Learning and Motivation Strategies: Your Guide to Success

by Tuckman, Bruce W.; Abry, Dennis; Smith, Dennis R.

• ISBN13: 9780130330635
• ISBN10: 0130330639
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

This hands-on volume teaches readers how to learn on their own and how to motivate "themselves." It features a highly user-friendly style and an open, nontraditional look and approach. A consistent set of psychological principles--embodied in four major strategies and eight substrategies--are used throughout the book as unifying themes in exploring the various keys to achievement. Incorporates self-surveys, quick practices, applications, assignments, self-assessments, and portfolios. Introduction to Individual Learning and Motivation. The Keys to Achievement. Procrastination--The Thief of Time. Believing in Yourself--Self-Confidence. Taking Responsibility--It' s up to You. Active Listening--Learning from Lecture. Active Reading--Learning from Text. Preparing for Exams. Preparing Papers and Speeches. Managing your Life in School. Relationships that Work. Planning for Your Future. For anyone interested in optimizing their study skills and strategies.

Table of Contents

A Message to Students	ix
A Meassage to Instructors	xi
Learning and Motivation Strategies for Achivement in College	1	(16)
An Invitation to Learning and Motivation Strategies for Achievement in College	2	(1)
Why Take a Learning and Motivation Strategies Class?	2	(1)
Principles of Educational Psychology	3	(6)
Astrology and Psychology	3	(1)
Education and Psychology Equal Educational Psychology	4	(1)
How People Learn: The Information Processing System	5	(1)
Teaching for Learning	6	(1)
Preferred Learning Styles	6	(3)
How to Use This ``Course Packet''	9	(3)
Outlines	9	(1)
Objectives	9	(1)
Self-Surveys	10	(1)
Examples	10	(1)
Quickpractices	10	(1)
Applications	10	(1)
Assignments	11	(1)
Self-Assessments	11	(1)
Portfolios	12	(1)
Preview of Modules	12	(1)
Keep an Open Mind	13	(1)
Using and Evaluating What You Learn In This Course	14	(3)
The Keys to Achievement	17	(14)
Introducing the Strategies for Achievement	17	(10)
Take Reasonable Risk	18	(3)
Take Responsibility	21	(1)
Search the Environment	22	(2)
Use Feedback	24	(3)
Problem Solving Using the Four Strategies for Achievement	27	(4)
Procrastination: The Thief of Time	31	(20)
Introduction to Procrastination	32	(7)
Rationalizations and Real Reasons: The ``Why?'' of Procrastination	33	(6)
The Procrastination Cycle	39	(2)
The Big Squeeze-Self-Beliefs	39	(1)
A Little Demon and How It Works	40	(1)
Procrastination ``Busting''	41	(3)
Using Feedback to Fight Back	41	(1)
Searching the Environment to See Clearly	42	(1)
Taking Reasonable Risk to React	43	(1)
Taking Responsibility to Respond	44	(1)
Effective Time Management	44	(7)
Creating a To-Do Checklist	44	(4)
Taking Breaks	48	(1)
Telling Yourself that You Can Reach Your Goals	48	(3)
Believing in Yourself: Self-Confidence	51	(24)
The Importance of What You Think	52	(2)
We Have Many Thoughts	53	(1)
Self-Confidence: The Belief of People Who Succeed	54	(8)
What Is Self-Confidence?	55	(1)
If You're Not Self-Confident, What Are You?	55	(1)
Self-Confidence and Success: Evidence	56	(1)
The Nonsuccess Syndrome: Learned Helplessness	57	(1)
Who Needs the Help?	58	(1)
Self-Confident People Think and Act Differently	58	(1)
Changing Your Thinking	59	(3)
Four Techniques for Building Self-Confidence	62	(13)
Regulate Your Emotional Level	62	(2)
Seek Affirmation	64	(3)
Pick the Right Models	67	(2)
Just Do It!!	69	(6)
Taking Responsibility: It's Up to You	75	(16)
What are Causal Explanations?	75	(6)
Internal Causes: Ability and Effort	77	(2)
External Causes: Task Difficulty, Luck, Help	79	(1)
Other Causal Properties	80	(1)
Blaming External Causes is to Avoid Responsibility	81	(3)
Optimists and Pessimists	82	(1)
The Importance of Effort	83	(1)
Using Effort to Overcome Other Internal Explanations	83	(1)
The Application of Effort: Strategy	84	(1)
Expecting Success	85	(6)
Controlling What You Can Control	86	(2)
Dumping What You Can't Control	88	(3)
Active Listening: Learning from Lecture	91	(16)
The Key to Learning	91	(1)
Active Note Taking	92	(4)
Creating the Space	93	(1)
Avoiding the ``Data'' Approach	94	(1)
Developing Your Own Version of Shorthand	94	(1)
Creative Doodling	95	(1)
Avoiding Angry Trees	96	(1)
Asking Questions to Best Understand Information	96	(8)
The Power of Questions	96	(1)
Types of Questions	97	(4)
Using Questions to Remain Attentive in Class	101	(3)
