1. Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life
On Course
Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life
Chapter 2
ACCEPTING PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

2. Accepting Personal Responsibility
Do you accept personal responsibility for creating the life you want?
Are you a successful student?
Have you adopted a creator mindset by believing that your choices create the outcomes and experiences of your life?
Have you mastered creator language, accepting personal responsibility for the results?
Do you make wise decisions, consciously designing the future you want?
Ask students to spend two minutes jotting down their initial answers to these questions. 2

3. Critical Thinking: Focus Questions Adopting A Creator Mindset
What is self-responsibility?
Why is it the key to creating the life you want?
Ask students to spend two minutes jotting down their initial answers to these questions. 3

4. The Victim Mindset Yes Yes No
A Victim Mindset causes people to believe that what happens to them is out of their control, that their outcomes and experiences are determined by such things as luck and other people.
Read the following statements and decide if they represent someone with a Victim Mindset.
I could never go to college. I don’t even know the first thing about getting started.
I wish the college wasn’t so far from my house. I can’t go to school until I get a car.
I have never filled out a college application, but I can go to the school and ask for help.
Yes
Yes No

5. The Creator Mindset
A Creator Mindset causes people to believe they control their own destiny by the wisdom of their choices (even though this belief is not always true).
Read the following statements and decide if they represent someone with a Creator Mindset.
I have never been good in math, so I know I wouldn’t be able to pass the college entrance exam.
My best friend's party is this weekend. I think I will do my homework on Friday instead of on Sunday.
I used all my money paying rent and can’t afford to buy my textbooks. I may have to drop out of college. No
Yes No

6. Rosa Parks
In 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American woman, was ordered by a bus driver to give up her seat to a white passenger. Parks refused and was arrested. A few days later, African Americans began a boycott of Montgomery buses that ended when the laws requiring segregation on public buses was lifted.
Break into small groups and discuss how this story relates to having a Creator Mindset. Be prepared to give a brief summary of your group’s discussion. Remember to Dive Deep in your thinking.

7. Activity: Responsibility and Culture
Imagine an imaginary line from one side of the room to the other. This line represents a continuum of beliefs about personal responsibility. One end represents the belief that you determine your own destiny (internal locus of control). The other end represents the belief that fate or other people determine your destiny (external locus of control).
Choose a place to stand on the line that best represents your beliefs.
Talk with the people standing next to you on the “line” and find out if there are similarities between you with regard to culture (e.g., ethnicity, race, religion).
What did you discover?

8. Responsibility and Choice Quotation
“When you make the shift to being the predominate creative force in your life, you move from reacting and responding to the external circumstances of your life to creating directly the life you truly want.” ~Robert L. Fritz
Write about a time when you either did or did not act as if you are the “predominate creative force in your own life.”
How did this choice affect your life?

9. Critical Thinking: Focus Question Mastering Creator Language
How can you create greater success by changing your vocabulary?
Ask students to spend two minutes jotting down their initial answers to these questions. 9

10. Self Talk: The Inner Critic
The Inner Critic is the internal voice that judges us as inadequate, blames us for whatever is wrong in life, and can find fault with anything about us.
Watch the video in the link below and count how many times the character makes an Inner Critic statement.
HRs/1
Did you count 15 Inner Critic statements? If not, go back and listen again 10

11. Self Talk: The Inner Defender
The Inner Defender judges, blames, complains, accuses, criticizes and condemns others.
Write about a time that either you or someone else made Inner Defender statements.
Break into groups of 3-4 and discuss your examples.
Also discuss: What lessons can you learn from these examples that can help you be a success in college?
Ask students to spend two minutes jotting down their initial answers to these questions. 11

12. Be prepared to share your findings with the class.
Self Talk
Divide into 2 groups and discuss how the Inner Critic and Inner Defender are similar and different?
Be prepared to share your findings with the class. 12

13. What was the outcome or experience of your choice?
Self Talk: Inner Guide
The Inner Guide seeks to make the best of any situation and knows that judgments do not improve difficult situations.
Give an example of when you faced a difficult situation and your Inner Guide helped you to make a wise choice.
What was the outcome or experience of your choice? 13

14. The Language of Responsibility
Look over the qualities of Victim and Creator language in the chart below. What are some benefits of using Creator language?
Victim Language
Creator Language
Focuses on weaknesses
Focuses on how to improve
Makes excuses
Seeks solutions
Complains
Turns complaints into requests
Compares oneself unfavorably to others
Seeks help from those more skilled
Blames
Accepts responsibility
Sees problems as permanent
Treats problems as temporary
Repeats ineffective behaviors
Does something new
Tries
Does
Predicts defeat and give up
Thinks positively and looks for a better choice 14

15. The Language of Responsibility
Change the following Victim language to Creator language
Our classroom is so cold, I can’t even concentrate.
I don’t want to be distracted by being cold, so I’ll bring an extra sweater to wear during class.
My roommate bothers me every night and I can’t study.
I know my roommate is going to want to talk when I get home, so I’ll study in the library before I leave campus.
The gym is always so crowded that I can’t work out.
The gym has been really crowded the last few times I went, so I am going to go at a different time and see if there are fewer people there then.
No matter how hard I study, I’m just no good in chemistry.
I find chemistry to be challenging, so I’ll go to the chem lab and find out if there’s a tutor who will help me.

