concept). Beneath the chapter title, copy the first main heading
from the chapter, thus recording a level 1 main idea. Add any subheadings from
your book below the main heading, indenting a few more spaces to the right, thus
recording level 2 secondary ideas).

18. Read for IOUs. Eventually you'll have to read something you don't want to. Maybe
you're only taking a course because it's required. Or maybe the author of your
textbook has a writing style that puts you to sleep (hopefully not this one!).
Excuses aside, you still need to pass the course, and the IOU strategy can help.
IOU stands for "Interesting or Usable." The goal is to raise your level of
concentration (and avoid mindless reading). As you read the assignment,
intentionally look for anything you think is interesting or usable. "Interesting could
mean a fact that might interest a friend, an intriguing picture, a beautifully crafted
sentence, or even one perfectly chosen word. In the midst of reading an article
that I found boring, I was fascinated to discover that the wonder drug penicillin
was created from ordinary blue bread mold. I found that fact fascinating, and my
level of concentration remained high as I read on for other interesting details. Also
look for something practical or "usable." Maybe it's a way you can reduce
pollutants where you live, write an effective cover letter when applying for a job, or
help your children (present or future) develop their creativity. As you read a
"boring assignment, take on the role of a miner panning for gold in a stream of
ideas. You may handle a lot of boring rocks, but your mind will stay alert and
focused knowing that at any moment you may discover a gold nugget-something
personally interesting or usable! And in the process, you'll also Collect key
concepts, main ideas, and supporting details that will help you pass the course.

19. Look up the definition of key words. Use a dictionary when you don't know the
meaning of a key word. Consider starting a vocabulary list in your journal. Or,
using index cards, create a deck of vocabulary flash cards with new words on one
side (with pronunciation) and definitions and on the other (with a sample
sentence). Online dictionaries, like Merriam-Webster's (www.m-w.com), offer an
option that lets you hear the correct pronunciation of a word. Use your new words

41
 in conversations to lock them in your memory. Figure 2 shows a sample
vocabulary card.

Figure 2

20. Use context clues to determine the meaning of key words. Context clues are
hints that help you make educated guesses about the definitions of challenging
words. Context clues most often appear in the same sentence as the challenging
word, though sometimes they are in a nearby sentence. Four common kinds of
context clues include:
Synonyms: A word with the same meaning as the challenging word. Illustration:
After learning about Victim and Creator language, he modified his vocabulary with
great celerity and haste. (Celerity means "haste or speed.")
Antonyms: A word with the opposite meaning of the challenging word.
Illustration: Previously criticized for his poor judgment, since learning the Wise
Choice Process, he is now praised for his sagacity. (Sagacity means "good
judgment.")
Examples: An example of the challenging word.
Illustration: Injunctions such as "don't be successful" or "don't believe in
yourself" can cause someone to make unwise choices. (Injunction means an
"order, usually one prohibiting something.")
Explanations: A clarification of the challenging word.

42
 Illustration: His classmate is so insouciant that it seems she cares little about
anything. (Insouciant means" marked by unconcern or lack of caring.")

21. Read critically. Not all ideas in print are true. Learn to read critically by being a
healthy skeptic. Look for red flags that may suggest a credibility problem. Who is
the author? What are the author's credentials? What assumptions does the author
hold? What does the author stand to gain (e.g., money, status, revenge) by your
acceptance of his or her opinion? Are the facts accurate and relevant? Is the
evidence sufficient? Are the author's positions developed with logic or only strong
emotions? Are sources of information identified? Are they believable? Are they
current? Are various sides of an issue presented, or only one? Given that anyone
can post information on the Internet, reading critically is especially important when
assessing information that you encounter online.

22. Apply special strategies for reading mathematics. When you read a math book,
you are not only reading to identify important information, you are also reading to
learn a skill: how to solve math problems. Learning both information and a skill at
the same time requires a high level of mental engagement. Pause after reading
each new method and consider how you can use it to solve problems Mark and
annotate the key steps for using the method to solve a problem. Also mark any
helpful tips for solving problems of the type you are reading about. When a
sample problem is solved, actively engage your mind, making sure you
understand exactly what is occurring in each step. Use the margin to write the
process in your own words, and, where possible, translate mathematical steps
into plain English. Most important, when you get to practice problems, don't just
read them, solve them. The fact that you understand the solution of a problem in
your book doesn't mean you can do it yourself. Solving problems needs to be part
of your reading effort.

23. Apply special strategies for reading science. The scientific method is the
foundation for writing in science. The scientific method begins with a question
about the physical world. (Why is the human brain about seven times larger than
might be predicted for a mammal our size?) Scientists then offer a possible
answer, called a hypothesis. (Humans developed larger brains to deal
successfully with complicated social networks.) Next, scientists experiment to find
evidence proving or disproving the hypothesis. (One experiment compared the
brain sizes of various kinds of hyenas-some that live in groups and some that live
alone.) Finally, scientists draw a conclusion based on the evidence. (Indeed, the
evidence shows a correlation between brain size and the complexity of social

43
 networks in hyenas, suggesting that the hypothesis is true.) So, when you read a
science text, mark and annotate the elements of the scientific method: questions,
hypotheses, experimental evidence, and conclusions.

24. Apply special strategies for reading literature. As with reading math and
science, reading fiction poses unique challenges. When reading short stories,
plays, or novels, it helps to understand how fiction differs from nonfiction. For
narrative fiction, your first goal is to understand what happens in the story (the
plot). Who is the main character, what challenges does this person face, what
choices does he or she make, and how are the challenges resolved? For most
popular fiction, that's about it. However, for the kind of literature you'll read in
college, instructors will want you to understand the "theme" and appreciate the
artistic elements used by the author. The theme in fiction is similar to the main
idea in nonfiction. However, there's a significant difference in presentation.
Whereas the main idea in nonfiction is usually stated, the theme in fiction is
usually implied. Thus, the need for interpreting fiction. For example, both
nonfiction and fiction can convey the idea that "Beliefs are stronger than reality."
In nonfiction, the author would write that statement (a main idea) and then
elaborate with supporting details such as examples, experiences, or even
scientific studies. In fiction, authors don't tell the main idea, they show it. To do so,
an author of fiction might write a story about a person whose beliefs conflict with
―reality and show how those beliefs cause that character to make unwise choices.
As with life, fiction requires interpretation to extract meaning. Unlike life, however,
fiction provides artistic elements that guide effective readers to the theme the
author intends. For example, an author may suggest the theme of a story or novel
through imagery and symbolism. If you take a literature course, you will learn
more about these and many other artistic elements available to writers of fiction.

25. Understand graphic information. Many textbook authors present information not
only in words but also in picture forms such as pie charts, tables, bar graphs, line
graphs, flow charts, diagrams, and time lines. In the margin or other white space,
write an explanation of each graphic item. Or copy the graphic item into your
notes and write your explanation there. In this chapter, for example, the graphic
on page 34 visually depicts the different choices of Victims and Creators. How
would you explain the model in your own words.

44
After reading
26. Reflect on what you read. Upon finishing a reading assignment, lean back, close
your eyes, and ask yourself questions that will help you see the big picture. For
example... .
• What are the key concepts?
• What are the main ideas about those concepts?
• What are the supporting details?

• What do I personally think and feel about the author's main ideas and supporting
details?

27. Reread difficult passages. On occasion, every reader needs to revisit difficult
passages to understand them fully. I recall one author whose writing made me
feel like a dunce. However, somewhere around my fifth or sixth reading (and
using strategies in this section), a light went on in my brain and I thought, "Oh... so
that's what he means! That's not nearly as complicated as I thought!" Trust that by
using the strategies presented here, you can comprehend any reading
assignment if you stick with it long enough.

28. Recite the marked text. Read aloud the parts of the text you have underlined or
highlighted. Pretend you are explaining the highlights of the reading to someone
who knows nothing about the subject. Attempt to blend the ideas into a flowing
statement by adding connecting words between the words in your text. In effect,
you'll be summarizing the key points of the material you just read.

29. Talk about what you read. Explain the main ideas and supporting details.
Especially helpful is having this conversation with another student in your class
who has read the same assignment. This study partner can give you feedback on
where you may have misunderstood or left out something important.

30. Read another book on the same subject. Sometimes another author will express
the same ideas more clearly. Ask your instructor or a librarian to suggest other
readings. Or try a book on the same topic written for children. A book for younger
learners may provide just the information or explanation you need to make sense
of your college textbook.

31. Seek assistance. Still having problems understanding what you read? Ask your
instructor to explain muddy points. Or see if your college has a reading lab or a
tutoring center. For some subjects such as math, science, and foreign
languages—there may be dedicated personnel to help. If all else fails, see if your

45
 college has a diagnostician who can test you for a possible learning disability.
Such a specialist may be able to help you improve your reading skills.
(Source: On course strategies to create success in college and in life Plus edition, Skip Downing)

Activity 5: Self-reflection.

Based on the techniques and strategies studied in today‘s lecture, choose 5 of

them that you apply before, while and after reading. Explain how and why you
use them.

46
Motivation and stress management
UNIT
4
OBJECTIVES
 Discuss how to stay motivated.
 Identify stressors and how to deal with them.

Activity 1: Work in pairs and ask your partner the following questions. Write
down the answers and share them with the whole class.

a) How would you define the word ‗‘motivation‘‘?

b) Is it hard for you to find motivation to study?
c) What motivates you to work harder?

Activity 2: Read the chapter “Motivation” and select which of the following
statements define what motivation is.

___Motivation is the powerful, driving source behind personal growth,

confidence and success.
___Motivation stops actions and decreases the intensity and determination for
achieving a goal.
___Motivation encourages people to push on and persevere.
___Motivation contributes to changing behaviors.
___ Motivation helps us achieve our goals and these achievements generate new
motivation to tackle challenges and create new goals.

___ Motivation is the last thing we think about when it comes to personal
success.

47
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - MOTIVATION - - - - - - - - - - - -

? Define motivation and discuss factors that affect motivation and

strategiesto strengthen motivation.
Motivation is the feeling, emotion, or desire that moves a person to take action.

Motivation is an internal process and an integral part of making changes, achieving

goals, and pursuing personal growth. The following are important points about
motivation:
 Motivation initiates action, contributes to changing behaviors, and determines the
intensity and determination for achieving a goal.

 Motivation is the driving force that encourages people to ―push on,‖ to not give up,
and to persevere.
 Once a person achieves a goal and experiences success, the accomplishment
generates new motivation to tackle other challenges and create new goals.
 Motivation becomes the powerful, driving force behind the upward spiral of
personal growth, confidence, and success.

Activity 3: Read the chapter “The Incentive Theory of Motivation” and say
whether the following statements are True or False.

a) ___The Incentive Theory of Motivation states that incentives and rewards

are the driving forces behind people‘s choices and behaviors.

b) ___Incentives become motivators only when the person is willing to take

action to obtain the reward.

c) ___The incentives and rewards do not necessarily have to be obtainable,

they can be unrealistic.

d) ___Children are not good examples of incentive and motivation.

e) ___ The Incentive Theory of Motivation also states that people refrain
from specific behaviors that have negative consequences.

48
Activity 4: Read the chapter “Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation” and complete
these tasks:

- Match each statement with the correspondent type of motivation. Intrinsic

Motivation (IM) or Extrinsic Motivation (EM).

- Which type of motivation do you feel like it‘s more common in you,
Extrinsic or Intrinsic motivation? Explain why, based on the characteristics
of each type.

a)____Sometimes, this kind of motivation stems from expectations imposed by others.

b)____It may start from a desire to prove to yourself that you are a capable person.
c)____Sometimes it stems from an internal desire to engage in behaviors or actions
that bring feelings like pride, joy, self-esteem or personal satisfaction.
d)____This type of motivation is more difficult to achieve because the motivators
might be weak and ineffective.
e)____It may stem from a desire to fulfill a basic need.

The Incentive Theory of Motivation

The Incentive Theory of Motivation states that incentives The Incentive Theory
and rewards are the driving forces behind people's choices of Motivation states
and behaviors. People become motivated and activate that incentives and
specific behaviors in order to receive positive incentives rewards are the
and rewards. Children are good examples of incentive driving forces behind
motivation: they behave in a specific way in order to people's choices and
receive a treat or receive your praise. Adults behave in the behaviors.
same way: they work hard to receive a paycheck (reward),
or they study long hours to get into a pre-med program
(reward). This theory also states that people refrain from
specific behaviors that have negative consequences. For
example, a student is motivated not to use a "cheat sheet"
on a test because of potentially severe consequences. The
following are important points about motivation based on
incentives:
 Incentives become strong motivators only when the
individual places a high value on the incentive and is willing
to take action to obtain the reward.

49
 To work as motivators, the incentives and rewards must CONCEPT CHECK
be obtainable. For example, most employees would not be What examples can
highly motivated by an employer's offer of a week's paid you give of children
vacation (incentive) if the goal set to receive the award is behaving in a
unrealistically high and most likely unobtainable. positive way in
 Two questions in a goal organizer (page 115) use the order to receive a
power of incentive motivation: What benefits will you gain by treat or a reward?
achieving this goal ? This question focuses you on the What activities do
incentives, the positive benefits and rewards, you will you do in order to
experience. If you value these rewards, you will strive receive a reward?
harder to achieve them. What consequences will you
experience by not achieving this goal? This question
focuses on the negative consequences of not reaching your
goal. If the negative consequences are detrimental to some
aspect of your life, you will be motivated to take action to
avoid the hardship or negative consequences.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation is the driving force behind achieving goals. Two
forms of motivation drive people to achieve their goals:
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the Intrinsic motivation
driving force to take action that comes from within you. is the driving force
Intrinsic motivation is the most powerful and effective form to take action that
of motivation because you "own" it, and you give it personal comes from within
meaning, importance, and conviction. People with high you
intrapersonal intelligence use intrinsic motivation for
personal development and self-understanding as well as a CONCEPT CHECK
means for using their intuition and spirituality. The following
Why is intrinsic
are common sources of intrinsic motivation:
motivation so
 Intrinsic motivation may stem from a desire to fulfill a basic
powerful?
need, such as food, shelter, or financial comfort.
What examples of
 Intrinsic motivation may stem from an internal desire to
intrinsic motivation
engage in behaviors or actions that bring intrinsic rewards
can you give based
(feelings of pride, joy, increased self-esteem, or personal
on your personal
satisfaction).
experiences?

50
  Intrinsic motivation may stem from a desire to affirm
your self-image and prove to yourself that you are a
person who does not shy away from goals, commitments,
or hard work; you have the ability to achieve goals and
excel beyond average levels of performance.
The second type of motivation is extrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation is the driving force to take action
is the driving force that comes from sources outside of yourself.
to take action that The motivator behind extrinsic motivation may stem from
comes from sources a desire to obtain an extrinsic reward, such as a
outside of yourself. prestigious award, a coveted prize, or monetary reward
for work or performance. A desire to receive positive
responses, praise, acceptance, or recognition from
CONCEPT CHECK
parents, family members, peers, co-workers, or a specific
How does extrinsic
social group may be another type of extrinsic motivator.
motivation differ
The following are important points about extrinsic
from intrinsic
motivation:
motivation?
 Sometimes extrinsic motivation stems from expectations
Which type of
imposed on you by others. For example, you may be
motivation do you
motivated to study hard and earn good grades because of
tend to use more
academic or athletic scholarship requirements.
often? Give specific
 Actions based solely on extrinsic motivation are often
examples.
more difficult to achieve than actions based on intrinsic
motivation. Having someone tell you that you must do
CONCEPT CHECK something or you must behave in a certain way is a weak
What example can motivator and often ineffective.
you give that shows  For extrinsic motivators to work, you must find a
a low motivation due purpose or a value in complying with the external
to your belief that expectations. As you do so and as you gain momentum
you could not with your plan of action, extrinsic motivation converts to
achieve the goal? intrinsic motivation. Instead of working to please others,
you are working to please yourself.

The Expectancy Theory of Motivation

The Expectancy Theory of Motivation reflects a
person's intensity or desire to achieve a goal and a belief
51
in the likelihood of achieving that goal. When you believe The Expectancy Theory
you are worthy, capable, and sufficiently driven to take of Motivation reflects a
actions to achieve a goal, the likelihood of success person's intensity or
increases. The excerpt explains the Expectancy Theory. desire to achieve a goal
and a belief in the
Self-Esteem and Motivation
likelihood of achieving
Why are some people more motivated, more productive, that goal.
and more successful than others? Part of the answer may
be tied to their self-esteem. Self-esteem is the perception Self-esteem is the
you have of yourself as a human being. Self-esteem perception you have of
includes your sense of personal pride and worthiness. The yourself as a human
following are important points about self-esteem: being.

 Your self-esteem, your perception of yourself, is the

result of your perception of past experiences, choices,
behaviors, decisions, and consequences.
 Your self-esteem reflects past reactions of acceptance
or rejection from family members, friends, teachers, or co-
workers.
Individuals with high self-esteem tend to be highly
motivated and experience a cycle of positive results Their
positive attitudes help them see mistakes or obstacles as
opportunities to learn or to alter their approaches and
strive to move forward with stronger conviction. They
exhibit self-confident behaviors and feel in control of their
lives.
People with low self-esteem exhibit opposite CONCEPT CHECK
characteristics: intrinsic motivation is lower; achievement How does the self-
of goals is less frequent and perceived as failure; esteem cycle of a
obstacles are more difficult to overcome; and there is a person with high self-
higher feeling of lack of control for the events that occur in esteem differ from
their lives. The differences between the self-esteem the self-esteem cycle
cycles for people with low-self esteem and people with of a person with low
high self-esteem are shown below. self-esteem?
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

52
Activity 5: After reading the “The Expectancy Theory of Motivation”, answer the
following questions.
a) What is self-esteem?
b) How does self-esteem relate to motivation?
c) What are some of the strategies for boosting self-esteem?
d) How do we call the belief in your abilities to accomplish a specific task at a
specific level of performance?

The Expectancy Theory of Motivation

Expectancy Theory, developed by Victor and gets only mediocre performance

Vroom, is a very complex model of evaluations from his present boss.
motivation based on a deceptively simple Susan wants the job as much as Paul,
assumption. According to expectancy and she thinks she has a pretty good
theory, motivation depends on how much shot at it. Her sales have improved
we want something and on how likely we significantly this past year, and her
think we are to get it. Consider, for evaluations are the best in the
example, the case of three sales company.
representatives who are candidates for Expectancy theory would predict that
promotion to one sales manager's job. Bill Bill and Paul are not very motivated to
has had a very good sales year and always seek the promotion. Bill doesn't really
gets good performance evaluations. want it, and Paul doesn't think he has
However, he isn't sure he wants the job much of a chance of getting it. Susan,
because it involves a great deal of travel, however, is very motivated to seek the
long working hours, and much stress and promotion because she wants it and
pressure. Paul wants the job badly but thinks she can get it.
doesn't think he has much chance of
getting it. He has had a terrible sales year

Does the person Does the person think

want the outcome? Yes the outcome is likely? Yes MOTIVATED

No No

NOT NOT
MOTIVATED MOTIVATED Source: Pride/Hughes/Kapoor.
Business, 7e, Houghton Mifflin,
2007, page 312.

53
Self-Esteem Cycles
Negative
self-talk

Lack of Low
self-confidence achievement

Unhappy Negative
relationships perception of self
and others

Positive
self-talk

Improved High
self-confidence achievement

Rewarding Positive
relationships perception of self
and others

Source: From Barry Reece and Rhonda Brandt, Human Relations: Principles and Practices, 5th ed. (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Co., 2003), p. 71. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin, Inc.

54
 Since self-esteem is an integral part of motivation,
Strategies for
exploring and implementing ways to boost self-esteem
Boosting Self-Esteem
can increase motivation and lead to more positive
 Let go of the past;
outcomes. Five strategies for boosting self-esteem,
Focus on the present.
changing your self-perception, and increasing your level
 Use positive self-talk.
of motivation are shown.
 Use affirmations.
 Visualize success. Let go of the Past; Focus on the
 Acknowledge yourself.
Present.
In many ways, we are the reflection of our past. Past
experiences are strong influencing factors of who we are
today, and understanding those influencing factors is
important for self-understanding and growth. The
expression, ―Let it go,‖ is often easier said than done, but
it merits our attention. By choosing to use positive self-
talk, affirmations, visualizations, and self-praise, you can
shift your attention to the present and accentuate the
positive elements that you are creating in your life at this
very moment. Your positive attributes that you exhibit on
an everyday basis can strengthen your positive self-
perception that motivates and moves you forward.

Use Positive Self-Talk

Intrinsic motivation has a close relationship with self-talk,
the internal conversations you have with yourself
throughout the day. Self-talk is that ever-busy inner voice
that monitors, critiques, and ultimately affects your
behavior, choice of actions, self-esteem, as well as your
CONCEPT CHECK level of confidence and motivation. Your selftalk may be
How can you monitor positive or negative.
and manage self-talk? Whenever you hear your negative, critical inner voice
What examples can telling you that you can't do something, that you won't
you give to show how succeed, that you are not skilled enough, or any other
you can transform similar negative comments about your abilities, intrinsic
negative self-talk into motivation quickly diminishes. Instantly when you hear
positive self-talk? negative self-talk, choose to manage your thoughts by

55
turning those statements around and counteracting with
positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is an internal Positive self-talk is an
conversation that focuses on positive qualities, words of internal conversation
encouragement, and statements that reflect a high self- that focuses on positive
esteem and high self-efficacy. Statements such as ―I am qualities, words of
capable of doing this," "I have what it takes to succeed," encouragement, and
and "I have the intelligence and skills to do well" turn statements that reflect
negative self-talk into constructive, powerful, positive a high self-esteem and
self-talk. high self-efficacy.

Use Affirmations
Affirmations are positive statements used as Affirmations are
motivators. Affirmations help change your basic belief positive statements
systems, your self-image, and the direction you are used as motivators.
moving to make changes in your life. Use the following
suggestions for writing and using affirmations:
 Use positive words and tones. Avoid using words such
CONCEPT CHECK
as no, never, won't. Say, for instance, ―I complete my
written work on time," rather than ―I will never turn in a What two affirmations
paper late again.‖ could you write and
use to help you achieve
 Write affirmations in the present tense. Present tense
two goals?
verbs give the sense that the behavior already exists.
When you think and believe in the present tense, your
actions begin to match your beliefs. Say, for example, ―I
am a nonsmoker," rather than ―I will stop smoking soon,‖
or ―I complete assignments on time," rather than ―I will
get better at completing my assignments on time."
 Write with certainty and conviction. Avoid using words
such as want to, try, or hope to. Say, for instance, ―I
exercise for thirty minutes every day," rather than "I want
to exercise more each day," or "I manage my time well,"
rather than ―I hope I can use my time-management
schedule."
 Keep the affirmation short and simple. Brief, simple
affirmations are easier to remember and repeat.
 Repeat your affirmation frequently. You can place your
affirmation on cards around your house or inside your
56
 notebook. The more frequently you repeat your
affirmation, the greater impact it has on your belief in the
statements in the affirmation.

Visualize Success
Self-esteem, self-confidence, and intrinsic motivation are
related to your personal belief systems about who you
are and what you are capable of doing. In Chapter 3, you
CONCEPT CHECK
learned about the Memory Principle of Visualization and
What Principles of
its powerful ability to imprint visual images in long-term
Memory do you use
memory. Visualizing yourself performing a task and
when you visualize?
achieving a specific goal imprints that image of yourself
in your long-term memory. Use the following steps to
imprint positive images of yourself into your memory:
1. Close your eyes. Create a picture or an image of
yourself, and "watch yourself‖ performing effectively
in a specific situation. For example, you might see
yourself working through the steps to perform a
math equation, or studying in an ideal study area
without encountering distractions, or standing
comfortably and confidently in front of your class to
give a speech.
2. In your visualization, ―see" yourself receiving the
rewards for your behavior or performance. Feel the
sense of pride, accomplishment, or success.
3. Practice ―rerunning" the visualization several times
and recalling it from mem ory to use as a motivator.

Acknowledge Yourself
Your family members, friends, co-workers, and
classmates may acknowledge and praise you for your
efforts, your hard work, and your successes. Such
positive feedback feels rewarding and helps build self-
esteem and self-confidence.
However, you cannot expect nor rely on them to
recognize or respond to all the positive accomplishments
you experience on a daily basis. The person who can

57
acknowledge and praise you on a regular basis is you.
You are your best cheerleader, supporter, and motivator.
Take time to recognize your accomplishments and your
daily successes. Pat yourself on the back for each
achievement, whether large or small. For example, when
you successfully rework a math problem, revise and
polish an essay, or learn to use a new software program
to manipulate data, tell yourself, ―Good job! You got that
right!" Acknowledging yourself may seem trite, but words
of self-praise reinforce positive actions and provide a
steady stream of intrinsic motivation.

Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy is the belief in your abilities to accomplish a Self-efficacy is the
specific task at a specific level of performance. If your belief in your abilities
self-efficacy is high, you have a sense of self-confidence to accomplish a specific
that you can take on a specific task and succeed at a task at a specific level
desired level of performance. Your motivators initiate of performance.
action and propel you to complete the task at a high level
of performance even if it involves perseverance and
overcoming challenges.
For example, Rachel, a drama student who has
performed in the last three productions on campus,
exhibited high self-efficacy when she auditioned for the
leading role in a new performing arts production. Even
though she had never had a leading role in a play, her
past successes, experiences, and skill training formed
her belief about her ability to take on a new challenge
CONCEPT CHECK
and deliver a stellar performance in the field of drama.
Can self-efficacy be
After the audition, Rachel headed for the computer lab for
high in one area and
the fourth time to tackle a computer lab assignment. She
low in another? Why
took a deep breath, shrugged her shoulders, and entered
is this so?
the room feeling as though she probably wouldn't get the
application to run correctly once again. Rachel has a
limited background working with computes and she has
had limited success with assignments in this course.