A Plan to Get the Most from Class Notes	104	(3)
Active Reading: Learning from Text	107	(20)
Just Ask and Readings will Stick to You	108	(6)
The Amazing Teflon Student	108	(1)
The Basic Strategy: Scan and Question	108	(1)
Scan	109	(1)
Question	109	(2)
Read Q&A	111	(2)
Rewrite + 1	113	(1)
Summarizing It All: The Q&A Outline	114	(3)
What Is a Q&A Outline?	114	(1)
What Are the Types of Questions, and Where do You Find Them?	114	(1)
What Are the Steps to Construct a Q&A Outline?	115	(1)
Doesn't this Take a Long Time?	116	(1)
Isn't this Hard to Learn?	116	(1)
Reading Science Textbooks	117	(3)
Reading Math Textbooks	120	(4)
Writing a Q&A Outline of Math Content	120	(4)
A Plan for Getting the Most From Text	124	(3)
Preparing for Exams	127	(24)
A Simple Technique to Evaluate Your Preparedness for An Exam	128	(1)
Combining Words and Images to Organize Information	129	(12)
Mnemonic Devices and Organization	129	(1)
The CC Web Chart	129	(6)
The Skeleton Key Diagram	135	(4)
The Mind Sketch	139	(2)
Understanding Your Instructor's Emphasis	141	(2)
Using Study Groups	143	(2)
Creating the Groups	143	(1)
Study Groups Success	143	(1)
Study Group Techniques	144	(1)
Getting Ready For and Taking a Test	145	(6)
Getting Information into Your Head	145	(1)
Dealing with Test Anxiety	146	(2)
Taking a Test	148	(3)
Preparing Papers and Speeches	151	(20)
Approaching Papers and Oral Presentations With Confidence	152	(1)
Choosing a Topic	153	(3)
Asking Questions That will Be Answered in Your Presentation	156	(2)
Researching to Find the Answers to Your Questions	158	(2)
Important Research Considerations	160	(1)
Writing Good Paragraphs	160	(4)
The Topic Sentence	161	(1)
Supporting Information	162	(1)
The Concluding Sentence	162	(2)
Assembling the Final Product	164	(7)
Editing and Proofing Written Papers	166	(1)
Preparing to Give Oral Presentations	167	(4)
Managing Your Life in School	171	(22)
The Influence of Our Own Mental World	172	(2)
Ten Techniques for Managing Your Life	174	(15)
Go For Goal: Set Proximal Goals	174	(2)
Keep Track of Your Behavior and the Conditions in Which It Occurs	176	(1)
Use a Variety of Coping Methods	177	(2)
Create Motivating Incentives	179	(1)
Tell Yourself What to Do in a Consistent and Persistent Way	180	(1)
Create a Supportive Environment and Avoid Unsupportive Ones	181	(2)
Maintain Self-Control Even When Depressed, Anxious, or Angry	183	(1)
Think Positive-Believe You Can Manage Your Life	184	(3)
Regard a Slip as a Temporary Setback and Redouble Efforts to Reinstate Control	187	(2)
Build Enablement Before Problems Occur Rather than Simply Trying to Adapt to Danger as it Happens	189	(1)
The Big Picture	189	(4)
Relationships That Work	193	(22)
What Are Relationships About?	194	(6)
Dimensions of a Relationship	194	(3)
Interpersonal Styles	197	(3)
What Are The Factors That Inhibit or Worsen Relationships?	200	(2)
Our Secret Fears	200	(1)
Faulty Assumptions and Beliefs	201	(1)
Double Binds	202	(1)
Gauging the Health of a Relationship	202	(1)
How Can You Build and Maintain A Successful Relationship?	203	(12)
Some Rules for Effective Communication	203	(3)
Solving Problems of Inclusion, Control, and Openness	206	(9)
Preparing for Your Future	215	(14)
Careers in the Twenty-First Century	216	(1)
Changes in Career Paths	216	(1)
Developing a Personal Identity	217	(4)
The Importance of Career Exploration in College Achievement	219	(1)
Careers and Life Satisfaction	220	(1)
Career Exploration and College Life	221	(8)
A Seven-Step Program For Career Exploration	222	(1)
Step 1: Exploring Your Values	222	(2)
Step 2: Pinpointing Your Personality Type	224	(1)
Step 3: Evaluating Your Interests and Skills	224	(1)
Step 4: Finding Careers that will ``Match'' Your Characteristics	224	(1)
Step 5: Researching Interesting Careers	225	(1)
Step 6: Envisioning Your Future	225	(1)
Step 7: Declaring a Major	226	(3)
Appendix	229	(26)
Assignment 1.2 Class Schedule Worksheet	230	(1)
Assignment 3.4 ``How I Spent My Time This Week'' Worksheet	231	(2)
Assignment 4.2 Mood Thermometers (2 Copies)	233	(2)
Assignment 5.4 ``No Looking Back''	235	(2)
Quickpractice 7.2,7.3 ``Understanding the Allure of the Internet''	237	(2)
Assignment 7.1 ``Race and the Schooling of Black Americans''	239	(4)
Quickpractice 7.4; Assignment 7.2 Biology Textbook Pages	243	(5)
Quickpractice 7.5; Assignment 7.3 Math Textbook Pages	248	(4)
Assignment 8.3; Assignment 8.5 ``Planet Prejudice''	252	(1)
Assignment 8.4 ``Gordon Parks''	253	(2)
Index	255

