Applying Skills to Achieve Goals
As you consider the reasons you enrolled in PSEC and the goals that you have established for yourself, the obvious question that emerges is – “Okay what now? How do you proceed on a routine, daily basis to increase the likelihood of achieving those goals?” The same question is posed when you address the three main purposes of this College 100 course, as listed in the syllabus. It is through the development and the application of specific skills that you will begin to address this question.
From what we know about learning and what we have experienced with students here at PSEC, we have identified three categories of skills that have proven essential for success in this program. This list is not all inclusive, but it does help focus on key abilities, attitudes, and behaviors.
Personal Skills
Self-awareness: Actively identifies own needs, attitudes, feelings, strengths, and weaknesses
Resource application: Actively identifies and utilizes a wide range of resources while seeking other viewpoints and opinions
Career/educational planning: Actively considers long-term implications of one’s studies and daily activities and is committed to a well-developed, yet dynamic plan
Time management: Routinely uses time well throughout the project/assignment to ensure things get done on time; the group does not have to adjust to your poor time management
Attitude and Motivation: Consistently motivates self; routinely and positively engaged with the learning community
Pride: Your work consistently reflects your best efforts
Working with others: Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others; regularly demonstrates empathy and trust in others; tries to keep people working well together
Social Skills
Active listening: Regularly gives undivided attention to the speaker; Utilizes appropriate body language and offers comments, questions, and accurately paraphrases
Quality preparation: Regularly completes assigned work and demonstrates an intellectual curiosity through independent explorations of the topic
Strength in diversity: Regularly demonstrates genuine respect for others by forming multiple relationships with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, including ethnicity, religion, sexuality, race, and ability
Scholarly discourse: Consistently facilitates discussions in and out of the classroom that connect and extend ideas developed in your academic studies
Negotiation and mediation: Consistently demonstrates the ability to achieve creative resolutions that meet the needs of all parties through active listening, negotiation, and mediation
Teamwork: Consistently works with others towards a common goal while demonstrating leadership and/or vision
Public Dialogue: Consistently demonstrates an ability and willingness to address issues of the community in a variety of forums. Shows keen audience awareness, has a thorough knowledge of the issues, and demonstrates depth of thought in considering the issues from different perspectives.
Thinking Skills
Addresses complex problems: Consistently demonstrates synthesis of knowledge and skills to solve complex problems
Connections between related concepts: Consistently utilizes both obvious and subtle connections between related concepts
Consideration of consequences: Consistently anticipates and articulates possible consequences
Sufficient, appropriate evidence: Regularly identifies and utilizes sufficient and appropriate evidence
“Why is this important”: Regularly able to recognize and articulate why new information and/or skills are important
Assignment: Skill Development Journal
I will evaluate your journal twice during this course. The purpose in doing so, will be to identify and describe:
- Which skills you have selected
- What strategies you have chosen to improve your skills (what’s your plan)
- How you plan to measure your progress
- And then finally, how you feel about the results of your efforts thus far
To provide some degree of structure and someability to quantify the evaluation aspect of your journal, I suggest you use the following tools:
1. A problem solving process:
- Develop a goal statement that addresses your issue
- Identify all variables effecting your issue, including the degree of impact and frequency of occurrence
- Explore several options for addressing your issue and developing your plan for improvement
- Develop your plan
- Put the plan in action
- Evaluate the initial results
- Project future changes or continuation of the plan
- Define your personal, social, and thinking skills using terms that generally reflect your highest level of development. Utilizing a 4-point scale, evaluate your current level of competence relative to your chosen skills.
As examples:
Personal Skill --- self-awareness
1.0 = Rarely identifies own needs, attitudes, etc
2.0 = Seldom identifies own needs, etc.
3.0 = Sometimes identifies, etc.
4.0 = Actively identifies, etc
Social skill --- Public dialogue
1.0= Does not participate in discussions of community issues, etc.
2.0= Active listener but reluctant participant in discussions, etc
3.0= Infrequently demonstrates an ability and/or willingness to, etc.
4.0= Consistently demonstrates an ability and willingness to, etc.
(Please feel free to use a 2.3, 3.4, 1.8, etc. to reflect a more accurate measure of your current assessment.)
- Suggestion: The narrative portion of yourjournal can take whatever form works best for you. I suggest that you focus on no more than two skills from each category. You should always date each entry. I would also suggest that in creating your journal,designate a section in your notebook that you can add to or rearrange as needed.
- Keep in mind that the purpose of this assignment is to consistently bring your attention to the development of these skills. We often get so caught up in addressing the tasks before us each day that we never take the time to reflect on our own skill growth. Reflection focuses attention, which can lead to planning, which leads to action, which leads to growth, etc.
Assignment Due Dates:
I will collect your Skill Development journal for the first time on Dec. 11th and for the last time on Feb. 19th. The December evaluation is to allow me to give you feedback and to make suggestions regarding the progress that you are making. Both evaluations will be assigned a grade that will be part of your self-evaluation process at the end of winter quarter.
During the sixth week of fall quarter, I suggest that you schedule an individual appointment with me to discuss your progress on this assignment.