58
 Needless to say, her self-efficacy in the computer class
is low.
Achievements, pleasant learning experiences, positive
CONCEPT CHECK
attitudes, and supportive environments cultivate high
How does self-efficacy self-efficacy for specific tasks or types of activities. The
differ from self- following are important strategies for building self-
confidence? What role efficacy:
does interest have in
 Plan to succeed. Create clear goals and plans of
the development of
action as you approach new learning tasks. Use a goal
self-efficacy?
organizer to increase your opportunity for success. One
success leads to another. Obtaining success multiple
times erases self-doubt and reinforces your belief in
your ability to complete specific tasks on a high level of
performance.
 Use effective strategies. Selecting effective strategies
to complete a task results in positive attitudes and
positive learning experiences. If one strategy is
ineffective, modify your approach by selecting a different
strategy to bring you the desired result. Choose to
problem-solve rather than quit.
 Use motivation to persevere. Find meaningful
motivators to keep your momentum to achieve your
goals and build positive experiences.
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

Activity 6: Read the chapter “Stress management” and fill in the following table.

Stress consequences Stressors Strategies for Managing

stress

59
 Hinders performance Terminal illnesses of a
and affects our loved one.
cognitive abilities.

Relaxation techniques.

Affects the quality of

life and longevity.

STRESS MANAGEMENT
? Define stress and identify strategies and

techniques for effective stress management

Stress is a reaction or response to events or situations Stress is a reaction or
that threaten or disrupt our normal patterns or routines. response to events or
Stress is the wear and tear on our bodies due to physical, situations that
emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses. The threaten or disrupt
following are impor- tant points about stress: our normal patterns or
 Some stress is normal as we move through life making routines.
decisions and changing directions in our personal, work,
and academic lives.
 In some situations, stress is beneficial. Stress can
compel us to take action and to move in new directions.
The increased adrenaline from stress can help us
perform at higher levels.
 As stress increases, our ability to deal with and control
the stress decreases.
 Early warning signs that stress is becoming more
intense and moving into the danger level include
headaches, backaches, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety
attacks, mood swings, depression, forgetfulness,
carelessness, and irritability.
 Excessive stress affects working memory and long-
term memory and reduces our ability to concentrate,

60
 solve problems, and make wise decisions.
 Excessive stress from unresolved issues has physical
consequences: increased pulse rate, faster breathing,
higher blood pressure, a weakening of the
immune system, a decrease in the production of
endorphins (a neurochemical that makes us feel happy),
ulcers, heart attacks, strokes, and clinical depression.
 Learning to manage stress is a lifelong skill that
affects the quality of life and longevity.

Stressors
How you perceive and handle external situations—
rather than the situations themselves—is the cause of
stress. People who handle stress best are those
individuals who actively look for solutions and use
techniques to alter their perception of external

Stressors are situations situations. Stressors are situations or actions that

or actions that cause cause stress. When stressors enter into your life, often

stress. you can take some form of action to reduce or eliminate

the stressors. For example, if an upcoming test is a
stressor, you can create a plan of action and use
specific techniques to take control of the situation. Other
CONCEPT CHECK stressors, such as the terminal illness of a loved one,

What stressors have you are out of your immediate control; the only control you

experienced recently? have is how you handle your reaction to the stressor.

How did you react to Stressors may be positive or negative. Divorce,

these stressors? personal injury, losing a job, or family problems are
negative stressors. Events such as marriage or a
vacation may be positive stressors. The number of
stressors you face, both positive and negative, at one
time affect your overall stress level. In 1967, Dr.
Thomas H. Holmes and Dr. Richard H. Rahe developed
a "stress test,‖ the Social Readjustment Rating Scale
(SRRS), to help individuals identify their stress levels.
The stressors and the stress scores on SRRS remain
applicable today.

61
Essential Strategies for Managing CONCEPT CHECK
In what ways can you
Stress use your interpersonal
and intrapersonal
In Chapter 1, you learned that interpersonal intelligence
intelligences to deal
deals with your relationship with others and intrapersonal
with stressors? Give
intelligence deals with your relationship with yourself.
specific examples.
Seven Essential Strategies for Managing Stress which
utilize your interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities are
shown below.

Essential Strategies for Managing Stress

 Interact with others. Many research friends, seek out an adviser or counselor
studies show that social interaction can on campus or in the community.
reduce stress, improve overall health and  Take time to center yourself.
the immune system, stimulate cognitive Engage in a mindcalming activity such as
processes, and stave off depression. meditation, yoga, prayer, or biofeedback
Make time to spend with a close network to center yourself and return to a state of
of friends, create new friendships, or calmness and serenity. Sitting in a
participate in student, church, or sauna, soaking in a hot tub or warm bath,
community activities. or sitting near a fountain of water can
 Redirect your emotions. Engaging in also be a mind-calming experience.
activities that create positive emotions Centering activities provide a way to
reduces the intensity of your emotional block out and temporarily shield yourself
reaction to stress and the tendency to from the rest of the world.
dwell on negative situations. Redirect your  Keep a journal. In a journal, describe
emotions by spending time on a favorite your feelings or concerns privately and
hobby or activity; substitute negative tap into some of your innermost thoughts
emotions with positive ones. in a nonthreatening way. Putting your
 Confide in others. Get input and emotions on paper often reduces the
alternative perceptions of a stressful intensity of the emotions, disperses some
situation from others instead of hiding of the negative energy, and helps you
your feelings, which often compounds the discover solutions or new directions to
stress and exaggerates the severity of the take with the situation.
situation. Discussing your situation with  Choose a healthy lifestyle
others may thwar of a molehill. If you (nutrition, exercise, and sleep).
cannot confide or share the tendency to
 Practice relaxation techniques.
make a mountain out of a molehill. If you
cannot confide or share your feelings with

62
 Healthy Lifestyle
Your lifestyle and the choices you make in your daily
and weekly habits and routines influence your level of
stress and the way you respond to a variety of
stressors. When you feel stress occurring in your life,
and especially when you feel the stress is becoming
excessive, take time to examine your habits, behaviors,
and lifestyle choices. A basic look at your lifestyle
patterns can begin by looking specifically at the areas
of nutrition, exercise, and sleep since these three areas
play important roles in reducing and coping with stress.
The lifestyle behaviors that affect the leading causes of
death in the United States are shown below.

Lifestyle Behaviors That Affect the Leading Causes of Death in the

United States
This table shows five of the leading causes of death in the United States today, along
with behavioral factors that contribute to their development

Cause of Death Alcohol Smoking Diet Exercise Stress

Cancer × × × ?

Heart disease × × × × ×

Stroke × × × ? ?

Lung disease ×

Accidents and injury × × ×

Source: Bernstein/Nash, Essentials of Psychology, © 2008, Houghton Mifflin, p. 391.

63
Nutrition CONCEPT CHECK
Frequently people experiencing stress turn to fast foods What is the
and snacks that are high in sugar and fat. Foods high in relationship between
sugar often produce an energy surge as they increase nutrition and stress?
blood sugar in the body. However, the increased blood What foods are
sugar quickly drops, thus leaving the individual feeling recommended for
less energetic than before eating the high-sugar foods or healthy nutrition?
snacks. The following guidelines can help you make
healthier lifestyle choices:

 Instead of eating foods loaded with sugar, choose

foods that break sugars down more slowly and release
energy over a more sustained period of time. Complex
carbohydrates, such as those found in grains, cereals,
rice, pasta, bread, and potatoes, protect blood levels
from the roller coaster effect of highs and lows.
 Consume three to four helpings of fruits and
vegetables each day. In addition to providing you with
essential vitamins and minerals, these foods increase
your brain's production of serotonin, a brain chemical
that stabilizes mood swings and promotes a sense of
happiness. Multivitamins can supplement your dietary
needs for vitamins and minerals, but they are not a
substitute for good eating.
 Limit your use of nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol; avoid
non-prescription drugs. People often use more of these
products when under stress, but they are not effective
ways to cope with stress, and their health consequences
may lead to more serious problems.
 Set aside fifteen to thirty minutes three times a day to
sit down and enjoy a relaxing meal. Put work and other
distractions aside so meals become a quiet time to enjoy
and digest the food, or a time to socialize with others.

Exercise: Become More Active

Physical activity reduces the physiological effects of
stress. Plan twenty to thirty minutes a minimum of three

64
 CONCEPT CHECK times a week to exercise (walk, run, swim, bike, lift weights,

What is the do aerobics, or play basketball, baseball, soccer, or golf).

relationship between For more structure, sign up for a physical education course,

physical exercise and a yoga class, an intramural sport, or a community exercise

stress? What are the program or work out with a regularly televised exercise

benefits of physical program. In addition to reducing your stress level and giving

exercise? yourself a mental break from thinking about the stressor,

the benefits of regular exercise are many:
 Exercise gets oxygen moving more smoothly to your
brain; your concentration levels increase, and information
enters and moves through your memory system more
efficiently.
 Exercise improves your cardiovascular system, thus
reducing your risk of more serious health conditions that
may result from prolonged stress.
 Exercise strengthens your body, making it more resistant
to the physical and emotional effects of stress. Your body
becomes better equipped to handle stress when stress
does occur.

Sleep
Strive to eliminate poor sleep patterns by establishing
onsistent sleep and waking times. Plan your time as best
possible so you can get your sleep pattern on a regular
schedule. Resetting your body's time clock requires training
and often three or more weeks of scheduling consistency.
Your goal is to create a pattern that gives you
CONCEPT CHECK approximately eight hours of sound sleep, which results in
What is the your awaking each morning refreshed and ready to begin a
relationship between new day. Recognizing the effects of stress on sleep
hours of sleep and patterns can alert you to the need to find strategies and
stress? How many help from others to deal more effectively with your
hours of sleep do you stressors. The following are important points about sleep
get per night on a patterns during times of stress:
regular basis?  Sleep patterns often become irregular and unpredictable.
Lack of sufficient sleep becomes a stressor and makes it

65
more difficult to manage other stressors that may also be
occurring.
 Some individuals may experience insomnia, the inability
to fall asleep; their hours of restful sleep are too few. If you
experience insomnia, use the time to relax in a prone
position; listen to soft music or spend the time visualizing or
practicing relaxation techniques.
 Some individuals respond to stress by sleeping too
much. Sleeping becomes an escape from the world. During
their waking hours, the stressors may overwhelm them and
render them nonproductive. They retreat again to sleep.

Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques can help you reduce your stress
levels and improve your emotional health. The goal behind CONCEPT CHECK
relaxation techniques is to create a state of mind and body What effects can
that perhaps can best be described as ―Ahhhhhhh.‖ In this relaxation
state, - the body is not tense and the mind is not techniques have on
wandering; you are open and ready to receive new the body and on the
information or expand on previously learned information. mind? Which relax
Relaxation are effective in a wide variety of emotional techniques are most
situations: when you feel ation techniques are most beneficial you?
beneficial for anxious, nervous, tense, stressed,
apprehensive, hyperactive, restless, defeated, frustrated,
or overwhelmed. The following are six relaxation
techniques that are easy to learn and require only a few
minutes of your time.
 The perfect place technique involves taking a mental The perfect place
vacation and visualizing a perfect, stress-free place to technique involves
relax. To use this technique, close your eyes and mental taking a mental
vacation and visualizing a perfect, breathe in slowly. vacation and
Visualize a perfect place in the world where you feel visualizing a perfect,
relaxed, stress-free place to relax. confident, safe, stress-free place to
comfortable, and content. Continue breathing in and out relax.
slowly as you let the perfect place unfold in your
imagination; add sounds, smells, sights, tastes, and tactile

66
 sensations to your perfect place. Make a mental picture of
this perfect place. Through the power of association, you
can recall the mental picture and the soothing sensations of
this perfect place whenever you need to separate yourself
in a healthy way from stress and stressful situations.
The soothing mask  The soothing mask technique involves using your
technique involves imagination to create and pull a mask over your face to
using your block out reactions to stress. Close your eyes and place
imagination to your hands on the top of your head. Slowly move your
create and pull a hands down over your face to block out reactions to stress.
mask over your face your forehead, down your face, and to your neck. As you do
to block out this, picture your hands gently pulling a soothing mask over
reactions to stress. your face. This mask removes other thoughts, worries,
fears, or stresses from your mind. Keep your eyes closed
for another minute. Feel the soothing mask resting on your
face. Block out thoughts or feelings that are not related to
your soothing mask. As you practice this technique, you will
be able to do it without using your hands.
The relaxation blanket  The relaxation blanket technique involves visualizing
technique involves yourself pulling a soft, warm blanket up to your neck to
visualizing yourself release tension. Sit comfortably in your chair. ket up to your
pulling a soft, warm
neck to release tension. Close your eyes, and focus your
blanket up to your neck
attention on your feet. Imagine yourself pulling a soft, warm
to release tension.
blanket up over your feet, up over your legs, lap, and chest
until the blanket is snuggled around your shoulders and
CONCEPT CHECK
against your neck. Focus on the way your body feels warm
Which techniques use
and relaxed. Keep your eyes closed for another minute as
visualization to create
you enjoy the warmth and comfort of the blanket.
mental images?
 The breathing by threes technique involves inhaling
and exhaling slowly as a way to reduce stress. You can do
The breathing by
this technique with your eyes opened or closed. Inhale
threes technique
slowly through your nose as you count to three. Gently hold
involves inhaling and
your breath as you again count to three. Exhale slowly
exhaling slowly as a
through your nose as you count to three. Repeat this
way to reduce stress.
several times. You will feel your body begin to slow down
and relax.

