COLL 1000 College Success and Survival Skills Mid Term Review

1. COLL 1000College Success and Survival SkillsMid Term Review Mike “Wheels” Breakey, MA

2. Metacognitive(Mental) Maturity

3. Four principle areas of personal epistemology • Simplicity of knowledge • Fixed nature of knowledge • Quickness of knowing • Certainty of knowledge

4. Simple Knowledge • Immature • Contents are complete, cannot look outside the box for answers • What is learned in one class cannot be applied to other courses • Mature • Knowledge is made up of discrete parts that can be mixed and matched to make up more complex bits of knowledge

5. Fixed Knowledge • Immature • “I was born dumb, and dumb I’ll stay!” • Mature • Genetics make up only some of my abilities, I can do this and I can get smarter.

6. Quick Knowledge • Immature • “If I don’t get it the first time, I just won’t get it.” • Mature • Learning is hard work and persistence pays off! • It is possible to learn to learn

7. Certain Knowledge • Immature • There is one truth • We can find that truth • Mature • Truth is sometimes ambiguous • Things change • Truth is complex

8. How mature is your personal epistemology? • Just remember • Knowledge is complex • Your intelligence is malleable • Study pays off • There is often more than one right answer

9. Testing 101 • Relax • Best way to relax is come in prepared • RTfQand ATfQ • Paralysis of analysis • Watch gross overgeneralizations—nobody votes because everybody thinks it is a waste of time. Really? • Bold words, slides, discussions, worksheets • 45 minutes 3-4 times or 6 hours straight? • Chapters 1-7

10. Words of the day • Reactive • Tending to be responsive or to react to a stimulus • Proactive • Acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory • Objective • Having actual existence.Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices • Subjective • Proceeding from or taking place in a person's mind rather than the external world. Particular to a given person; personal

11. Words of the Day • Skeptic • A questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts • Doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere • Cynic • A belief that only selfishness motivates human actions • Disbelief in or minimization of selfless acts • A disinterested point of view

12. Words of the Day • Goal • The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective • Locus of Control • Individuals belief in the ability to control events that affect them • Motivation • Psychological feature that causes action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action that gives purpose and direction to behavior • Intrinsic Motivation • Motivation that comes from inside an individual—example • Extrinsic Motivation • External motivation from outside the individual—example

13. Words of the Day • Self-Regulation • Adjusting or governing itself without outside interference, controls, or regulations • Self-Monitoring • Understanding reasons behind one’s actions • Self-Reflection • The capacity of humans to exercise introspection and the willingness to learn more about their fundamental nature and purpose.

14. Words of the day • GACA—I would know these steps—and they are? • AND what do they apply to? • When and WHY do you stop gathering information? • A second process Hopper brings up • Problem, gather, options, weigh evidence, choose, act, review! • Not as much a list to memorize, but a process to use • This applies to what?

15. Analogy of the Trip • Hopper writes about college being a trip to a foreign land—it is, sort of. • What is her point? • Who can help you? • What is the first step in getting help? • Help—not do it for you.

16. Managing yourself and monitoring your progress • To monitor your progress you must set short and long term goals for yourself, evaluate your progress toward goals, take an active responsible role in learning to manage your time. • Short or Long Term goals • Pass midterm • Pass Spring classes • Graduate • New Job • Get worksheet done • What differentiates the short from the long? • Reflection is critical

17. Overcoming Obstacles…name a few • Fear • Technology • Not trying different techniques • Poor communication skills • Poor time management • Bias

18. A point about career • Timing when it comes to career openings. • Timing is a piece of the puzzle, but can you control it? • What can you control?

19. Key Points to the Decision Making Process--Hopper • What is the problem? • Gather info—sounds like GACA! • Options? • Weigh Evidence—think—analyze and create! • Chose among options—almost never just one • Act • Go back to Step 1 Inherent in the process is getting facts and understanding opinions

20. The OODA Loop Observe Orient Act Decide Lose sight, lose the fight!

21. Key Points to the Levels of Learning—Bloom’s Taxonomy EXAMPLE Columbus discovered America in ________ NOTE: If first step is wrong, so is what follows. • Knowledge (not wisdom) • Comprehension • Application • Analysis • Synthesis • Evaluation And it never ends!

22. The BIG TEN of Learning Principles—Making Connections • Interest • Intent ( I want to remember) • Basic Background (Constructivism) • Selectivity (importance—to you) • Organize (ever had too many ideas) • Recite (book says verbal—any other ways?) • Visualize (mental picture) (Ever close your eyes when trying to remember something on a quiz?) • Associate (Constructivism again) (string on finger?) • Consolidate (STM, WM, and LTM) • Practice (study, review)

23. Immediate Memory • Lasts only seconds • Provides a sense of continuity • Short Term Memory • Lasts up to several minutes • 7 +/- 2 components • AKA Working Memory • Scratch Pad • Transfers to Long Term with Effort • Long Term Memory • Lasts a lifetime* • Different types Declarative Memory Non-Declarative Memory • Procedural • Skills and habits • Emotional responses • Priming • Semantic • Facts • Figures • Episodic • Events • Times

24. Learning Why the difference? • How did you learn to drive? • GACA Again? • Chapter 6 (Lecture) • Record, Question, Recite, Reflect, Review, Summarize • Chapter 7 (Text) • Survey, Focus, Read, Question, Recite, Reflect, Review, Summarize • Notice one of the key concepts is REFLECTION • What techniques do you have for remembering information...said another way—how do you move knowledge from the STM to LTM?

25. Obstacles to Learning—Lecture or Reading It is about discipline • Distractions • Talking • Texting • Surfing • Thinking of a response too soon • Arguing (mentally or actually) • Disagreement is OK, but there is a knack to it • Angry, sad, etc—emotion versus logic! • That is what the media counts on! What do distractions cost you?

26. Thursday • Midterm test • Same basic design as the quizzes. • Multiple choice, T/F, may do a matching grid, couple short answers. • I will pass out a printed copy

27. Next Tuesday • What do employers want and Purpose of work discussion • Bring completed Top 3 Jobs Worksheet (instructor supplied) to class • Watch A TED Talk on Income Inequality by Nick Hanauer at the following link: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIhOXCgSunc