On Course
Strategies for Creating Success
in College and in Life
Chapter 6
Gaining Self-Awareness
CHOICES OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS
GAINING SELF-AWARENESS
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REVIEW: WAYS OF RELATING
• Read each of the following statements one
at a time.
• Identify the way of relating that is
indicated. Be ready to explain your
answer.
• Some statements may have more than
one correct answer...
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REVIEW: WAYS OF RELATING
Nate, who has a 1.9 GPA, always
Independence
studies alone, saying, "I don't have
time for study groups."
Ben seldom attends math class,
Dependence
counting on his roommate to tell
him what to study and when the
tests are.
Morgan often does her boyfriend's
Codependence
homework instead of her own.
Mary, Ja'Mar and Timothy formed
a study group for their History
class.
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Interdependence
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REVIEW: ACTIVE LISTENING
What are the four steps of active listening?
Listen to understand
Clear your mind and remain silent
Ask the person to expand or clarify
Reflect the other person's thoughts
and feelings
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CASE STUDY IN CRITICAL THINKING:
STRANGE CHOICES
Choose the student you think made the strangest
choice and speculate why she or he made this
choice. Dive deep. In particular, what are the kinds
of past experiences that may have made the
student behave this way?
DIVING DEEPER Recall a course you once took in
which you made a choice that your instructor might
describe as “strange.” Explain why you made that
choice. Dive deep, exploring what really caused
your choice.
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RECOGNIZING
WHEN YOU ARE OFF COURSE
FOCUS QUESTIONS
In which of your life roles are you off course?
Do you know how you got there?
More important, do you know how to get back on
course to your desired outcomes and
experiences?
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THREE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
1. What habits do I have that sabotage my
success?
2. What beliefs do I have that get me off course?
3. How can I consistently make wise choices that
will create a rich, personally fulfilling life?
Your answers to these questions can be life-changing.
Becoming aware of the unconscious and habitual choices that
get you off course from your goals and dreams gives you
greater control over the most important factor in your success:
Yourself!
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ONE STUDENT'S STORY:
Sarah Richmond
How did Sarah’s actions, thoughts and feelings
change when she got to college?
In what ways have your own actions, thoughts and
feelings changed since you began college?
Are these new actions, thoughts and feelings
supporting or sabotaging your success? If
sabotaging, what different choices could you
make?
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IDENTIFYING YOUR SCRIPTS
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What habit patterns in your life get you off
course?
How did these habit patterns develop?
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SCRIPTS
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ANATOMY OF A SCRIPT
Habit Patterns
Habitual Thoughts: If I don’t understand a subject
right away, I never will.
Habitual Emotions: When I don’t understand a
subject immediately, I get frustrated.
Habitual Behaviors: When I get frustrated, I quit.
Core Beliefs
I’m not smart enough to succeed in college.
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APPLYING THE CONCEPT
Identify each of the following as a
possible pattern of
Thought
Emotion
Behavior…
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APPLYING THE CONCEPT
I’m so dumb!
Being irritated.
Becoming very angry.
Driving around instead of
stopping to ask directions.
Often arriving late to class.
Frustration
I’m no good in math.
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Thought
Emotion
Emotion
Behavior
Behavior
Emotion
Thought
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APPLYING THE CONCEPT
What Core Belief on the left
might lead to the Behavior on the right?
Core Beliefs
Behaviors
• Cheating isn’t really
a big deal
• Not trying is better
than failing
• Asking for help is a
sign of weakness
• Effort is rewarded
• Studying math for 4
hours
• Skipping a final
exam
• Copying answers
during a test
• Avoiding the tutoring
center
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QUOTATIONS
1. From the margins of the "Identifying Your
Scripts" section, choose a quotation you find
interesting.
2. Pair up with a student who chose a
different quotation.
3. Partner A, read your quotation aloud and
explain to Partner B what you find interesting
about it. If possible, relate the idea in the
quotation to a personal experience.
4. Reverse roles, and repeat Step 3.
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JOURNAL ENTRY 21: WARM-UP
Make three slips of paper.
On each slip of paper, write a self-defeating
behavior. It can be one that has affected you
or one that you've observed affecting others.
Fold each slip of paper in half.
Form groups of four and collect everyone’s
slips of paper into a pile. Mix them up.
Taking turns, select one slip of paper, read
the behavior listed and express the likely
negative results of that behavior. If you get
your own slip, treat it like all the others.
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ONE STUDENT'S STORY:
James Floriolli
What self-defeating pattern(s) did James
discover in his life?
Do you think James will major in computer
science or choose a major that will prepare
him for his dream job? Why do you think so?
What can you learn from James’ story that
can help you create a great life? Explain.
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REWRITING YOUR OUTDATED SCRIPTS
FOCUS QUESTION
How can you revise the self-defeating
patterns that keep you from achieving
your full potential?
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SELF-DEFEATING THOUGHTS
I’m wasting my time going to college; I’m not
smart enough.
None of my high school friends are going to
this college; I’ll never make good friends
here.
There’s way more work in college than in
high school. I’ll never keep up.
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REWRITING
SELF-DEFEATING THOUGHTS
When I tried hard in high school, I got good
grades. I just have to keep making wise
choices, work hard, and learn from my
mistakes.
There are good people everywhere. I’ll just
have to make an extra effort to meet them.
I’ll master the use of self-management tools;
then I’ll be able to complete all of my
assignments.
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SELF-DEFEATING EMOTIONS
Nervous about asking questions in class
Frustrated by difficult tests & assignments
Shameful about prior poor performance
Fearful of instructors’ judgments
Pessimistic about outcomes
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REWRITING
SELF-DEFEATING EMOTIONS
Confident about asking questions in class
Motivated by challenges
Excited to learn valuable lessons from
mistakes and accomplishments alike
Accepting of instructors’ comments without
self-judgment
Optimistic about outcomes
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SELF-DEFEATING BEHAVIORS
Miss classes regularly
Do homework carelessly
Never speak in class
Forget to do important assignments
Always study alone
Study without a plan
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REWRITING
SELF-DEFEATING BEHAVIORS
Attend class regularly
Complete all assignments with excellence
Ask and answer questions in class
Use next actions list and calendar to plan
Join or create a study group
Study using the CORE Learning System
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ANATOMY OF AN EMPOWERING SCRIPT
Patterns
Thought Patterns
I will pass chemistry.
Emotional Patterns
I am calm and focused during tests.
Behavior Patterns
I attend classes regularly, do all assignments
thoroughly, and participate actively.
Core Beliefs
I am intelligent. Working hard pays off. People will
help me if I ask.
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TRUTH IN CARTOONS
With a partner, examine the "Calvin and
Hobbes" cartoon that follows Journal Entry
22. Discuss:
• What is funny about this cartoon?
• What truth is expressed in this cartoon?
• How could you apply this truth to your own
life?
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ONE STUDENT'S STORY:
Annette Valle
Who was your favorite teacher in elementary or
middle school?
What did you like about that teacher?
What messages did that person give you about
your value as a person and your ability as a
learner?
How might Annette’s life have been different if
she’d had your favorite teacher for math?
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SELF-AWARENESS AT WORK
As each picture appears, decide whether it
represents “soft skills” or “hard skills.”
Explain your decision.
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SELF-AWARENESS AT WORK
Components of Self-Assessment
• Soft Skills
• Hard Skills
• Personal Preferences
Why are personal preferences an important
part of self-assessment for work and career
choices?
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BECOMING AN ACTIVE LEARNER
Create a memory aid that helps you
remember the six personality types of the
Holland Code: Realistic, Artistic,
Enterprising, Investigative, Social,
Conventional.
Get with a partner and explain your memory
aid to each other. Be prepared to explain
your partner’s memory aid to the class.