67
  The deep breathing technique involves taking deep The deep breathing
breaths and exhaling slowly as a way to reduce stress. technique involves
Take a deep breath to fill your lungs. You may think your taking deep breaths
lungs are full, but there is room for one more breath of and exhaling slowly as
air. Inhale once again. Now slowly exhale and feel your a way to reduce
body relax. Repeat this deep breathing several times. If stress.
you feel lightheaded or dizzy after trying this exercise,
you might want to select one of the other options.
 The deep muscle relaxation technique involves The deep muscle
tensing and releasing different groups of muscles as a relaxation technique
way to reduce stress. Stress is often felt in one or more involves tensing and
of these muscle groups: shoulders, arms, lower back, releasing different
legs, chest, fingers, or face. Notice the amount of groups of muscles as a
tension you feel in the various locations throughout your way to reduce stress.
body. Then, make a clenched fist tight enough so that
you can feel your fingers pulsating. Breathe several
times and feel the tension in your fingers and your
hands. Then breathe slowly and uncurl your fists until
they are totally relaxed. Pay close attention to the
different sensations as you go from tense to relaxed.
Continue this with other muscle groups. Let the feelings
of deep muscle relaxation and the feelings that the
tension is washing away spread throughout your body.
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

Activity 7: Self-reflection.

Read the chapter Stress management again and answer the following questions.
a) What situations or problems provoke stress on you?
b) How does stress affect your mind and body?
c) What actions do you take in order to relieve and manage stress?

68
Effective procrastination management
UNIT
5
OBJECTIVES
 Define procrastination
 Identify strategies for effective procrastination management

Activity 1: When you think of the word ―procrastination‖, what is the first thing
that comes to your mind?

a) Find a synonym for the verb ―procrastinate‖.

b) Do you feel that sometimes you procrastinate?
c) How often do you procrastinate?

Activity 2: Read the topic “Procrastination Management” and underline the most
complete definition of the word “procrastination”.

a) The act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline.
b) To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness; to
postpone or delay needlessly.
c) The action of delaying or postponing something.

69
PROCRASTINATION MANAGEMENT CONCEPT CHECK
What false beliefs do
Define procrastination and identify strategies some procrastinators
and techniques for effective procrastination have about their habit
management. of procrastinating?

Procrastination is a learned behavior that involves Procrastination is a

putting off or postponing something until a later time. learned behavior that
Chronic procrastinators have ingrained certain involves putting off or
behavioral and cognitive patterns into their way of postponing something
until a later time.
―doing life.‖ Quite consistently they choose low-priority
tasks over high-priority tasks. Fortunately, because
procrastination is a learned behavior, it can be
Procrastinators put off
"unlearned,‖ reduced, or eliminated.
or postpone tasks for a
Do you know any procrastinators? You can often
variety of reasons and
identify them by these characteristics: tend to choose low-
 They accept and even boast about being priority tasks over high-
procrastinators. priority tasks. Often
they rationalize or try to
 They pride themselves on being able to do things
justify their behavior.
quickly, at the last minute, and under pressure.
When and why do you
 They often wait for a ―push,‖ a threat of a specific procrastinate?
consequence, a crisis, or some outside force to get the
momentum to do what needs to be done.
 Their focus is on completing the task, and proving
they can complete it in a short time frame, and not
necessarily on the quality of the final product.
 They try to use their procrastination as a legitimate
excuse for not performing on high levels or not
completing projects.
Habitual or chronic procrastinators can create new
behavioral and cognitive patterns that recognize the
value of working first on high-priority tasks—even when
they may not be as exciting or enjoyable as the low-
priority tasks. Understanding when and why they
procrastinate is the beginning step of the process of
change.

70
 CONCEPT CHECK When You Procrastinate
When do you tend to Any time you find yourself avoiding a specific task or
procrastinate? Give making statements such as ―I'll do it when I am in the
specific examples. mood.‖ ―I have plenty of time to do it later,‖ ―I can let it
slide a few more days,‖ or ―I will wait because I work
better under pressure,‖ recognize that you are
procrastinating. Become aware of your procrastination
patterns by answering the following questions.

1. Are there specific kinds of tasks involved when you

procrastinate? For example, do you plan and follow
through with studying for your computer class but
procrastinate about studying for your writing or your
math class? Do you complete specific household
chores but procrastinate when faced with the laundry?
Identify the specific kinds of tasks that you avoid most
frequently; for those tasks, you will want to activate
strategies to increase your momentum.

2. Do you tend to procrastinate about beginning a

specific task, or does procrastination appear during the
middle of working on the task? For example, do you
struggle with setting time aside and sitting down to
begin writing a paper? Do you make excuses for not
beginning the paper? Or do you begin the paper but
lose interest or motivation halfway through the process
of writing it? Do you quit close to its completion? For
example, do you put off typing the final version of the
paper even though you have finished writing it?
Understanding when in the process of a task you
procrastinate can help you select strategies to complete
tasks or goals more consistently.
3. Do you start multiple tasks, jumping from one to
another, and make less important tasks seem more
important or urgent? This behavior is a common sign of
the onset of procrastination. Procrastinators can get so
caught up in this whirlwind behavior that they do not
realize all the busy work is a mask for avoiding specific

71
tasks. When you find yourself scurrying around,
sometimes aimlessly keeping busy, take time to identify
the task you are avoiding.

Why You Procrastinate CONCEPT CHECK

Reasons for procrastinating vary for different tasks, Why do you
situations, and individuals. In some cases procrastinating procrastinate? What
will not have any serious consequences. For example, reasons can you
procrastinating about moving a stack of magazines to the identify for putting off
garage or putting your compact disks back in their cases high-priority tasks and
has no dire consequences. In other cases, spending your time on
procrastinating leads to increased stress and additional low-priority tasks?
problems. Procrastinating about paying your bills,
studying for a test, or filling your tires with air will have
more serious consequences, some of which could alter
your goals or course for the future. CONCEPT CHECK
We have all procrastinated at one time or another. When If a student
you are aware of procrastinating, "dig deep‖ to uncover procrastinates about
your reason for putting off something important that working on a research
needs to be done. Do any of the following characters problem, what might be
reveal one of your reasons for procrastinating? the student's reason
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)
for procrastinating?

Activity 3: Read the topic “Procrastination Management” again and answer the
following questions?
a) What are the characteristics that procrastinators are usually identified by?
b) When do people procrastinate?
c) What are some of the reasons why people procrastinate?
d) According to your personal experience, what are some of the excuses you give to
yourself to procrastinate?

Activity 4: Read the topic “Procrastination and its causes” and say whether the
following statements are True (T), False (F) or Not specified in the text (NS).

72
 a) ___ Procrastination is simply a matter of laziness.
b) ___ College students who procrastinate are more likely to have high levels of
drinking, smoking and insomnia.
c) ___ Many procrastinators are convinced that they work better in teams.
d) ___ Procrastinators tend to be perfectionists.

e) ___ Enjoying the fulfillment of tasks at last minute is one of the characteristics of
some procrastinators.
f) ___ Depression is the cause of procrastination of 90% of the population.
g) ___ Depressed people cannot feel much pleasure.

The following excerpt presents procrastination issues related to college students. In addition
to the above eight reasons for procrastinating, this excerpt provides eight additional reasons
why people procrastinate. Awareness of the various reasons will help you pinpoint the
underlying reason for procrastinating, which can then lead to specific self-management
strategies to address the issues and combat procrastination.

73
- - - - - - - - - Procrastination and Its Causes - - - - - - -
Author Maia Szalavitz in the following article, ―Stand & Deliver‖ (Psychology Today, August
2003, pp. 50–54), provides information about procrastination and its causes.

Procrastination is not just an issue of time management or laziness. It's about feeling
paralyzed and guilty as you channel surf, knowing you should be cracking the books or
reconfiguring your investment strategy. Why the gap between incentive and action?
Psychologists now believe it is a combination of anxiety and false beliefs about productivity.
Tim Pychyl, PhD, associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa,
Canada, tracked students with procrastination problems in the final week before a project
was due. Students first reported anxiety and guilt because they had not started their
projects. ―They were telling themselves[,] 'I work better under pressure' or 'this isn't
important,'" says Pychyl. But once they began to work, they reported more positive
emotions; they no longer lamented wasted time, nor claimed that pressure helped ...
Psychologists have focused on procrastination among students because the problem is
rampant in academic settings; some 70 percent of college students report problems with
overdue papers and delayed studying, according to Joseph Ferrari, associate professor of
psychology at Chicago's DePaul University.
Pychyl also found that procrastination is detrimental to physical health. College students who
procrastinate have higher levels of drinking, smoking, insomnia, stomach problems, colds,
and flu. So why can't people just buckle down and get the job done?

False Beliefs: Many procrastinators are convinced that they work better under pressure, or
they'll feel better about tackling the work later. But, tomorrow never comes and last-minute
work is often low quality. In spite of what they believe, ―Procrastinators generally don't do
well under pressure,‖ says Ferrari. The idea that time pressure improves performance is
perhaps the most common myth among procrastinators.

Fear of Failure: "The main reason people procrastinate is fear," says Neil Fiore, PhD,
author of The Now Habit. Procrastinators fear they'll fall short because they don't have the
requisite talent or skills. ―They get overwhelmed and they're afraid they'll look stupid.‖
According to Ferrari, ―Procrastinators would rather be seen as lacking in effort than lacking in
ability." If you flunk a calculus exam, better to loudly blame it on the half-hour study blitz than
admit to yourself that you could have used a tutor the entire semester.

Perfectionism: Procrastinators tend to be perfectionists—and they're in overdrive because

they're insecure. People who do their best because they want to win don't procrastinate; but
those who feel they must be perfect to please others often put things off. These people fret

74
that ―No one will love me if everything I do isn't utter genius." Such perfectionism is at the
heart of many an unfinished novel.

Self-Control: Impulsivity may seem diametrically opposed to procrastination, but both can
be part of a larger problem: self-control. People who are impulsive may not be able to
prioritize intentions, says Pychyl. So, while writing a term papers,] you break for a snack and
see a spill in the refrigerator, which leads to cleaning the entire kitchen.

Thrill-Seeking: Some procrastinators enjoy the adrenaline ―rush." These people find
perverse satisfaction when they finish their taxes minutes before midnight on April 15 and
dash to the post office just before it closes.

Task-Related Anxieties: Procrastination can be associated with specific situations.

"Humans avoid the difficult and boring," says Fiore. Even the least procrastination-prone
individuals put off taxes and visits to the dentist.

Unclear Expectations: Ambiguous directions and vague priorities increase procrastination.

The boss who asserts that everything is high priority and due yesterday is more likely to be
kept waiting.

Depression: The blues can lead to or exacerbate procrastination—and vice versa. Several
symptoms of depression feed procrastination. Because depressed people can't feel much
pleasure, all options seem equally bleak, which makes getting started difficult and pointless.
th
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6 edition, Linda Wong)
Activity 5: Read the topic “Essential Strategies to combat procrastination”, and
choose the 3 strategies that would help you be more effective in the aim of
avoiding procrastination. Explain your choices by giving examples or facts.

Essential Strategies to Combat Procrastination

Learning to reduce or eliminate procrastination can CONCEPT CHECK
empower you, enhance your self-esteem, strengthen What was the most recent
your self-discipline, and put you in greater control of task you procrastinated
your life. In addition to the time management, goal about doing? Why did you
setting, motivation, and other self-management procrastinate? Which of the
strategies that you have already learned, the strategies in this chapter
following are ten additional strategies to combat could you have used to stop
procrastination. your procrastination?

75
 Strategy 1: Use your intrapersonal intelligence. Explore
when and why you procrastinate about a specific task. Use
those insights to identify appropriate strategies to deal
directly with the underlying issues.

 Strategy 2: Identify a purpose and meaning. Avoid

labeling a task as ―meaningless, stupid, or boring‖ or
expressing a negative attitude toward a task, as these
attitudes and behaviors lower motivation and negatively
impact your selfimage. Find a purpose or a valid reason for
the task. Use a goal organized; identify the benefits.

 Strategy 3: Create an interest. Engage a family member,

a tutor, or a study group to work with you on the task. Seek
alternative sources of information, such as a video, Internet
searches, magazines, or books related to the topic. Once
you become familiar with the topic, interest often increases.

 Strategy 4: Take charge of the situation. Gather up all

the supplies or materials you need to get started. Select an
appropriate work environment. Take charge and take
responsibility of the situation.

