Chapter 1

1. First Step Technique

2. The Discovery and Intention Journal Entry System

3. Discovery Statement Guidelines

4. Intention Statement Guidelines

5. Creating and using portfolios

6. The Discovery Wheel

7. Learning Style Inventory

First Step Technique

• The first step technique is simple:  Tell the truth about who you are and what you want.

• People recovering from addictions employ this principle (accepting the problem).

• It may not be easy to tell the truth about ourselves (weaknesses and strengths).

• Goals are more powerful when they are specific; First Steps are more powerful when they are verbal or written.

• The Truth has power.

The Discovery and Intention Journal Entry System

• One way to become a better student is to try harder.

• Another way is to use the Discovery and Intention Entry System.

• Journal entries throughout this book are labeled either “Discovery Statement” or “Intention Statement.”

• Each Journal Entry will contain a set of suggestions for your writing.

• Through Discovery Statements, you can learn “where you are” and are records of what you have learned about yourself (strengths & weaknesses).

• Discovery statements can b e declarations of what you want, descriptions of your attitudes, statements of your feelings, and chronicles of your behavior.

• Intention statements can be used to alter your course by stating your commitment to a specific task.

• Discovery and Intention statements keep you focused on what you want and how you intend to get it.

• You can use the Discovery and Intention Journal Entry System to stay on your own course

Discovery Statement Guidelines

1. Discover what you want-  Many students quit school simply because they are unclear about what they want.
2. Record the specifics-  Observe your actions and record the facts.
3. Notice your inner voices and pictures-  When internal chatter gets in your way, write down what you are telling yourself.
4. Notice physical sensations-  Pinpoint exactly where and when you learn most effectively.
5. Use discomfort as a signal-  When you begin to feel uncomfortable, that may be a signal that you are about to do valuable work.
6. Suspend self-judgment-  If you continually judge your behaviors as bad or stupid, sooner or later your mind will quit making discoveries.
7. Tell the truth-  The closer you get to the truth, the more powerful your discovery statements will be.

Intention Statement Guidelines

1. Make your intentions positive-  “I intend to stay awake in class” instead of “I will not fall asleep in class.”
2. Make intentions small and keepable-  Break large goals into small, specific tasks you can accomplish quickly.
3. Use observable criteria for success-  define your goals through behaviors that can be observed and measured.
4. Set timelines-  Set a time for each small task to be completed.
5. Be careful of intentions that depend on others-  You will be at the mercy of others.
6. Anticipate self-sabotage-  Notice when you watch television when you should be studying.
7. Identify your rewards-  One reason success breeds success is that it feels good.

Traits shared by master students:

·        Inquisitive (curious about everything)

·        Able to focus attention

·        Willing to change

·        Able to organize and sort

·        Competent (have mastered skills)

·        Joyful

·        Able to suspend judgment

·        Energetic

·        Well

·        Self-aware

·        Responsible

·        Willing to risk

·        Willing to participate

·        A generalists (interested in everything)

·        Willing to accept a paradox (seems contradictive)

·        Courageous

·        Self-directed

·        Spontaneous

·        Relaxed about grades

·        Intuitive

·        Creative

·        Willing to be uncomfortable

·        Accepting

·        Willing to laugh

·        Hungry

·        Willing to work

·        Caring

·        The master student is in you!

6. The Value of Higher Education

Benefits other than increased income:
1. Learn skills that apply across careers (Good jobs require self-management skills):

• Time management
• Conflict resolution
• Goal setting
• Learning new skills
• Stress control

2. Master the liberal arts
There are two essential tasks for people to master:

• The use of language
• The use of numbers

To master these skills, students once studied the following subjects:
(Liberal Arts)

1. Grammar
2. Rhetoric
3. Logic
4. Arithmetic
5. Geometry
6. Music
7. Astronomy

The ability to communicate and calculate are still essential to almost every profession.

Liberal Arts are now those that promote critical thinking.

3. Gain a broad vision

One benefit of Liberal Arts is to gain a broad vision (be well-rounded)

Liberally educated people know something about a wide variety of problems!

4. Discover your values

We do not spend all our time working...

This leaves us with a decision of how to spend leisure time

Liberal Arts provide us with many options for activities

• Community
• Arts

These studies go beyond working and paying bills.

Our values define what we commit our time and money to.

Through liberal education we discover what activities are worth our energy, talents, and money

5. Discover new interests

Taking a broad range of classes may provide you with a more enjoyable direction in life.

Academic and personal experiences enable us to make more effective choices about long-term goals.

6. Hang out with the great

Our ancestors have given us great works of arts, systems of science, and technology

Through higher education you can gain firsthand knowledge of these creations

Getting to know these creations exercises our minds

We also learn what is "fleeting" from what is "lasting".

Find those works that have value for you and enjoy them for a lifetime!

7. Join the conversation

In ancient times people educated themselves by conversing with others.

Our finest scientists and artists are voices in an ongoing conversation that spans centuries and crosses cultures.

Our greatest thinkers left behind visible records -- They are in our Libraries!

The Discovery Wheel

• Complete the Discovery Wheel (Exercise #5) on page 14.

Learning Style Inventory

• Read “Discovering how you learn on page 22 and complete the Learning Style Inventory beginning on page LSI-1.

< Back | Next >