Author: Skip

Empowering Students to Get On Course
REEDLEY COLLEGE
September 25-26, 2009
PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP: To provide you with…
1) learner-centered structures and strategies for helping
students learn more deeply, and
2) empowerment strategies for helping students become
active, responsible and successful learners who thrive in
a learner-centered environment.
Agenda
Day 1
Session 1 (9:00-10:15): Characteristics of Successful Students
Session 2 (10:30-12:00): Characteristics of Learner-Centered Education
Session 3 (1:00-2:30): Promoting Students’ Self-Responsibility
Session 4 (2:45-4:00): Promoting Students’ Self-Motivation
Day 2
Session 1 (9:00-10:30): Promoting Students’ Self-Management
Session 2 (10:45-12:00): Promoting Students’ Interdependence
Session 3 (1:00-2:30): Promoting Students’ Self-Awareness &
Lifelong Learning
Session 4 (2:45-4:00): Adding to Your Learner-Centered Toolbox
Dr. Jonathan Brennan
Certified On Course Facilitator
OnCourseWorkshop.com
(You’ll find many additional strategies at this web site)
On Course is an intervention process that (re)empowers students to be active, responsible learners who make consistently wise choices, both academic and personal. The outcome is increased academic success and retention.
On Course is an intervention process that (re)empowers students to be active, responsible learners who make consistently wise choices, both academic and personal. The outcome is increased academic success and retention.

1

THE PURCHASED PAPER
One dark and stormy Thursday in December, first-semester student EDGAR ALLEN told his roommate, BILLY, “You might as well start looking for a new roommate. My college days are coming to an end.”
Edgar’s bad luck had started late that afternoon with a voicemail from MR. LONG, manager of the office supply store where Edgar worked part time. “I just found out,” the message said, “that the regional manager wants an inventory of the entire store completed by Monday morning. To get this done, I need everyone at the store from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. No excuses. Be there!”
What a disaster! Edgar thought. He had planned to spend the whole weekend working on the final paper for his composition class. It was due Monday morning, and he couldn’t imagine writing a passing paper while working 12-hour shifts all weekend. Worse, without at least a C in English, he’d lose his financial aid, and then he’d have to drop out of college. The money he made working part-time barely covered his food, rent, car payments and insurance, and there was no way he could pay tuition on top of that. MRS. ALLEN, Edgar’s single mom, was planning to buy a new car—her first ever—and she made it perfectly clear she wasn’t going to help with his tuition. “I’ve taken care of you and your brother for 24 years, and now it’s my time to enjoy life!”
Panicked, Edgar called PROFESSOR PINE to tell her he wouldn’t be able to turn in his composition on time. He explained his situation to her and begged for an extension. “I’m sorry, Edgar,” Professor Pine replied. “I warned everyone weeks ago that I have to turn in final grades on Tuesday. If I don’t get your paper on Monday morning, you’ll get a zero. I guess you’ve got an important choice to make!”
“That’s no choice,” Edgar told Billy, “If I fail the class, I’ll lose my financial aid, and if I don’t show up for work, I’ll get fired. Either way, I’m through in college.” “C’mon, man!” Billy countered, “No one writes their own papers anymore. There are thousands of papers for sale on the Internet. I’ll even find you one.”
But all weekend at work, Edgar kept telling himself that he was not going to turn in a purchased paper. He’d write the paper himself, even if he had to stay awake the whole weekend. But after work on Friday and Saturday nights, he was too tired to concentrate so he went to bed vowing to write the paper Sunday night no matter what. When Edgar returned from work exhausted on Sunday night, Billy met him at the door. “Great news! I found you an English paper on the Internet and it’s a guaranteed ‘A.’ I printed it out with your name on it, and I had a campus security guard put it in Professor Pine’s mailbox. Your semester is officially over, my friend, and now you’re coming with me to Clancy’s to celebrate. The first round is on me.” He grabbed Edgar by the arm and dragged him out the door. “All right, all right,” Edgar said. “I’m too tired to argue.”
It took Professor Pine about five minutes of searching the Internet to find the essay that Edgar had submitted. She liked Edgar and knew he was under a lot of pressure. Actually Edgar had some good writing skills, and if she didn’t count this plagiarized paper, he’d easily get a C in English, keep his financial aid, and stay in college. Everyone needs a break once in a while, she thought. But when she told her colleague PROFESSOR CORDOVA that she was going to overlook Edgar’s plagiarized paper, he exploded. “Oh, no you’re not! You have to fail this guy and make an example of him! Otherwise, you’ll get a reputation as a sucker and a pushover. Worse, once that happens you’ll lose the respect of your colleagues. Don’t even think about passing him!”
Embarrassed by Professor Cordova’s reprimand, Professor Pine wrote a zero on Edgar’s paper and entered an F for his final grade.
* * * * *
Listed below are the characters in this story. Rank them in order of their responsibility for Edgar’s failing grade in English. Give a different score to each character. Be prepared to explain your choices.
Most responsible ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 è Least responsible
__ Edgar Allen, English student __ Billy, Edgar‘s roommate __ Mr. Long, Edgar’s boss
__ Mrs. Allen, Edgar’s mother __ Prof. Pine, Edgar’s teacher __ Prof. Cordova, Prof. Pine’s colleague
Diving Deeper: Is there someone not mentioned in the story who may also bear responsibility for Edgar Allen’s failing grade?