 Strategy 5: Prioritize and stick to the order. When you

feel overwhelmed or overextended, make a list of tasks that
must be done. Use the ABC Method to prioritize them by
their importance or prioritize them by completion date
requirements. Tackle the high-priority tasks first. Schedule
time on your weekly schedule to work on these tasks.

 Strategy 6: Relax your personal standards. If you tend to

be a perfectionist, lower your unrealistically high standards
or expectations. You can continue to produce quality without
always having to be the best." Avoid spending excessive
time redoing parts of a task or the final outcome, such as a
paper.

 Strategy 7: Be flexible and willing to change. Be willing to

give up the attitude that ―I have always done things this
way.‖ Be willing to try new strategies and to create new
patterns of behaviors.

76
 Strategy 8: Face your fear of failure. Focus on your positive
traits, your accomplishments, and the skills you have acquired.
Use positive self-talk, affirmations, and emotional e words to
negate self-doubts, self-criticism, and fear of failure. Build your
self-confidence by mentally rehearsing the steps of the task
several times before you begin.

 Strategy 9: Visualize success. Create a mental picture of

yourself working through a task, feeling positive about your
work, and completing the task on time.

 Strategy 10: Make a contract with yourself. Make a contract

with yourself to stop using excuses for not getting things done.
Begin by creating a plan of action (a goal). Push yourself to ―just
do it.‖ End your contract with an incentive, such as an extrinsic
reward.
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

Activity 6: Self- reflection. How will the study of today‘s topic help you to
effectively avoid the procrastination of important tasks?

77
Strategies for preparing for tests
UNIT
6
OBJECTIVES

 Identify strategies to prepare for test

 Discuss how to perform well on tests

Activity 1: How do you prepare yourself before taking a test? What strategies do
you use in order to aim to a successful test performance?

Activity 2: Read the topic “Test Preparation Skills” and mark which of the
following statements is NOT TRUE.

___ Tests indicate how well you have prepared as well how effective your study
methods are.
___ Felling over-prepared can create text anxiety and lead to a poor performance.
___ To gather information for an upcoming test you can resort to your partners, your
instructors and the course materials.

78
Tests in college are a standard method to assess your understanding of course
material. In this chapter, you will learn effective strategies to prepare for tests, take
tests, manage test anxiety, and use mnemonics to boost your memory. This chapter
also includes inventories for you to use to assess the effectiveness of your study
skills strategies and to examine indicators for test anxiety.

TEST PREPARATION SKILLS

1 Identify and explain effective strategies for TERMS TO KNOW
preparing for tests. summary notes p.
In college, tests are a way of assessing your five-day study plan p. 1
understanding of information presented in your courses. four levels of response p.
Tests also indicate how well you have prepared, the test anxiety p.
effectiveness of your study methods, and your test-taking locus of control p.
skills. Students who do not apply study skills on a regular systematic desensitization
basis often need to resort to cramming, which is an attempt p. acronym p.
to learn large amounts of information in a short period of acrostic p.
time. Cramming is a survival technique that often backfires; the Loci Method p.
frequently, students who cram become even more aware of CL Improve Your Grade
how much they do not know. Feeling underprepared can Online Flashcards Glossary
create test anxiety and lead to poor test performance. By
using the following strategies, you will learn how to enter
testing situations with more confidence and preparedness,
which will lead to better results and rewards for your work
and effort.

Gathering Information About a Test

The more you can find out about an upcoming test, the
better equipped you will be for preparing for and taking the
test. Course materials, your instructor, and other students
can provide you with valuable information. Use the following CONCEPT CHECK
strategies to prepare for upcoming tests: What kind of
 Course Materials: First, review your course syllabus and information should
class assignment sheets so you know specifically which you gather about a
chapters and topics will be included on the test. Gather test? Where can you
together your notes and assignments for those chapters or find this information?
topics as they tend to indicate the information that received

79
 attention in class.
 Instructor: Listen carefully to your instructor's
description of the test and the topics or chapters that the
test will cover. Sometimes your instructor will emphasize
which materials you should review or need to know. If
your instructor indicates the kinds of test questions that
will appear on the test, jot these down as you may use
different strategies for different kinds of tests.
 Other Students: Talk to other students who have
already completed the course and tutors who are
familiar with the course. Ask them for study suggestions
and about the kinds of test questions to expect.
Remember, however, that instructors do change test
questions and formats, so do not feel overly confident
about a test based on information you obtained from
previous students or from tutors. If previous tests are
available to examine, take the time to look at and
practice with the tests.

Reviewing Your Study Tools and Materials

CONCEPT CHECK
You have already learned a wealth of information and an
What are the benefits
array of strategies for learning, processing, and recalling
of using ongoing
information. The more strategies you use on a regular
review prior to the
basis, the more prepared you will be for an upcoming
announcement of a
test. To prepare for an upcoming test, begin by
test?
reviewing study tools that you have already created. If
you have been using ongoing review, preparing for tests
becomes a matter of "brushing up" or "refreshing" your
memory. If you did not dedicate adequate time for
ongoing review each week, you will need to dedicate
more time to prepare for a test.
Summary notes are
specific notes that Creating Summary Notes
include information
Summary notes are specific notes that include
that you need to
concepts, definitions, details, steps, or other information
review further before
that you need to review further before the day of the
the day of the test.
test. Summary notes may also include notes that relate

80
To specific information your instructor reminded you to
study for the test. If you have used effective learning
strategies and ongoing review, you already know and are
able to recall many of the concepts and terms that a test CONCEPT CHECK
will cover; these items do not need to appear on your What kind of
summary notes. Summary notes are helpful to have information should you
before any test, but they are extremely valuable to have put in summary notes?
to prepare for midterm and final exams. Figure below How do they differ
shows a variety of formats that are commonly used for from your regular
summary notes. notes?

81
Predicting Test Questions
Predicting test questions is an excellent method for
CONCEPT CHECK
preparing for tests and reducing test anxiety. Predicting
Which types of test
test questions is even easier after you have taken one or
questions do you
two tests from a specific instructor and have a sense of
encounter most
the types of tests he or she uses. Understanding types of
frequently?
test questions is the first step.

Reviewing with others

Review sessions are an effective way to receive
CONCEPT CHECK
immediate feedback about the topics you understand
clearly and those that you need to review further. Review What advantages have

sessions also provide you the opportunity to verbalize, you experienced by

explain information in your own words, and answer

attending review
sessions and reviewing
practice test questions. Study groups are also an effective
with a study group?
way to prepare for tests. If a study group does not exist,
you can create one with members of your class. To be
effective and time-efficient, a study group needs to have
structure. As members of the group, you could agree to:
 Individually write practice test questions to present to
the group
 Take turns leading a discussion for a specific topic that
will be covered on the test

 Have each student summarize important information for

specific chapters and provide group members with a set of
summary notes for those chapters
 Bring study tools, such as flashcards, to use to quiz
each other

Using a Five-Day Study Plan

A five-day study plan is a plan of action that helps you A five-day study plan is a
organize your materials and time to review for a major plan of action that helps
you organize your
test, such as a midterm or a final exam. This plan
materials and time to
promotes spaced practice and ongoing review; it reduces
review for a major test,
tendencies to procrastinate, cram, or have test anxiety.
such as a midterm or a
Use the following steps to create a five-day study plan. final exam.

82
 CONCEPT CHECK Step 1: Be Specific and Realistic
Begin by making a list of all the topics and materials that you
How does a five-day
study plan organize need to review for the upcoming test. Following is an example

your materials and for a sociology course.

your time? Topics/Materials to Review for Chapters 1-4:

Terminology Lecture Notes
Homework Assignments Notes from Video
Study Guides Chapter Reviews
Textbook Notes Notes from Guest Speaker
Two Short Discussion Papers
Step 2: Set Target Days and Times
Organize specific blocks of time on days 1, 2, 3, and 4 for
review sessions. On day 5, dedicate all of your study time to
reviewing your summary notes. Mark the study/review days
and times on your calendar or your weekly schedule.
Coordinate these times with other students if you are going to
review with a study partner or study group.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday Sunday

Review Review Review Review Final Review

8-9:00 AM 8-9:00 AM 8-9:00 AM 10:00 AM – 2-4:00 PM

12:00 PM

3-4:00 PM 3-4:00 PM 3-4:00 PM 7-9:00 PM

Step 3: Identify the Steps and a Plan of Action

Identify which chapters and which materials you will review on
day 1, day 2, day 3, and finally on day 4. To avoid wasting
review time, create a pattern or plan for reviewing each time
you sit down. For example, your plan may be to use this
sequence of review activities: read the study guide, review
chapter summary, review terminology, review homework,
review class handouts, review lecture notes, and review
textbook notes. Throughout this review process, plan to make
summary notes for the information you feel you need to review
further on Day 5 and right before the test. Following is an
example of a plan of action.

83
Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday Sunday

8-9:00 AM 8-9:00 AM 8-9:00 AM 10-12:00 PM 2-4:00 PM

Ch1: class Ch2: study guide Ch3: class study Ch4: study guide Review summary
study guide Homework Q guige (no handouts) notes

Homework Q Video notes Handouts Homework Q Self-quiz on

Handouts Homework Q 2 short papers Ch1&2

3-4:00 PM 3-4:00 PM 3-4:00 PM 4-6:00 PM 7-9:00 PM

Ch1: lecture Ch2: lecture Ch3: lecture notes Ch4: lecture Review summary
notes notes Textbook notes notes notes

Textbook Textbook notes Textbook notes Self-quiz on

notes Ch3&4

Notes-Guest
speaker

Step 4: Plan a Reward

At the end of each daily review time, use the intrinsic
reward: the satisfaction that the studying is under control.
Choose an intrinsic or an extrinsic reward for yourself
after you complete your five-day study plan and after you
complete the test.
For shorter tests, such as unit tests or tests for a module, CONCEPT CHECK
you can use the same steps as those shown in the five-
What changes will you
day study plan, but your plan will cover fewer days and
need to make to use
less content. The important point is to identify what needs
the concept of a five-
to be done and create a plan of action that organizes
day study plan for
your time and your materials so you can review and
tests other than major
prepare efficiently and thoroughly.
tests?
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

84
Activity 3: After reading the topic “Using a Five-Day Study Plan” and taking into
account the information gathered from it, answer the following questions.

a) What is a five-day study plan?

b) Does a five-day study plan avoid procrastination?
c) What does this plan promote?

Activity 4: Read the topic “Using a Five-Day Study Plan” again and complete the
following tasks:

- Organize the 4 steps necessary to correctly create and implement a five-day study
plan.
- Base on the examples of five-day plans you are provided with in this topic, create
your own plan and share it with your classmates.
____ Set Target Days and Times
____ Plan a Reward
____ Identify the steps and a plan of action.
____ Be specific and realistic

Activity 5: Read the chapter again and say whether the following statements are
True or False.

a) ____ The four levels of response are: immediate, proper, assisted and

educated guessing.

b) ____ Computerized tests often consist of multiple-choice questions.

c) ____ Taking a computerized test brings about only disadvantages.

d) ____ One disadvantage is that you do not get a printed copy of the test to

review later.

e) ____ For many students taking computerized tests requires less time than
taking tests in the classroom.

85
Activity 6: How can we learn from our completed tests? Explain some of the
strategies that you commonly use to analyze a previous test.

TEST PERFORMANCE SKILLS

2
Identify and explain effective strategies for
performing well on tests.
Feeling slightly nervous or apprehensive when you first CONCEPT CHECK
enter the classroom or when the instructor distributes the Why is the attitude
test is a normal reaction to testing situations. Strive to use you take with you
strategies to calm your nerves, establish a positive state into a testing
of mind, and mentally prepare to do well on the test. The situation important?
following are strategies to establish a positive mindset for What strategies can
tests: you use before a test
 Arrive to class early. Rushing in at the last minute or to feel positive and
arriving late adds stress and does not allow you time to confident?
mentally prepare.
 Use positive self-talk, a quick relaxation or visualization
technique, or a concentration technique to focus your
mind.
 Focus only on yourself; ignore other students and their
nervous reactions to a test.
 If you have a few minutes before the test is distributed,
mentally rehearse information from your summary notes.
Or, if allowed, review your summary notes one final time.
 Listen carefully to the directions. Your instructor may
announce corrections on the test, suggestions for
completing the test, the amount of time available for the
test, and other important directions.

