Transcript How to ACE this Class

How To ACE This Class
Paul G. Young, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor - Ohio University-Lancaster
Past President of the National Association of Elementary School Principals
and the
National AfterSchool Association
Your education is priceless and
you must decide to make the
most of every learning
opportunity
You must commit to LEARN
To learn, you must WORK
In most college classes your
determines your success more than
your
How you prepare and attend
during each class is your choice
Typical Distribution of Students
Within a College Class
Absent
whiners and
complainers
Quiet sitters
and getters who
do what is
expected
Growth
mindset
One sixth
Two thirds
One sixth
Mediocres
Backbones
Superstars
C
B- B B+ A-
A
In which group do you want your professors to see you?
Earning an A in this class
will requires more than good
grades on tests
Work ethic can be
defined as what you
are willing to do when
no one is watching
You Need to Demonstrate
Ten Work Ethic Virtues in Every Class
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Attitude
Common Sense
Competence
Gratitude
Initiative
Integrity
Perseverance
Professionalism
Reliability
Respect
Adapted from Eric Chester (2012) , Reviving Work Ethic: A
Leader's Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the
Emerging Workforce. Austin, TX: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Attitude
• The foundational virtue
• Displayed through a smile, body language, manners,
courtesy, habits, optimism, and enthusiasm
• Future employers look for desirable attitude traits
(people skills) during interviews
• Focus on the positive, remove negativity
• Negative attitudes create an infectious work culture
Ways to display a good
in class
1. Posture
2. Eye contact
3. Body language
4. Preparation/Organization
5. Positive facial expressions (smile)
6. Occasional nodding of head; display of interest
7. Constant attention (no multitasking)
8. Consideration of others
9. Note-taking
10.Pleasant speaking voice (tone of voice) and proper grammar
Make A Good First Impression
• People typically shape their opinions in 20-30 seconds
• Characteristics that shape opinions include:
 Personality (smile)
Make a good
 Level of sophistication (confidence)
first impression in
 Trustworthiness (punctuality; reliability)
EVERY
 Dress (professionalism)
class
 Posture (body language)
 Sense of humor (small talk)
• Show pride in who you are both personally and professionally
• It’s hard to shake a bad first impression
What Is Your Personal Brand?
Who makes the best impression?
Your attitude is reflected by your
Come to Class with a Growth Mindset
Fixed Mindset
Growth Mindset
(a desire to look smart (a desire to learn and
and just get by)
grow)
Challenges
avoid them
embrace them
Obstacles
give up easily
persist with grit
Effort
fruitless
the path to mastery
Criticism
ignore, even if useful
learn from it
Success of Others
feel threatened by it
become inspired by it
From the work of Carol S. Dweck
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, 2006
Students with a growth mindset believe
that their basic abilities can be
developed through
Brains and talent are just the starting
point
Common Sense
• Life is a series of ordinary events that follow the laws of logic
and probability
• Ordinary events require careful, accurate navigation with
common sense
• Avoid getting lost in your fantasies
• Pay attention to the obvious
KNOWLEDGE + COMMON SENSE = WISDOM
KNOWLEDGE - COMMON SENSE = NONSENSE
Do you think you have common
sense?
What do others think?
This week, ask someone that you trust
for feedback.
Competence
• Ability to READ
• Ability to WRITE
• Ability to SPEAK in public settings
• Mastery of a major discipline (content)
• Pursuit of personal continuous improvement
Employers will assess your initial competence
by reviewing your college transcript
Gratitude
• Gratitude and appreciation are similar
• Treat others fairly and in a friendly manner
• Accept and value others
• Let people know they matter
• Become part of the solution to problems rather than part of
the problem
• Live by the principle of The Golden Rule
Showing Gratitude…
• Promotes understanding and draws others to you
• Creates unity and harmony with those you acknowledge
• Builds trust and sensibility
• Generates happiness and a sense of safety
When expressing gratitude, be genuine
No one respects a suck-up
Initiative
• Add value to the class
• Display passion
• Do more than is expected
• The syllabus outlines minimal standards
• Be better than mediocrity and status quo; change is inevitable
• Those with initiative take risks and are not afraid to make
mistakes
You can’t wait until job interview time
to begin showing initiative
Simple Initiative Strategies
• Raise your hand and ask at least one question in every class
(Let the professor know you are present)
• Strive to take such an active role in your classes that if you
have to be absent, everyone misses you - especially the
professor
• 5 pages required in a paper? Write six
• Help out in anyway you can with others
Integrity
• Bring both personal honesty and cultural integrity to every class
• Tell the truth and don’t point fingers
• Avoid white lies
• Celebrate honesty and integrity
• Avoid students who are dishonest and irresponsible
• Set the tone for your fellow classmates
Perseverance (Grit)
• Finish what you start
• Finish work that might seem hard and/or boring
• Deliberate practice makes perfect with the “Rule of 10,000
Hours”
• Eliminate distractions
• Multitasking is a myth
• When you get knocked down (and you will!), get back up
Professionalism
• Professionalism at work is a business virtue
• Use proper grammar, pronunciation, writing
skills, and manners
• Clarity is crucial
• Become aware of what to say and when and
where to say it
Dress first class, think first class, act first class
Social Signaling
• You send a message everyday by how you
choose to dress, groom, attend in class,
interact with classmates, and display
personal body language
• First impressions are powerful
• What message and lasting impression do
you intend others to have of you?