16. Critical Thinking: Focus Questions Making Wise Decisions
How can you improve the quality of the decisions you make?
How can you take full responsibility for the outcomes and experiences in your life? 16

17. The Wise Choice Process
The Wise Choice Process is a 6 step decision making model that empowers you take full responsibility for creating the life you want.
Step 1: What is my present situation?
Step 2: How would I like my situation to be?
Step 3: What are my possible choices?
Step 4: What is the likely outcome of each possible choice?
Step 5: Which choice(s) will I commit to doing?
Step 6: When and how will I evaluate my plan? 17

18. The Wise Choice Process
Think of a problem or challenging situation you are now facing, and write out the first three steps of the Wise Choice Process.
Join a partner and exchange papers.
Read your partner’s paper and add as many choices as you can think of for Step 3.
Exchange papers and continue working through The Wise Choice Process.
Did your classmate come up with good choices that you hadn’t thought of? 18

19. Personal Responsibility at Work
If you took responsibility for choosing your ideal career, how could you get more information about possible career choices?
Which of the following would be your first choice for getting information to help you decide on a career? Why?
Seek part-time employment doing an entry-level position in a particular career field.
Talk to others presently in a career field.
Research careers online.
Take a career interest inventory.

20. Critical Thinking: Focus Question Change your Inner Conversation
How can you raise your self-esteem by changing your self-talk? 20

21. The Curse of Stinkin’ Thinkin’
A + B = C (Activating event + Beliefs = Consequences)
Activating Event
Belief
Consequence
Which “internal voice” does this sound like?
Instructor didn’t show up for a meeting.
“Instructor thinks I am dumb. I’ll never finish college. I’m a failure.”
Got depressed and wasted the evening.
“Instructor wont help me. Instructor doesn’t care.”
Got angry and spent the night complaining to friends.

22. Stinkin’ Thinkin’ & Stereotype Threat
Using A+B=C when faced with Stereotype Threat
Activating Event
Belief
Consequence
Female student taking a math test.
Women are not good in math.
What do you think the consequence would be in this scenario?
Female student gets anxious, distracted
and forgets everything she studied.

23. Disputing Irrational Beliefs
Become familiar with your inner voice
Dispute irrational beliefs dealing with the stereotype threat that “women are bad in math.”
Offer evidence that your judgments are wrong
Offer a positive explanation of the problem
Question the importance of the problem
Offer a plan to improve the situation
I did pretty well in high school math and many women have great jobs using math skills everyday.
When I excel in math, I’ll have fewer women to compete against for jobs.
I don’t have to be the smartest woman in the class, I just have to continue to learn more everyday.
What would be a good plan to improve the situation?
I’ll study every night, do all homework, ask questions in class, go to tutoring, and see the instructor during office hours.

24. Quick Review
The Wise Choice Process has six steps. List as many of them as you can.
What is the likely outcome of each possible choice?
What is my present situation?
What are my possible choices?
How would I like my situation to be?
When and how will I evaluate my plan?
Which choice will I commit to doing?

25. Quick Review
Identify each of the following as Inner Critic, Inner Defender or Inner Guide statements
I am failing English because the teacher doesn’t know how to explain things clearly.
My car has a flat tire. I’ll ask John if he can give me a ride to school tomorrow while the tire is being fixed.
I’m too clumsy and slow to be on the soccer team at school; they would laugh at me if I showed up to practice.
I know I won’t get the job I interviewed for; I have never been good at answering questions on the spot.
My math book is horrible, so there’s no way anyone can pass that course.
I know I have a habit of procrastinating, so I’m going straight home today and pay all my bills so I don’t incur late charges.
I know I stutter a lot when I get nervous, so I am going to practice my speech at least one hour every day.
My friend said he would buy my textbooks for class, but he didn’t. Now I’m going to fail and it’s all his fault.
Inner
Defender
Inner
Guide
Inner
Critic
Inner
Critic
Inner
Defender
Inner
Guide
Inner
Guide
Inner
Defender 25

26. Quick Review
Identify each of the following as a Victim Mindset or as a Creator Mindset.
I’ll never pass math. It’s just too hard.
My study group is a waste of time.
I have a meeting with my teacher to discuss how to improve my grades in English.
My coworkers like to gossip a lot; I need to stay to myself so I can get my work done.
My roommates yell a lot when the football game is on so I can never concentrate on my studies.
Victim
Victim
Creator
Creator
Victim

27. Quick Review
People respond differently to certain situations. Identify each part of the “A + B = C formula”
My instructor didn’t show up for a scheduled meeting.
I’m not sure what went wrong. Sometimes things just don’t turn out the way they were planned.
I need to reschedule with my instructor. Then, I am going to use this time to study for my history class and get ahead in my biology class.
Activating Event
Belief
Consequence

28. Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life
On Course
Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life
Chapter 2
Wise Choices in College
READING

29. Wise Choices in College: Reading
What four things are you Collecting when you read actively?
Key concepts
Main ideas
Secondary ideas
Supporting details
Ask students to spend two minutes jotting down their initial answers to these questions. 29

30. Challenges With Reading
In groups of 3-4, make a list of the biggest challenges you are having with reading assignments for your present courses?
What are the three most common reading problems identified by your group?
Ask students to spend two minutes jotting down their initial answers to these questions. 30

31. Strategies to Improve Reading: Before Reading
You now know that Prior Learning, Quality of Processing and Quantity of Processing are crucial to learning.
In groups of 3-4, create a list of strategies you could use to apply these three concepts before reading an assignment.
Review the next 2 slides and compare your results.
Ask students to spend two minutes jotting down their initial answers to these questions. 31

32. Strategies to Improve Reading: Before Reading
Approach reading with a positive attitude.
Attitude is the foundation of your success. Get your mind in the mood to learn!
Create a distributed reading schedule.
Spread your reading over time. Cramming leads to superficial and short-lived learning.
Read when you’re most alert.
Study during your mental peak each day. Don’t study when you’re tired.
Quality of Processing
Quantity of Processing
Quality of Processing 32

33. Strategies to Improve Reading: Before Reading
Read where you can concentrate.
Minimize distractions.
Review past readings.
Make neural connections stronger by connecting new information to what you already know.
Preview before reading.
Relate the new material to what you have already learned.
Quality of Processing
Prior
Learning
Prior
Learning 33

34. Strategies to Improve Reading: Before Reading
When you are previewing your reading, what should you be looking for?
Bold
Table Of
Contents
Italics
Summaries summary at the end of the chapter
CAPITAL
LETTERS
Graphs
Charts
Diagrams
? Questions ?
Titles:
Headings 34

35. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
What are some strategies you could use to decrease the amount of time you spend reading?
Read in chunks.
Concentrate on reading faster.
Read for answers to questions on your list. 35

36. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
Turn to “One Students Story: Dominic Grasseth” in Chapter 2 of your On Course textbook.
Read the first paragraph only.
Write down a brief summary of what you read.
With a partner, compare your summaries.
Are your summaries similar?
If not, what can either of you do to improve your summary skills? 36

37. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
How will looking for answers to specific questions help you while you read?
How will writing new questions and answers that you discover while reading, improve your reading? 37

38. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
Turn to “One Students Story: Dominic Grasseth” in Chapter 2 of your On Course textbook.
Read the second paragraph only.
Take a few minutes and think about what you read.
Get into a group of 3-4 and discuss what is most important in the paragraph.
Mark your text and make annotations in the margin.
How will these actions help you when reading? 38

39. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
If you had to read something about which you have no interest, what strategy could you use to avoid mindless reading?
Look for something that is particularly interesting to you. or
Look for information that you could use.
In other words, read for IOUs (Interesting or Useful). 39

40. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
Open your book to the index.
Glance through the index and find a word that you don’t know the meaning of.
Find the word in the textbook using the page number provided in the index.
Determine the meaning of the word by using context clues.
Turn to the person sitting next to you and teach each other your new words. 40

41. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
In 2012, the US government spent 2.1 million dollars on building a “secret” bunker that was to house immigrants for slave labor.
After reading this statement, do you have skepticism about the truth of the statement?
What strategies can you use to read critically and find out if there is any truth to the claim? 41

42. Strategies to Improve Reading: While Reading
Get into three groups.
Each group brainstorm special strategies to use when reading in the following subjects:
Group 1: Math
Group 2: Science
Group 3: Literature
Now form smaller groups of three people, with one person each from Math, Science and Literature. Each person teach the other two people your special reading strategies. 42

43. Strategies to Improve Reading: After Reading
Imagine you just had the best day of your life and your greatest dream had come true.
If you wanted to “relive” that moment, what specifically would you do?
Now, imagine you just finished reading a fairly difficult textbook. How could you apply those same strategies to ensure learning occurred? 43

44. Strategies to Improve Reading: Academic Skills Plan for Reading
Look over strategies for Reading.
Choose the three that you will use immediately.
Explain to a partner the three that you have chosen and why. 44

45. End
Chapter
Two