Essential Test-Taking Strategies

In Chapters 12 and 13, you will learn specific strategies
for taking objective tests, and for recall, math, and essay
tests. After learning about general test-taking strategies in
this chapter, you can familiarize yourself with the content

86
 in Chapters 12 and 13 by skimming through the
CONCEPT CHECK
chapters for a quick overview. You may ―read ahead‖ in
What strategies can
Chapters 12 and 13 at any time for test-taking strategies
you use within the
to use with specific kinds of test questions.
first five minutes of
receiving a test? Four Levels of Response
To answer any type of test question involves conducting
a memory search to locate and retrieve information from
CL
Improve Your Grade your long-term memory. Even objective test questions
that offer you a choice of answers or require you to
Online Practice 2:
recognize whether a statement is true or false require
Using Four Levels of
memory searches.
Response
Some students who have not yet learned effective test-
taking strategies move through a test by reading a
CONCEPT CHECK
question, answering it with certainty or hesitancy, and
What four stages of
then moving on to the next question. This approach
answering questions
works if students immediately know the correct answer
do effective test-
for each question. When students are not able to
takers use?
answer all the questions immediately, using the four
levels of response is a more effective approach to use.
The four levels of The four levels of response are stages students can
response are stages use to answer test questions: immediate, delayed,
students can use to assisted, and educated guessing.
answer test questions:
Computerized Tests
immediate, delayed,
Computerized tests usually consist of multiple-choice
assisted, and educated
questions. These tests may be written by the instructor,
guessing
but more often they consist of a test bank generated by
the textbook author or publisher. Some of the test banks
randomly assign test questions of varying levels of
difficulty; other test banks allow the instructor to tag the
questions to be used on a test.
CONCEPT CHECK
There are some advantages and disadvantages to
Do you prefer
computerized tests taking computerized tests. One advantage is that you

over paper-pencil receive immediate feedback and a score for your test.

tests? Why or why not? When you answer correctly, the positive feedback
increases your confidence level. Another advantage is

87
that usually the time limits to complete a test are less
rigid than when you take a test in class. Because you
can control the pace for answering questions, you may
feel less stress. One disadvantage is that any negative
feedback that indicates an incorrect answer may
cause stress and frustration. Also, most computerized
tests do not allow you to go back to previous questions
to change answers or use the test-taking strategy of
assisted response. Finally, you usually do not get a
printed copy of the test to review later when you study
for your final exam.
If you have not already experienced computerized
testing, chances are good that you will at some time
during your college career. When you are faced with
taking a test on a computer, gather as much
information in advance about the computerized test-
taking situation as possible. Ask questions such as the
following:
 Is there a tutorial or practice test? May I take the test
more than once?
 Is there a time limit for completing the test?
 May I have blank scratch paper and pen to work out
problems or to organize my thinking? Will I be able to
preview all of the questions before I begin answering?
 Will I be able to get a printed version of the test to
use for studying after the test is scored? CONCEPT CHECK
Allow yourself ample time to complete the test. For If you have the option,
many students, taking computerized tests requires when is the best time for
more time than taking tests in the classroom. There you to go to a computer
fore, you will want to avoid going into the computer lab lab to take a
when you are rushed or pressed for time. Select a computerized test?
time of day when you feel mentally sharp and best
able to concentrate. When you enter the lab, choose a
computer that is not in the line of a steady flow of
traffic so you will experience fewer distractions.

88
 Learning from Your Tests
Too often students receive their graded tests, look at the
grade, and then stick the test into their notebooks. A more
effective approach involves using the tests for valuable
feedback and then analyzing the effectiveness of your
learning strategies. With the information you learn from
analyzing your test, create a plan of action to adjust your
strategies and approaches to learning to bring even greater
results on your next test.

Examine the Questions You Answered Correctly

Answer the following questions:
 What strategies did I use to learn this information?
 What was the original source of the information? Did I
learn the information in class, through a homework
assignment, from the textbook, or from a combination of
sources?
 Was the information new to me or did I already know this
information at the time it was presented?

Look for Patterns of Errors

Repeat the process you used to examine the questions you
correctly answered. For example, perhaps the information
that you missed the most frequently appeared mainly in the

CONCEPT CHECK textbook, or as information presented in class during

lectures. This feedback makes you more aware of the need
How can you use
to focus greater attention on your textbook reading skills
graded tests to
and strategies or on your notetaking skills for class lectures.
improve your
understanding and Correct Your Errors
future performance You want to override or erase incorrect information and
on tests? replace it with accurate information. Create and practice
new associations so the next time you need to retrieve that
information from your schemas, you will recall accurate
information. Frequently during the course of a term,
previously learned information appears again on future
tests or as knowledge upon which new information is built.
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

89
Activity 7: Self-reflection- How will the study of today‘s lesson will improve your
strategies to prepare for a test? Do you think you will be able to get a positive
outcome when analyzing your completed tests?

90
Managing test anxiety
UNIT
7
OBJECTIVES
 Discuss test anxiety
 Identify effective strategies for managing test anxiety

Activity 1: How do you usually feel before a test? Do you feel tired, stressed,
relaxed? Do you ever feel anxious and unprepared? Explain by stating facts,
examples or life experiences.

Activity 2: Read the topic “Test Anxiety Management Skills” and analyze the
symptoms that test anxiety may cause. Choose 3 of them that you have
experienced at least once in your life. Tell your story to the rest of the
classmates. Use the following guide in order to explain yourself.

1. Symptoms you felt.

2. Specific moment of your life.

91
 3. Consequences that they provoked on you on a short/long term.
4. How you reflected these symptoms on your family/friends.
5. What you did in order to eliminate them.

Activity 3: Read the chapter “Test Anxiety Management Skills” and complete the
following tasks:

- Say whether the following statements are True or False.

- Complete the table.

a) ____ Anxiety occurs when the level of stress is too high and it affects the
performance.

b) ____ Test anxiety happens only during a test.

c) ____ Some of the consequences of test anxiety might be illnesses and

confusion.

d) ____ It is impossible to eliminate test anxiety from our lives.

e) ____ The source that causes anxiety is never to be taken into account when
we analyze our behavior.

Strategies to use before a test. Strategies to use during a test.

92
TEST ANXIETY MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Identify and explain effective strategies for managing
test anxiety.

In Chapter 5, you learned that stress is defined as your

reaction or response to events or situations that
threaten to disrupt your normal pattern or routine. With
normal stress, a person is aware of the stress, aware of
the source of the stress, and still able to control his or
her reaction or responses. Stress specifically related to
an upcoming test can be beneficial and motivate people
to perform on higher levels; however, excessive stress
that becomes test anxiety creates negative responses
and consequences.
Anxiety occurs when the level of stress is excessive to
the point that it hinders performance. Using stress-
management techniques in Chapter 5 often can prevent
stress from accelerating to the level of anxiety, but for
individuals who do experience a bout with anxiety,
knowing how to manage it can reduce its effects,
duration, and intensity. When people experience a bout
of anxiety, they no longer recognize the source of the
excessive stress and have little or no control of the
situation. They are reactionary rather than oriented to
problem solving.
Test anxiety is a specific form of anxiety. Test anxiety is Test anxiety is
excessive stress that hin- ders a person's ability to excessive stress that
perform well before or during a test. Test anxiety before hin- ders a person's
and during a test can exhibit its presence in physical, ability to perform well
emotional, cognitive, and behavioral forms. For before or during a test.
example, a student might become ill, emotionally
distraught, experience confused or disorganized
thinking, or use avoidance strategies to procrastinate
studying for a test. During a test, test anxiety affects
cognitive processing and can immobilize thinking skills.

93
 A student may “go blank,” make excessive
CONCEPT CHECK
What symptoms might careless mistakes, mark answers in the wrong
you exhibit if you place, or quit due to frustration. Figure below
experience test anxiety? shows common symptoms related to test anxiety.
If you have test anxiety,
does it appear before or
during a test?

Sources of Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is a learned behavior. As such, it can be
unlearned. If you experience test anxiety, begin by
analyzing the source of your anxiety. In other words,
what triggers your test anxiety? Sometimes listening
to the kinds of comments you make about tests will

Reviewing with other students help you identify the source of your test anxiety.
and using available resources, Underpreparedness, past experiences, fear of failure,
such as online practice tests, and poor test taking skills are four common sources of
can help you prepare for tests, test anxiety. Figure below shows common student
strengthen your test-taking
statements that relate to the four common sources of
skills, and reduce or eliminate
test anxiety.
test anxiety. What other
strategies can you use to control CONCEPT CHECK
test anxiety and its effects on What creates test anxiety? How
your performance? can statements students make
about test anxiety indicate the
source of their anxiety?

94
GROUP PROCESSING: A COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITY
1. Form groups of three or four students. Your group will need to have a chart
to record responses. Select one member of your group to be the group
recorder.
2. Create the following chart. In the ―Strategies‖ column, brainstorm and list
strategies students could use to "unlearn‖ the behaviors and beliefs that
cause test anxiety. Use your knowledge of strategies for Principles of
Memory, self-management skills, as well as strategies from this chapter to
recommend strategies to combat sources of test anxiety.

Source Strategies

Under-preparedness

Past Experiences

Fear of Failure

Poor Test-Taking Skills

95
Strategies to Use Before a Test CONCEPT CHECK
In the Group Processing Activity, you and members of your If your friend calls
group listed an array of strategies from previous chapters you a week before a
to deal with test anxiety. Following are a few such midterm exam, and
strategies that may have appeared on your lists. you sense that he or
she is experiencing
 Set learning goals.  Mentally rehearse.
test anxiety, what
 Make summary notes.  Recite and use
strategies can you
 Use ongoing review. feedback.
recommend to
 Predict test questions.  Use schedules. reduce or eliminate
 Recognize your strengths.  Create plans of action. the test anxiety?

 Use effective study strategies.  Use affirmations.

 Use Look-Away Techniques.  Review with a partner.

 Use positive self-talk.  Improve motivation.

Two new strategies, locus of control and systematic

desensitization, also work effectively to help students with
test anxiety reduce their excessive stress before a test.

Locus of Control
Locus of control is the degree to which a person feels Locus of control is the
power to control circumstances in his or her life. Individuals degree to which a
with an internal locus of control feel that they have the person feels power to
power to control most situations or circumstances in their control circumstances
lives. They exhibit self confidence and a high self-efficacy. in his or her life.
When they do not do as well as expected, they accept
responsibility for outcomes and use problem-solving
techniques to create plans for improvement. Students with
an internal locus of control experience test anxiety less
frequently than students with an external locus of control. CONCEPT CHECK

Individuals with an external locus of control relinquish How does an internal

control and see other people or other situations as having locus of control differ

the power and control over their circumstances. They

from an external
locus of control?
blame others for their personal shortcomings instead of
Which locus of control
accepting personal responsibility. They tend to have low
is more empowering
self-esteem, low confidence in their abilities, and high
and beneficial?
levels of frustration. Students with an external locus of
96
 control experience test anxiety more frequently and to
greater degrees. To reduce test anxiety, the locus of
control needs to shift from external to internal. Figure
below shows how attitudes and statements differ between
people with an external and an internal locus of control.

Systematic Desensitization
Systematic Systematic desensitization is an anxiety-reducing
desensitization is an strategy that involves a series of activities designed to
anxiety-reducing reduce strong negative emotional reactions to an
strategy that involves a upcoming situation. You can use this strategy before
series of activities the day of a test by replacing your fear based thoughts
designed to reduce with positive thoughts that emphasize the successes
strong negative you have already experienced. Systematic
emotional reactions to desensitization stops the fear from accelerating and
an upcoming situation. getting blown out of proportion. You can use
systematic desensitization in the following ways:
1. Make a list of specific situations or words that trigger
your test anxiety. For example, ―There will be a test
next Monday" may trigger early test anxiety. After you
have your list of trigger situations or words, visualize
yourself reacting differently to those situations or
words. See yourself responding in a more positive and
constructive way. "Good. I have time to make a five-
day plan, or I have stayed current with my work, so I

97
can be ready for this test."
CONCEPT CHECK
2. Predict and write practice test questions. Decide on an
Have you ever had
appropriate amount of time to answer the test questions.
a fear escalate to
Create a test environment as close as possi- ble to the real
the degree that the
thing. If the classroom in which you will take a test is empty,
thing you feared
be in that room when you take your practice test.
became greatly
Strategies to Use During a Test over-exaggerated?
The following strategies address specific symptoms that you What did you do to
might experience during a bout with anxiety during a test. overcome your
 You go "blank” and are unable to recall the needed negative reaction?
information.
Strategies:
CONCEPT CHECK
1. Use a quick relaxation technique to calm yourself
down. What may happen
to your eyes, your
2. Use positive self-talk. Become your own
concentration, and
cheerleader.
your cognitive
3. Reread the question in a whisper voice. Go into
skills when you are
retrieval modeby conducting a new memory search.
experiencing test
If necessary, place a check mark to return to the
anxiety? How can
question later. Do not stay stuck on the question.
you combat these
 Your eyes start jumping from the printed line or skip over effects?
words when you read.
Strategies:

1. Use your arm, a blank index card, or a blank piece of

paper to block off the rest of the test. Restricting your
vision to the question that you are contemplating
helps your eyes stay focused on a line of
information.
2. Use your pencil to point to each word as you read
silently. Doing this keeps your eyes from skipping
words or jumping to other lines of print.
 You notice yourself making excessive careless mistakes
in selecting or marking the correct answer.
Strategies:

98
 1. 1.Slow down the reading and answering
process.
2. Activate your auditory channel by mouthing or
quietly whispering the words as you read the
directions, questions, and options for answers.
3. Highlight key words in the questions. Check to
ensure that your answer relates to the key
words.
4. Before moving to the next question, ask
yourself: Does this answer make sense?
 Your mind shifts away from the test and your
concentration begins fading quickly.
Strategies:
1. Become more active and interactive with the
test. Circle direction words and highlight key
words in directions and questions.
2. Use positive self-talk and force yourself to keep
your eyes on the test. ―I can do this. My eyes
and my mind stay focused on the paper. I can
figure this out."
CONCEPT CHECK
By using the strategies in this chapter for preparing for
Which strategies for
and taking tests, you will see changes in your study
managing test anxiety
habits and strategies and in your test results. These
do you think will work
changes also affect your level of confidence, your self-
best for you? Why?
esteem, your locus of control, and your ability to
manage test anxiety.
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

Activity 4: Read carefully the chapter “Mnemonics”. Identify which type of

mnemonic has been used in the following sentences.
a) Adolf Hitler in his bunker died and to the Second World War he said goodbye.
b) In the kitchen there were 200 people who were suffering from hunger.

c) The rules Maradona decided to bend and to the English scored with his hand.
d) Please text your mom ASAP, she is worried about you.