Ohio State Linebacker
Gets Serious in Effort to Impress
Joshua Perry cares about how he looks. Although his
Ohio State teammates might straggle to 5 a.m.
workouts wearing sweatpants, the sophomore
linebacker from Olentangy High School doesn’t want to
look scruffy.
“I don’t think it takes that much to throw a
shirt with a collar on, some khakis and
some dress shoes,” he said.
Perry believes that if he looks good, he will feel good,
even at dawn.
The Columbus Dispatch, November 14, 2013
“Like, eliminate ‘Ums’ and ‘Ahs’, Right?”
"Like," "Um," "Ah," and “You Know”
are
Reliability
• Reliability must be part of your
personal brand
• Reliability is consistency of measure
• Reliability is trustworthiness
• Reliability is either present or absent - there is no in
between
• There is no place for the prevalent “Yeah, but” societal
mentality in this class or a professional workplace
What should reliability mean to you?
• Be in the classroom and in your seat at least 5 minutes
before class begins
• Never miss!
• Get assignments turned in on time
• Take good notes
• Study
• Utilize Blackboard
• Accept responsibility
• No excuses
What do these pictures
say about reliability?
Respect
• Respect = obedience, acceptance, conformity
• Obey and play by the rules
• Respect the professor
• Respect fellow students
• Respect the line between class work and social time
• Strive for authenticity, accomplishment, competence, and
tolerance of differences
• Self-discipline is a principle of greatness
Text your friends after class
Don’t force me to take your phone
Employers seek workers who
are
--------------------------------------not adults with
Do what you say you
will do when you say
you will do it
We are what we
repeatedly do.
Excellence then is not
an act, but a habit
- Aristotle
 The most promising students and most effective employees are those
who develop a growth mindset
 Employers hire candidates with the best work ethic over talent and
skills
 A key work ethic virtue: “Do what you say you will do when you say
you will do it”
 Initiative isn’t something that you can wait to develop once you get a
job
 When you get knocked down, show your GRIT. Pull yourself and your
attitude back up
 Generational barriers will exist in the workforce for decades. Adapt
and show flexibility and cooperation
 Develop a vision of what you want your future to become
Professional Reading
Chua, Amy & Rubenfeld, Jed (2014). The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups
in America. New York: Penguin Press.
Colvin, Geoff (2008). Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else. New York:
Penguin Group.
Davis, Vicki (2014). True Grit: The Best Measure of Success and How to Teach It. Edutopia, January 9, 2014.
Duckworth, Angela. Google 8- Item Grit Scale.
Dweck, Carol (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.
Elmore, Tim (2012). Artificial Maturity: Helping Kids Meet The Challenge of Becoming Authentic Adults. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Elmore, Tim (2010). Generation iY: Our Last Chance to Save Their Future. Atlanta: Poet Gardener Publishing.
Elmore, Tim (2014). 12 Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid: Leading Your Kids to Succeed in Life. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Press.
Gladwell, Malcolm (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown & Company.
Gladwell, Malcolm (2013). David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. New York: Little, Brown &
Company.
Gorksi, Paul (2013). Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Professional Reading
Hoerr, Thomas R. (2013). Fostering Grit: How Do I Prepare My Students For The Real World? Virginia: ASCD.
Jensen, Eric (2013). Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind: Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD.
Kohn, Alfie (2014). The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Children and Parenting. Boston:
Da Capo Press.
Pappano, Laura (2013). “Grit” and The New Character Education. Harvard Education Newsletter Vol. 29, Number 1—Jan./Feb.
Payne, Ruby (1996, 2005) A Framework for Understanding Poverty. 4th Edition. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc.
Ricci, Mary Cay (2013). Mindsets in The Classroom: Building a Culture of Success and Student Achievement in Schools. Waco, TX:
Purfrock Press, Inc.
Roberts, Yvonne (2009). Grit. The Skills for Success and How They Are Grown. London: Young Foundation
Tough, Paul (2012). How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt.
Tulgan, Bruce (2009). Not Everyone Gets a Trophy: How to Manage Generation Y. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wormeli, Rick. Perseverance and Grit. AMLE Magazine, Jan. 2014, Vol. 1, #5