Excerpts

A Message to Students Going to college is different from high school. For example, there are more distractions there is more work the classes are harder the kids are smarter you have to apply yourself more you have to motivate yourself to study you have to cut down on watching TV, playing video games, going out you don't have mom, dad, or grandma staying on your case But succeeding in college is worth doing because it can change your whole life change who you are, what you can become give you the chance to do interesting, self-fulfilling things help you to have a comfortable, rewarding life be a payoff for everything it took to get you there What you have to realize is thatsuccess is not just a question of working hard; it's also a question of working smart.When it was easier back there in high school, you probably never noticed that there might be a better way. Maybe now we've got your attention. What is that better way? It's strategies, ways of going about something to get the best result, the "edge." Everything you do requires strategies. You learn them as you're growing up. You watch people, especially successful ones, and see what strategies they use. Then, you try them yourself to see what happens, and practice them till you've got them down. Watch yourself in your own territory and see how many things you do that are strategic. Decoying a defender with a head fake, smiling at someone at the right time, acting like you're not good at something when you really are, going somewhere by yourself when you want to think things out: all strategies. Many of the old high school strategies simply don't work in college. In high school, why bother to pay attention in class? It was pretty simple stuff. You could always ask a friend. Not in college though. What the professor says in class is very likely to end up on the test. So, you should have a strategy for taking notes, and a strategy for using the notes to prepare for a test. This book is the strategy book. It has taken a great deal of new research to come up with these strategies. There is even a field of study that works on developing such strategies; it is called educational psychology. You may be a little surprised when, in the second module, you discover what these strategies are. You may think, "How can I learn these strategies from a book? Books are dull! Books are irrelevant!" Just take a moment to flip through the pages of this book. Does this look like an ordinary textbook? Absolutely not! Why not? Because the words are not packed so tightly they make you dizzy Because there are neat pictures, drawings, stories, icons. Because there's aQuest(you'll have to read it to find out what it is). Because there are lots of things to do to keep yourself awake. Because there are questions to answer, stories to write, tests to take about yourself. And the best thing of all, because it's short! We have used this book over and over with many students like you. We didn't just sit down and write it, sell it to you, and wait to see what would happen. When we first decided to write it, we knew that what we wanted to do was different from all the other books, but we also knew we wanted to achieve better results than they did. So, we tried this book out on students, lots of them, from different backgrounds, then listened to what they said, observed what they did, and evaluated the results. This is what they told us they especially liked in our book: our techniques for overcoming procrastination (their biggest problem) our approaches for taking and learning from lecture notes our approach to outlining and remembering what they read our charts and diagrams for studying for exams what we taught them abo