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MNEMONICS
Identify and explain ways to use mnemonics to
prepare for tests.

Mnemonics are memory tools that serve as bridges to CONCEPT CHECK

help you recall information from long-term memory. What mnemonics do
Mnemonics always involve creating some form of an you already use? Did
association. You may want to use mnemonics, but you or someone else
sparingly, to create associ- ations and retrieval cues for create the mnemonics
information that is otherwise difficult to recall. If you use you use?
mnemonics too extensively, they increase the amount of
information you need to remember. If you do not
memorize the mnemonic in its exact form, or if you do
not practice translating the mnemonic back into its
original meaning, it can hinder and confuse you rather
than help you recall information accurately. In the
Student Website, Topic In-Depth: Kinds of Mnemonics,
you can learn how to use kinds of mnemonics that are
not discussed in this section. In this section, the focus
will be on creating acronyms, acrostics, word
associations, picture associations, and the Loci Method
for information that you want to remember and be able
to retrieve from memory when you are taking tests.

Acronyms
An acronym is a word or phrase made by using the first An acronym is a word
letter of key words in a list of items to remember. An or phrase made by
acronym forms an association and works as a retrieval using the first letter
cue to recall the original items in the list. The mnemonic of key words in a list
SAVE CRIB FOTO is an acronym for the Twelve of items to remember.
Principles of Memory. A classic acronym is the word
HOMES for the five Great Lakes in the northern United
States: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
For any acronym to work, you must practice translating
the letters of the acronym back into the original words
that the letters represent. For example, if you are asked
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 to name the Great Lakes or name the Twelve Principles of
Memory, giving the answer ―HOMES‖ or ―SAVE CRIB
FOTO‖ would not suffice for an answer.
Use the following steps to create an acronym:
1. Write the list of items you need to remember.
CONCEPT CHECK
2. Underline the first letter of each item in the list. If an
What are the steps to
item in the list consists of more than one word, select only
use to create an
one key word to underline.
effective acronym? Is
it always possible to 3. Write the first letter of each key word on paper.

create an acronym 4. Unless the items in the list must be learned in the
for any list of items? original order, rearrange the letters to form a word or a
Why or why not? phrase. If you do not have at least one vowel (a, e, i, o, u,
and sometimes y), you will not be able to create an
acronym that is a real word in English. A real word is
easier to recall than a nonsense word, so strive to
rearrange the letters to create a real word or phrase.
5. Practice translating your acronym. For your acronym to
be useful to you, memorize the acronym, repeat it several
times, and practice translating it back to the original words
in the list of items.

Acrostics
If you are not able to create an acronym, you can always
use the first letter of each key word to create an acrostic.
An acrostic is a An acrostic is a sentence made by using the first letter of
sentence made by key words in a list of items to remember. You can use the
using the first letter letters in their original order, or you can rearrange the
of key words in a list letters to create the sentence. A classic example of an
of items to remember acrostic is the sentence Please excuse my dear Aunt
Sally. The first letters of each word in this sentence

CONCEPT CHECK represent the order of operations in math problems:

parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition,
How is an acrostic
and subtraction. Note that you cannot add additional words
different than an
to the sentence. Use acrostics sparingly as they tend to be
acronym? Which is
more difficult to use effectively and result in one more
easier to use? Why do
piece of information you need to remember. As with
you think so?
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acronyms, you must practice translating the acronym
into the original words for items in your list.

Word Associations
CONCEPT CHECK
If you have strong language or musical skills, you can
What mnemonics do
use those skills to create word associations that use
you know and use for
rhymes, jingles, short songs, and raps that work as
common factual
memory tools to recall information. The following
information? What
examples of word associations dem- onstrate the use
mnemonics, if any,
of linguistic and musical skills to create mnemonics: have you created this
 Use i before e except after c or when sounded like a term for material you
as in neighbor and weigh. are studying?
 In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed
the ocean blue.
 Spring forward; fall back (daylight-saving time).
 Who invented dynamite? Alfred Nobel had quite a
fright when he discovered dynamite.
 Which way should you turn to open a jar or tighten a
bolt? Righty tighty, lefty loosy.
 What is the difference between stalagmites and
stalactites? (Stalagmites are deposits of minerals that
project upward from the floor of a cavern; stalactites
project downward from the ceiling of a cavern.) You
can use this jingle to differentiate between the two:
When the mites go up, the tights come down.
 Use a familiar tune. Create lyrics with information
you need to learn and sing them to a favorite tune or
melody, such as ―Happy Birthday" or ―Rudolph the
Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Picture Associations CONCEP CHECK

To use picture associations effectively, you need to What picture
actively look for and think about ways to create simple associations have you
associations that will be easy to remember and use to created? Were they
recall information. Actively search for a familiar object effective for recalling
or picture to use in your association. Visualize the information? Why or
shape and colors of the objects. Sometimes picture why not?
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 asso- ciations are easier to remember if you exaggerate
some part of an object by making it larger than its real size
or if you turn them into whimsical cartoon figures. Add
sounds and smells to the association when appropriate.
If you are adding letters to your picture, use large, bold
capital letters. The following are suggestions for using
picture associations to remember different kinds of
CONCEPT CHECK
information:
Without looking on
1. To remember a person's name: Associate the name with
the website for
an object or another person you know with that name.
examples, what
2. To remember a definition: Associate the meaning with an
picture associations
object that has a similar characteristic.
can you create to
remember these four 3. To remember a specific number: Find and visualize a
kinds of number pattern within thenumber.
information? 4. To remember a cause-effect relationship: Picture the
items as an action movie.

The Loci Method

The Loci Method is a The Loci Method is a mnemonic technique that involves
mnemonic technique associating items or topics with specific rooms in a familiar
that involves building. Loci (pronounced lo-si), which means locations,
associating items or dates back to the early times of Greek orators, who could
topics with specific deliver lengthy speeches without any written notes. Orators
rooms in a familiar made mental notes by associating parts or topics of their
building. speeches with familiar rooms or locations in a building. In
their minds, as they walked through each room, they
visualized items in the rooms that they associated with the
topic to be discussed. With this technique they were able to
deliver organized, fluent speeches to their audiences
without using written notes. You can also use the Loci
Method to memorize points you want to make in a speech,
in an essay, or in a discussion. Use the following steps for
the Loci Method:
1. Make a list of the items you need to remember.
2. Draw a floor plan of a familiar location.
3. On paper or mentally attach pictures. Attach a picture of
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the first item you need to remember inside the first
location or room on your floor plan. You can
exaggerate the size or shape of the picture or hang it
in an unusual position to make it stand out in your
memory.
4. Continue attaching pictures. Walk through the floor
plan, attaching one item to each room.
5. Practice visualizing. Visually practice walking
through all the rooms and reciting the important CONCEPT CHECK
information associated with the items in the rooms. What Principles of
Assume that you are going to give a speech or write Memory are activated
an essay for a history class about the end of the when you use the Loci
economic boom in the 1970s. You sketch the method?
following map of the first floor of a building on your
campus and you number specific locations that you
will use in that sequential order. In this map, you show
eight locations, but you may not need to use all eight
locations for a specific set of information. Then you
mentally attach a picture that represents the topic you
would like to present in your speech or essay.

The bold faced items in the following list are the

details you need to remember. After attaching one
detail per location, memorize your map and the items
placed in each location. Practice visualizing your map
and reciting information associated to each location.
1. At the front door, picture a poster that says "350
percent increase in oil prices."
2. In the hallway, picture rows of oil barrels with large
Xs on them for Arab oil embargo

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 3. In the cafeteria, picture food prices: hamburgers
$7.50, milk $3.00 for high retail prices.
4. In the lounge, picture posters on the walls of closed
auto factories for slump in auto industry.

5. In the hall, picture people lined up for job interviews

for high unemployment.
(Source: Essential Study Skills 6th edition, Linda Wong)

Activity 5: Read the whole chapter again and answer the following questions.

a) What are the main four sources of Test Anxiety?

b) What is Locus of control?
c) How do we call the anxiety-reducing strategy that involves a series of activities
designed to reduce strong negative emotional reactions to an upcoming situation?
d) What are the two types of locus of control?

Activity 6: Self-reflection. Will the study of today‘s lesson have a positive or

negative impact in the way you manage stress and anxiety before an important
test? Explain by giving examples or facts.

105
Adopting lifelong learning
UNIT
8
OBJECTIVES
 Discuss lifelong learning at school and in the workplace
 Identify ways to improve and practice lifelong learning

Activity 1: Work in pairs and ask your partner the following questions. Take
notes and share them with the rest of your classmates.

a) Do you think that we stop learning at some point in our lives?

b) Which one do you think is the stage in our life when we learn the most?
c) Why do you think that some people quit school or college?

Activity 2: Read the chapter “Lifelong learning at work” and answer the following
questions:
1. What does continuing education in the work place include?
2. What do smart workers usually do?
3. What is necessary to keep in mind when you go to a job interview?
4. How can you give yourself a competitive advantage as a worker?

106
Activity 3: Read the chapter again and match the following jobs, occupations
and professions with the correspondent type of ―Learner‖. Fill in the table.
Bookkeeper, sociologist, school principal, engineer, lawyer, filmmaker, architect, police
officer, writer, florist, fashion artist, science teacher, editor, radiologist, musician, actor, city
manager, farmer, teacher, social worker.

Thinking Learner Doing Learner Feeling Learner Innovating Learner

Lifelong Learning AT WORK

The intellectual equipment needed for the job
of the future is an ability to define problems,
quickly assimilate relevant data, conceptualize
and reorganize the information, make
deductive and inductive leaps with it, ask hard
questions about it, discuss findings with
colleagues, work collaboratively to find
solutions and then convince others.
Robert B. Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor

Some students believe that once they graduate from

college they'll finally be finished with studying and
learning. In fact, a college diploma is merely a ticket into
the huge University of Work. In one year recently, U.S.
employers spent more than 55 billion dollars for
employee training, according to the American Society
for Training and Development.

107
Continuing education in the workplace includes instruction
in hard skills, such as mastering a new product line, a
computer system, or government regulations. Companies
also offer their employees instruction in many of the same
soft skills that you're learning in On Course, skills such as
listening, setting goals, and managing your time and work
projects. In fact, soft skills are in such demand in the
workplace today that top training consultants charge many
thousands of dollars per day to teach these skills to
employees of American businesses.
Smart workers take full advantage of the formal classes
provided by their employers. They also take full advantage
of the informal classes provided by the University of Life. In
this university, you have the opportunity to learn from every
experience you have, especially those on the job. Lifelong
learners aren't devastated by a setback, such as having a
project crumble or even losing their job. They learn from
their experiences and come back stronger and wiser than
ever. A report by the Center for Creative Leadership
compared executives whose careers got off course with
those who did well. Although both groups had weaknesses,
the critical difference was this: Executives who did not learn
from their mistakes and shortcomings tended to fail at work.
By contrast, those executives who did learn the hard
lessons taught by their mistakes and failures tended to
rebound and resume successful careers.
Your work-world learning begins as soon as you get serious
about finding your ideal job. Unless you're sure about your
career path, you'll have much research to do. Even if you
do feel sure about your career choice, further research
might lead to something even better. More than 20,000
occupations and 40,000 job titles exist today, and you'll
want to identify careers that match the personal talents and
interests you identified in your self-assessment.
Your college's library or career center probably has a
number of great resources to learn about careers. For

108
example, computerized programs such as DISCOVER, SIGI
PLUS, CHOICES, and CIS may be available to explore
thousands of career possibilities. Helpful books include the
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), which offers brief
descriptions of several thousand occupations; The Guide for
Occupational Exploration (GOE), another source of
occupational options; and the latest edition of the
Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), which provides
information about the demand for various occupations. With
these resources, you can learn important facts about careers
you may never have heard of, including the nature of the
work, places of employment, training and qualifications
required, earnings, working conditions, and employment
outlook. Keep in mind that in today's fast-paced world,
occupations will be available when you graduate that don't
even exist today.
Ned Herrmann, creator of the Brain Dominance Inventory,
wrote, ―Experience has shown that alignment of a person's
mental preferences with his or her work is predictive of
success and satisfaction while nonalignment usually results
in poor performance and dissatisfaction." So use your
discoveries in this chapter about your preferred thinking
styles to help you choose a compatible career. See Figure
below for some examples.

A. Thinking Learner: biologist, stock broker, engineer, city manager, science teacher,
computer designer/ programmer, computer technician, detective, educational administrator,
radiologist, electrical engineer, financial planner, lawyer, chemist, mathematician, medical
researcher, physician, statistician, veterinarian

B. Doing Learner: reporter, accountant, librarian, bookkeeper, clinical psychologist, credit

advisor, historian, environmental scientist, farmer, hotel/motel manager, marketing director,
military personnel, police officer, realtor, school principal, technical writer

C. Feeling Learner: actor, social worker, clergy, sociologist, counseling psychologist, human
resource manager, public relations specialist, journalist, musician, teacher, nurse, occupational
therapist, organizational development consultant, recreational therapist, sales, writer

D. Innovating Learner: dancer, poet, advertising designer, florist, psychiatrist, artist, creative
writer, entrepreneur, fashion artist, playwright, filmmaker, graphic designer , humorist, inventor,
landscape architect, nutritionist, photographer, editor, program developer
109
When you have narrowed your career choices, you may
want to learn even more before committing yourself. To
get the inside scoop on how a career may fit you, get
some hands-on experience. Find part-time or temporary
work in the field, apply for an internship, or even do
volunteer work. At one time I thought I wanted to be a
veterinarian, but one summer of working in a veterinary
hospital quickly taught me that it was a poor career match
for me. I'm sure glad I found out before I went through
many years of veterinary school!
Now it's time for your job interviews. Keep in mind that
most employers are looking for someone who can learn
the new position and keep learning new skills for years to
come. In fact, a recent U.S. Department of Labor study
found that employers of entry-level workers considered
specific technical skills less important than the ability to
learn on the job. So, how can you present yourself in the
interview as a lifelong learner? First, of course, have a
transcript with good grades to demonstrate your ability to
learn in college. Be ready for questions such as, ―How do
you keep up with advancements in your field? What
workshops or seminars have you attended? What kind of
reading do you do?" Go to the interview prepared to ask
good questions of your own. And demonstrate that one of
the things you're looking for in a particular job is its ability
to help you keep learning your profession.
Today's work world is marked by downsizing and
rightsizing. Companies are operating with leaner staffs,
and this means that every employee is critical to the
success of the business. It also means that someone who
can't keep up with inevitable changes is expendable. One
powerful way to give yourself a competitive advantage is
to continually learn new skills and knowledge, even before
you need them on your job. When your supervisor says,
―Does anyone here know how to use a desktop publishing
program?‖ you'll be able to say, ―Sure, I can do that.‖

110
Another way to keep learning on the job is to seek out
feedback. Superior performers want to hear what others
think of their work, realizing that this is a great way to
learn to do it even better.
According to Anthony J. D'Angelo, author of the College
Blue Book, world knowledge doubles every fourteen
months. Suppose he's way off, and knowledge actually
doubles only every five years as others claim. That still
means we'll have to keep learning a little every day just to
keep pace and a lot every day to get ahead. Educator
Marshall McLuhan once said, ―The future of work consists
of learning a living (rather than earning a living).‖ His
observation becomes truer with each passing day. Future
success at work belongs to lifelong learners.
(Source: On course strategies to create success in college and
in life Plus edition, Skip Downing)

Activity 4: Read the chapter “Believing in Yourself” and say whether the following
statements are TRUE or FALSE.

a) ___ Many students say they value their education but their actions indicate
otherwise.

b) ___ When you find that your choices don not match with your values, you
need to revise your dreams, goals, thoughts, feelings, actions or beliefs.

c) ___ When you make commitment and keep breaking them, you do not lose
self-respect.

d) ___ Keeping commitments does not have to do with overcoming big

obstacles.

e) ___ When we break a commitment to ourselves, something inside us

thrives.

111
Believing in Yourself
Develop Self-Respect
? FOCUS QUESTION: What is your present level
of self-respect? How can you raise your self-
respect, and therefore your self-esteem, even
higher?

Self-respect is the core belief that I AM AN ADMIRABLE

PERSON. If self-confidence is the result of what I do, then
self-respect is the result of how I do it.
Two crucial choices that build up or tear down my self-
respect are whether or not I live with integrity and whether
or not I keep my commitments.

Live with Integrity

Live with Integrity The foundation of integrity is my
personal value system. What is important to me? What
experiences do I want to have? What experiences do I
want others to have? Do I prize outer rewards such as
cars, clothes, compliments, travel, fame, or money? Do I
cherish inner experiences such as love, respect,
excellence, security, honesty, wisdom, or compassion?
Integrity derives from the root word integer, meaning "one"
or "whole.‖ Thus we create integrity by choosing words and
deeds that are one with our values. Many students say
they value their education, but their actions indicate
otherwise. They leave assignments undone; they do less

“
than their best work; they miss classes; they come late. In
short, their choices contradict what they say they value.
Choices that lack integrity tear at an aware person's self- Always aim at complete
respect. harmony of thought and
One of my greatest integrity tests occurred years ago word and deed.
when I left teaching to find a more lucrative career. I was Mohandas K. Gandhi
excited when hired as a management trainee at a high-
powered sales company. Graduates of this company's five-
112
 -year training program were earning more than thirty
times what I had earned as a teacher. I couldn't wait!
My first assignment was to hire new members of the
company's sales force. I gave applicants an aptitude
test that revealed whether they had what it took to
succeed in sales. When the scores came back to the
sales manager, he would tell me whether or not the
applicants had qualified. If so, I'd offer them a sales
position. Lured by dreams of wealth, many of them left
the security of a steady salary for the uncertainty of a
commission check. Unfortunately, few of them lasted
more than a few months. They sold to their friends.
They struggled. They disappeared.
Before long, I noticed an unsettling fact: No applicant
ever failed the aptitude test. Right after this realization,
I interviewed a very shy man who was a lineman for the
local telephone company. He was only a year from
early retirement, but he was willing to give up his
retirement benefits for the promise of big commissions.
If ever someone was wrong for sales, I thought, this
was the person. I knew he'd be making a terrible
mistake to abandon his security for the seductive
promise of wealth. Surely here was one person who
wouldn't pass the aptitude test. But he did.
―In fact," the sales manager told him in person, "you
received one of the highest scores ever. How soon can
you start?"

“
This above all; to thine own
"Errr ... well, let's see. It's Friday. I guess next week? If
that's okay?"
self be true That night, after the sales manager had left, I went into
And it must follow, as the night his office and located the lineman's folder. I opened it
the day and found the test results. His score was zero. The
Thou canst not then be false man had not even scored!
to any man. All weekend, my stomach felt as though I had

Polonius, in Shakespeare's Hamlet swallowed acid. My selfrespect sank lower and lower.
My Inner Defender kept telling me it was the lineman‘s

113
choice, not mine. It was his life. Maybe he'd prove the
aptitude test wrong. Maybe he would make a fortune in
sales. My Inner Guide just shook his head in disgust. “
You will always be in
On Monday, I phoned the lineman and told him his
fashion if you are true to
actual score. He was furious. ―Do you realize what I
yourself, and only if you
almost did?‖ are true to yourself.
I thought, Do you realize what I almost did? Two
Maya Angelou
weeks later I quit. Soon after, my stomach felt fine.
Each time you contradict your own values, you make a
withdrawal from your self-respect account. Each time
you live true to your values, you make a deposit.
Here's a quick way to discover what you value and
whether you are living with integrity: Ask yourself,
What qualities and behaviors do I admire in others?
Do I ever allow myself to be less than what I admire?
When you find that your choices are out of alignment
with your values, you need to revise your dreams,
goals, thoughts, feelings, actions, or beliefs. You can't
abandon what you hold sacred and still retain your
self-respect.

Keep Commitments
Now let's consider another choice that influences your
self-respect. Imagine that someone has made a
promise to you but doesn't keep it. Then he makes and
breaks a second promise. And then another and
another. Wouldn't you lose respect for this person?
What do you suppose happens when the person
making and breaking all of these promises is YOU?
True, your Inner Defender would quickly send out a
smoke screen of excuses. But the truth would not be
lost on your Inner Guide. The fact remains: You made
commitments and broke them. This violation of your
word makes a major withdrawal from your self-respect
account.
To make a deposit in your self-respect account, keep

114
 commitments, especially to yourself. Here's how:
 Make your agreements consciously. Understand
exactly what you're committing to. Say "no" to requests
that will get you off course; don't commit to more than
you can handle just to placate others.

“
Whenever I break an
 Use Creator language. Don't say, I'll try to do it. Say,
I will do it.

agreement, pay the price first.  Make your agreements important. Write them
It breaks down my self-esteem, down. Tell others about them.
my credibility with my self, my  Create a plan; then do everything in your power
self-trust, my self-confidence. It to carry out your plan. Use your self-management
causes me not to be able to
tools to track your promises to yourself and
trust myself. If I cannot trust
others.
myself, whom can I trust?
 If a problem arises or you change your mind,
Patricia J. Munson
renegotiate (don't just abandon your promise).
The person we break commitments with the most is,
ironically, ourselves. How are you doing in this regard?
Here's some evidence: How are you doing with the
commitment you made to your goals and dream in
Journal Entry 9? How are you doing with your 32-Day
Commitment from Journal Entry 14?
If you haven't kept these commitments (or others), ask
your Inner Guide, What did I make more important than
keeping my commitment to myself? A part of you
wanted to keep your agreement. But another, stronger
part of you obviously resisted. Pursue your exploration
of this inner conflict with total honesty and you may
uncover a self-defeating pattern or limiting core belief
that is crying out for a change. After all, our choices
reveal what we really value.
Keeping commitments often requires overcoming
enormous obstacles. That was the case with one of my
students. Rosalie had postponed her dream of
becoming a nurse for eighteen years while raising her
two children alone. Shortly after enrolling in college, her

115
new husband asked her to drop out to take care of his
two sons from a former marriage. Rosalie agreed,
postponing her dream once more. Now back in college
ten years later, she made what she called a "sacred
vow" to attend every class on time, to do her very best
on all work, and to participate actively. This time she
was committed to getting her nursing degree. Finally
her time had come.
Then, one night she got a call from one of her sons who
was now married and had a two-year-old baby girl. He
had a serious problem: His wife was on drugs. Worse, “
To me integrity is the
that day she had bought two hundred dollars worth of
bottom line in self-esteem.
drugs on credit, and the drug dealers were holding
It begins with the keeping
Rosalie's granddaughter until they got paid. Rosalie
of one's word or doing
spent the early evening gathering cash from every what you say you will do,
source she could, finally delivering the money to her when you say you will do
son. Then, all night she lay awake, waiting to hear if her it, whether you feel like it
grandchild would be returned safely. or not.

At six in the morning, Rosalie got good news when her

Betty Hatch, president, National
son brought the baby to her house. He asked Rosalie
Council for Self-Esteem
to watch the child while he and his wife had a serious
talk. Hours passed, and still Rosalie cared for the baby.
Closer and closer crept the hour when her college
classes would begin. She started to get angrier and
angrier as she realized that once again she was
allowing others to pull her off course. And then she
remembered that she had a choice. She could stay
home and feel sorry for herself, or she could do
something to get back on course.
At about nine o'clock, Rosalie called her sister who
lived on the other side of town. She asked her sister to
take a cab to Rosalie's house, promised to pay the cab
fare, and even offered to pay her sister a bonus to
watch the baby.
"I didn't get to class on time, Rosalie said. ―But I got
there. And when I did, I just wanted to walk into the

116
 middle of the room and yell, 'YEEAAH! I MADE IT!‖
If you could have seen her face when she told the
class about her ordeal and her victory, you would have
seen a woman who had just learned one of life's great
lessons: When we break a commitment to ourselves,
something inside of us dies. When we keep a
commitment to ourselves, something inside of us
thrives. That something is self-respect.
(Source: On course strategies to create success in college
and in life Plus edition, Skip Downing)

Activity 5: Self-reflection: How will the study of today‘s topic help you to
understand the importance of lifelong learning? How will it impact on your
ability to make and keep commitments? Explain by giving facts and examples.

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 References

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2. Donald, S & Kneale, P (2001). Study skills for language students A practical guide.

London. Arnold

3. Downing S (2011). On course strategies to create success in college and in life (Plus

edition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning

4. Linda, W (2009). Essential Study Skills 6th edition. New York: Houghton Mufflin Harcourt

5. O‘Hara, S (2005). Improving your study skills. Wiley Publishing, Inc

6. Orr, F (1992). Study skills for successful students. Allen and Unwin

7. Price, G & Maier, P (2007). Effective study skills. Pearson Longman

8. Pritchard, A (2008). Studying and Learning at University Vital skills for success in your

degree. Sage

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