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SELF-AWARENESS AT WORK
Holland Code: Six Personality Types
Realistic
Investigative
Artistic
Social
Enterprising
Conventional
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APPLYING THE CONCEPT:
THE HOLLAND CODE
As each career appears in the left-hand
column, match it to the Holland Code
personality type in the right-hand column
that would best match that career.
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APPLYING THE CONCEPT:
THE HOLLAND CODE
Salesperson, lawyer,
manager
Mechanic, electrician, civil
engineer
Accountant, computer
operator, credit manager
Nurse, teacher, social
worker
Chemist, detective,
astronomer
Author, artist, musician
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Realistic
Investigative
Artistic
Social
Enterprising
Conventional
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BELIEVING IN YOURSELF:
WRITE YOUR OWN RULES
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What personal rules do you have that guide the
choices you make daily?
Which of these rules help you create high selfesteem?
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THREE SUCCESS RULES
Rule 1: I Show Up
Rule 2: I Do My Best Work
Rule 3: I Participate Actively
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QUICK REVIEW:
THREE SUCCESS RULES
Which rule leads to attending classes?
I Show Up
Which rule leads to striving for excellence?
I Do My Best Work
Which rule leads to taking part in class
discussions and activities?
I Participate Actively
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THREE SUCCESS RULES
I Show Up
I Do My Best Work
I Participate Actively
Which of these rules, if you applied it more
consistently, would increase your chances
for academic success?
How important are these same three rules
for creating career success?
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JOURNAL ENTRY 23: DIVING DEEPER
Is there a particular religion, philosophy, code
of conduct, spiritual practice, organization or
belief system, that is important to you?
If so, what are the guiding principles or
“rules”?
Which of these principles or rules would help
you to achieve your greatest potential in
college? Explain how.
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ONE STUDENT'S STORY:
Brandeé Huigens
What do you think caused Brandeé Huigens
to become a binge drinker? Find evidence in
her story to support your answer.
What is the one new rule that changed
Brandeé’s life for the better? Can you think
of another new rule that might have helped
her as well?
What is one new rule that, if you followed it
consistently, would change your life for the
better?
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EMBRACING CHANGE:
DO ONE THING DIFFERENT THIS WEEK
Of the 10 options, which one—if you did it
consistently for a week (or more)—would
make the greatest contribution to your
success in college and in life?
What positive outcomes and experiences
would you expect from this choice?
If you are willing to take the challenge, use
the “My Commitment” chart to track that
choice and share your results with a partner
in one week.
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WISE CHOICES IN COLLEGE:
TAKING TESTS
What does each image have to do with things to
do before taking a test?
Actively use the CORE
Learning System
Visualize Success
Prepare yourself
physically and
emotionally
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WISE CHOICES IN COLLEGE:
TAKING TESTS
Carefully read the tips “While Taking Tests.”
Choose the three that you think will be most
helpful to you.
Form groups of three.
Each member of the group: share the ideas
that you selected and explain why you
chose them.
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REVIEW & SUMMARY
What are the three habit patterns that form
the parts of our scripts that are often
observable to others?
Behaviors
Thoughts (when spoken)
Emotions (when strong)
What is the deeper part of a script that
contains our view of ourselves, other people
and the world?
Core Beliefs
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REVIEW & SUMMARY
What are the
three rules for student success?
I Show Up
I Do My Best Work
I Participate Actively
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REVIEW & SUMMARY
Name the six personality types in the Holland Code:
Realistic
Artistic
Enterprising
Investigative
Social
Conventional
How can awareness of your personality type help
you make better career choices?
Answer: People who choose a career that matches
their personality type tend to be more satisfied.
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KEY CHOICES FOR
GAINING SELF-AWARENESS
Rewriting
Your Outdated
Scripts
Identifying
Your Scripts
Recognizing When
You Are Off Course
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TICKET OUT
What idea or concept from the chapter on
Gaining Self-Awareness
do you think is most interesting or useful?
Please explain.
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End
Chapter
Six
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