© Skip Downing (with thanks to Jan McMannis & Pam Allen of the U. of Pittsburgh for the original idea and to Robin Middleton of Jamestown Community College for important contributions to this version.)

2

THE PURCHASED PAPER
One dark Thursday evening in December, freshman basketball star EDGAR ALLEN told his roommate, “You might as well start looking for a new roommate, BILLY. I’m as good as gone.”
Edgar’s string of bad luck had started that afternoon. First, COACH LONG had cancelled basketball practice because the water main in the gym had burst. Then, he’d announced that the holiday basketball tournament, originally scheduled that weekend on their campus, would be moved to another college 200 miles away. Their team would be leaving for the new tournament site by bus the next morning at 8:00 a.m., and they wouldn’t be back until late Sunday night.
What a disaster! Edgar thought. He’d planned to spend the entire weekend, except for game times, working at the library on his final English paper. It was due on Monday, but there was no way Edgar could picture himself writing a passing paper on a road trip. And he needed at least a C to pass English and stay eligible for basketball. Without his basketball scholarship, Edgar knew he wouldn’t be coming back next semester. He’d probably be working at Wal-Mart. MRS. ALLEN, Edgar’s mom, had just bought a new car, and she made it perfectly clear she couldn’t help Edgar with his tuition.
Panicked, Edgar called PROFESSOR PINE immediately to tell her that he wouldn’t be able to get his English paper done on time because he’d be away all weekend at the tournament. He begged her for an extension. “I’m sorry, Edgar. I warned everyone weeks ago that I have to turn in my final grades on Tuesday. If I don’t have your paper when I leave here on Monday, you’ll get a zero. I guess you’ve got an important choice to make!”
“That’s no choice,” Edgar told Billy, “I’ll lose my scholarship whatever I do. If I stay here to write the paper, Coach Long will throw me off the team. If I go to the tournament, I’ll flunk English, and then I’ll be outta here anyway. I am totally screwed.” “Hey man,” Billy countered, “I keep saying, you gotta wise up to rise up. Don’t you know it’s the 21st Century? No one writes their own papers anymore. There are thousands of papers for sale on the Internet. I’ll even find you one.”
All weekend at the tournament, though, Edgar kept telling himself he was not going to turn in a purchased paper. He’d write it himself even if he had to stay up all Sunday night. But when he got back to his room late Sunday night, propped on his desk was the paper that Billy had found for him. Edgar put the paper back on Billy’s desk, and then spent hours trying to write his own. Finally, he surrendered to a deep sleep. In the morning, he retrieved the paper from Billy’s desk, thinking, “Just this one time!”
It took Professor Pine about 5 minutes of searching the Internet to find the essay that Edgar had given her. She liked Edgar and knew he was under a lot of pressure. If she didn’t count this plagiarized paper, he’d get a C– in English and would keep his scholarship. As she pondered what to do, Coach Long called her home and asked if she could possibly give Edgar a break just this once. That did it! She didn’t even ask if the coach was aware that Edgar had turned in a plagiarized paper. All she knew was, he had some nerve pressuring her to give one of his players special treatment. When she hung up, Professor Pine wrote a zero on Edgar’s paper and put an F on the final grade report.
* * * * *
Listed below are the characters in this story. Rank them in order of their responsibility for Edgar’s failing grade in English. Give a different score to each character. Be prepared to explain your choices.
Most responsible ç 1 2 3 4 5 6è Least responsible
___ Edgar Allen, the English student ___ Billy, the roommate ___ Coach Long
___ Mrs. Allen, Edgar’s mother ___ Professor Pine ___ Seller of essay on Internet
Diving Deeper: Is there someone not mentioned in the story who may also bear responsibility for Edgar Allen’s failing grade?

Forks in the Road of Life

CHOICE

© Skip Downing 3

WHAT ARE THE INNER QUALITIES
OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS?
An Inner Quality can not be seen; it can only be inferred from a student’s consistent behavior. An example of an Inner Quality is “persistence.” We observe a student’s actions to determine if s/he is persistent or not.
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© Skip Downing 4

CHOICES OF / SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS...	STRUGGLING STUDENTS...
1. ...accept PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, seeing themselves as the primary cause of their outcomes and experiences.	1. ...see themselves as Victims, believing that what happens to them is determined primarily by external forces such as fate, luck, and powerful others.
2. ...discover SELF-MOTIVATION, finding purpose in their lives by discovering personally meaningful goals and dreams.	2. ...have difficulty sustaining motivation, often feeling depressed, frustrated, and/or resentful about a lack of direction in their lives.
3. ...master SELF-MANAGEMENT, consistently planning and taking purposeful actions in pursuit of their goals and dreams.	3. ...seldom identify specific actions needed to accomplish a desired outcome. And when they do, they tend to procrastinate.
4. ...employ INTERDEPENDENCE, building mutually supportive relationships that help them achieve their goals and dreams (while helping others do the same).	4. ...are solitary, seldom requesting, even rejecting, offers of assistance from those who could help.
5. ...gain SELF-AWARENESS, consciously employing behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes that keep them on course.	5. ...make important choices unconsciously, being directed by self-sabotaging habits and outdated life scripts.
6. …adopt LIFE-LONG LEARNING, finding valuable lessons and wisdom in nearly every experience they have.	6. ...resist learning new ideas and skills, viewing learning as fearful or boring rather than as mental play.
7. ...develop EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, effectively managing their emotions in support of their goals and dreams.	7. ...live at the mercy of strong emotions such as anger, depression, anxiety, or a need for instant gratification.
8. ...BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES, seeing themselves as capable, lovable and unconditionally worthy human beings.	8. ...doubt their competence and personal value, feeling inadequate to create their desired / outcomes and experiences.

From Skip Downing. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning 5

ON COURSE CORE BELIEFS
The most successful people (and learners) are empowered people.
Empowered people are self-responsible, self-motivated, self-managing, interdependent, self-aware, emotionally intelligent, self-esteeming life-long learners.
Empowered people make choices that lead them toward, rather than away from, their desired outcomes and experiences, including success in college.
2. In formal education, the deepest learning is provided by well-designed learner-centered experiences.
All learning is ultimately created by what the learner does, not by what the educator says.
Effective educators provide students with well-designed learner-centered experiences and the opportunity to reflect meaningfully on them.
3. At the intersection of an empowered person and a well-designed learner-centered experience lies the opportunity for deep, perhaps even transformational, learning.
Meaningful reflection upon academic and life experiences leads to deep and lasting learning.
Deep knowing is transformative, not additive.

Empowered Person

Deep & Transformational Learning

Learner-Centered Experience

© Skip Downing 6

THE JIGSAW MODEL
1. Expert in THINK/PAIR/SHARE
2. Expert in QUOTATION GAME
3. Expert in VALUE LINE
4. Expert in THIRTY-FIVE
Step A. Home Groups
Step B. Expert Groups
OR
Step C. Home Groups

THE JIGSAW
(Model)
Step A. Home Groups
Step B. Expert Groups
OR
Step C. Home Groups

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The Jigsaw was created by Elliot Aronson and his graduate students at the University of Texas.

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1. THINK/PAIR/SHARE
Think/Pair/Share is probably the simplest and most commonly used of all learner-centered structures. It was created by Frank Lyman of the University of Maryland. It provides an opportunity for learners to ponder a topic first alone and then with a partner before sharing ideas with the whole class. As such, this technique encourages deep thinking about a topic.
Note: We did a Think/Pair/Share earlier when …
1. Each person wrote a quick list of Inner Qualities of Successful Students (Think)
2. Two people compared their lists (Pair)
3. We held a Large-Group Discussion about the qualities identified. (Share)
Directions:
A. Give students a prompt and ask them to think about it. The prompt could be a reading assignment, classroom activity, film, guest speaker, quotation, lecture, graded test, field trip, music, cartoon...essentially anything that will direct the students’ thinking toward the learning objective. “Thinking” could be literally thinking about the prompt, but is often writing about the prompt. In this step, students may either be given guiding questions/directions or encouraged to think freely about the prompt.
B. Pair students and ask them to discuss the prompt. The conversation can be guided with questions/directions or left open to the students’ choice.
C. Reassemble all students. Through a large-group discussion, guide the students to discover learning objectives.
USE or ADAPT (be specific about the purpose and the directions):

WHAT ARE THE INNER QUALITIES
OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS?
An Inner Quality can not be seen; it can only be inferred from a student’s consistent behavior. An example of an Inner Quality is “persistence.” We observe a student’s actions to determine if s/he is persistent or not.
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2. QUOTATION GAME
The Quotation Game, created by Sivasailam Thiagarajan, provides an opportunity for learners to identify and articulate essential truths regarding a complex topic. As such it is an effective way to introduce a new topic or solidify an understanding after previous study.
Directions:
A. Have students count off to form seven groups. Give each group one index card and a prepared handout with quotations from authorities in the target knowledge (e.g., quotations from expert economists on the causes of inflation).
B. Direct students to read the quotations aloud within their group and then discuss the “essential truths” about the topic. The group’s goal is to compose a statement about the topic that will fool other groups into thinking the statement is a memorable quote from an authority on the topic. Each group writes its “fake” quotation on the index card.
C. Collect the seven “fake” quotation cards and type them into PowerPoint slides, with one slide already containing one quotation from a recognized authority on the topic (one that is not on the list of quotations examined by the students). If you don’t have PP, simply read the cards aloud (though this is more challenging for visual learners).
D. Tell the groups, “I will project the eight quotations two times, with a pause between slides for you to discuss them in your group. Your objective is to identify the quotation by an authority on [the topic]. When we go through the quotations a third time, you will each vote individually for the quotation you think was written by an authority. You may each vote twice.” Slowly go through the slides two times, reading them aloud, and pausing for students to discuss them in their groups. On the third time through, have students vote and record the number of votes each quotation receives.
E. Identify and read the fake quote that received most votes and congratulate the winning team. Ask those who voted for it, “What was it that caused you to vote for this statement?” Next, read the real quote & invite those who picked it to stand: “How did you spot it?”
F. Optional Wrap Up:
Tell students: “Write one sentence that captures an essential truth about [the topic].”
Tell students: “Turn to a neighbor and exchange what you wrote.”
Lead a Large-Group Discussion: “Who’d like to read what you wrote…or nominate your partner?” Continue the discussion, guiding students to discover the learning objectives.
USE or ADAPT (be specific about the purpose and the directions):

1. THINK/PAIR/SHARE
Think/Pair/Share is probably the simplest and most easily used of all learner-centered structures. It was created by Frank Lyman of the University of Maryland. It provides an opportunity for learners to ponder a topic first alone and then with a partner before sharing ideas with the whole class. As such, this technique encourage deep thinking about a topic.
Note: We did a Think/Pair/Share earlier when …
1. Each person made a list of Inner Qualities of Successful Students (Think)
2. Two people compared their lists (Pair)
3. We held a Large-Group Discussion about the qualities identified. (Share)
Directions:
A. Give students a prompt and ask then to think about it. The prompt could be a reading assignment, class activity, film, guest speaker, quotation, lecture, graded test, field trip, music, cartoon...essentially anything that will direct the students’ thinking toward the learning objective. “Thinking” could be literally thinking about the prompt, but is often writing about the prompt. In this step, students may either be given guiding questions/directions or encouraged to think freely about the prompt.
B. Pair students and ask them to talk about the prompt. The conversation can be guided with questions/directions or left open to the students’ choice.
C. Reassemble all students. Through a large-group discussion, guide the students to discover learning objectives.
USE or ADAPT:

WHAT ARE THE INNER QUALITIES
OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS?
An Inner Quality can not be seen; it can only be inferred from a student’s consistent behavior. An example of an Inner Quality is “persistence.” We observe a student’s actions to determine if s/he is persistent or not.
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3. VALUE LINE
The value line structure is described in Spencer Kagan’s book Cooperative Learning (among other places). This structure provides an opportunity for learners to take a stand (literally) for an opinion and then explain that opinion to others. As such, Value Lines encourage and develop critical thinking.
Directions:
A. Present a statement and ask students to rate their agreement with it on a scale (e.g., 1-10 where 1 represents total disagreement and 10 represents total agreement).
B. Ask students to stand and line up based on their rating. Those with the strongest disagreement stand at one end of the line, those with the strongest agreement stand at the other end, and others fill in at appropriate places in line. Have students count off from one end of the line to the other to assure that they are in order from 1-10. (Bend the line like a horseshoe so that everyone can see and hear each other.)
C. Ask students at both the ends of the value line to explain their positions. Encourage a spirited debate, asking students to support their positions with as much specificity as possible. Invite students who change their mind to move at any time to a different place on the value line. When students move, ask them to explain what changed their minds. Option: Instead of calling on students, ask “Who would you like to hear explain their position?” Typically, the more vocal students will volunteer and the chances are good that they will ask a more quiet student to speak. Thus, you have reversed the dynamics of who are talkers and who are listeners.
D. Variation: After setting up the value line, fold it. That is, bring the two ends together and have students create pairs all the way down the line. Students at opposite ends are now paired and instructed to interview each other to find out the reasons their partners have for their position. Afterwards, students are asked to present their partner’s position. This develops a number of skills, including active listening, seeing multiple perspectives, and summarizing.
USE or ADAPT (be specific about the purpose and the directions):

1. THINK/PAIR/SHARE
Think/Pair/Share is probably the simplest and most easily used of all learner-centered structures. It was created by Frank Lyman of the University of Maryland. It provides an opportunity for learners to ponder a topic first alone and then with a partner before sharing ideas with the whole class. As such, this technique encourage deep thinking about a topic.
Note: We did a Think/Pair/Share earlier when …
1. Each person made a list of Inner Qualities of Successful Students (Think)
2. Two people compared their lists (Pair)
3. We held a Large-Group Discussion about the qualities identified. (Share)
Directions:
A. Give students a prompt and ask then to think about it. The prompt could be a reading assignment, class activity, film, guest speaker, quotation, lecture, graded test, field trip, music, cartoon...essentially anything that will direct the students’ thinking toward the learning objective. “Thinking” could be literally thinking about the prompt, but is often writing about the prompt. In this step, students may either be given guiding questions/directions or encouraged to think freely about the prompt.
B. Pair students and ask them to talk about the prompt. The conversation can be guided with questions/directions or left open to the students’ choice.
C. Reassemble all students. Through a large-group discussion, guide the students to discover learning objectives.
USE or ADAPT:

WHAT ARE THE INNER QUALITIES
OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS?
An Inner Quality can not be seen; it can only be inferred from a student’s consistent behavior. An example of an Inner Quality is “persistence.” We observe a student’s actions to determine if s/he is persistent or not.
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4. THIRTY-FIVE
Thirty-Five, created by Sivasailam Thiagarajan, provides an opportunity for learners to test their knowledge by answering challenging questions about the target knowledge. As such, Thirty-Five provides an effective and active review of important concepts.
Directions:
A. Tell students, “We’re now going to play a game called Thirty-Five. The object of the game is to earn as many points as possible, with 35 being the top score. The way you earn points is by writing on an index card—in 100 words or less—a thoughtful answer to the following question: [Provide a question regarding your target knowledge].” Allow a suitable amount of time for students to write an answer (e.g., 3-7 minutes) on an index card. Tell them NOT to put their names on the card.
B. Tell students, “Walk around, holding your card face down, and quickly exchange cards until the chime rings. [Allow about five exchanges; then ring chime.] If you now have your own card or one you have seen before, make another exchange. Now find a partner and compare the two cards you have. Distribute seven points between the two cards for their relative quality. For example, if they are close in quality, you might give four points to one card and three to the other. Or, if one is clearly stronger than the other, you might give seven points to that card and zero points to the other. Write the points awarded on the back of the card. If you finish scoring before the chime, continue talking with your partner about the ideas on the card.”
C. Repeat Step B four more times. After the fifth round, tell students, “Return to your seats and total the points awarded to the card you now have.”
D. Ask if anyone has a card with 35 points. Keep moving down—34, 33, 32—until you have found the five highest scoring cards (without their being read yet). Ask the person with the fifth highest scoring card to read the answer on the card. Elicit comments on the answer and guide the conversation to your target learning objectives. Have the author stand for acknowledgement. Repeat for the fourth, third, second, and highest scoring cards, commenting on each. Invite each author to stand and be acknowledged.
USE or ADAPT (be specific about the purpose and the directions):

1. THINK/PAIR/SHARE
Think/Pair/Share is probably the simplest and most easily used of all learner-centered structures. It was created by Frank Lyman of the University of Maryland. It provides an opportunity for learners to ponder a topic first alone and then with a partner before sharing ideas with the whole class. As such, this technique encourage deep thinking about a topic.
Note: We did a Think/Pair/Share earlier when …
1. Each person made a list of Inner Qualities of Successful Students (Think)
2. Two people compared their lists (Pair)
3. We held a Large-Group Discussion about the qualities identified. (Share)
Directions:
A. Give students a prompt and ask then to think about it. The prompt could be a reading assignment, class activity, film, guest speaker, quotation, lecture, graded test, field trip, music, cartoon...essentially anything that will direct the students’ thinking toward the learning objective. “Thinking” could be literally thinking about the prompt, but is often writing about the prompt. In this step, students may either be given guiding questions/directions or encouraged to think freely about the prompt.
B. Pair students and ask them to talk about the prompt. The conversation can be guided with questions/directions or left open to the students’ choice.
C. Reassemble all students. Through a large-group discussion, guide the students to discover learning objectives.
USE or ADAPT:

WHAT ARE THE INNER QUALITIES
OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS?
An Inner Quality can not be seen; it can only be inferred from a student’s consistent behavior. An example of an Inner Quality is “persistence.” We observe a student’s actions to determine if s/he is persistent or not.
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What is Learner-Centered Education?

lThe Learner-Centered Educator facilitates a learning experience, then encourages students to reflect deeply upon the experience, guiding them to make meaningful discoveries.
lThe Learner-Centered Educator employs a wide range of teaching methods which encourage students to participate actively in the learning process.
lBeing a skilled Learner-Centered Educator
requires content expertise, verbal fluency, and the ability to design and facilitate effective learning
experiences.

lStudents in this learning environment often become active learners, seeking to discover...
WHY? A reason to learn the content
WHAT? Information that explains the content
HOW? Proficiency in applying the content
WHAT NEXT? The ability to generalize and
transfer the content to new situations.
lWhen done well, this approach addresses the learning preferences of a majority of students, helping them create learning that is deep and lasting, and, sometimes, even transformational.

Learner-Centered
Educator’s Tool Box

Guided Conversation

Popcorn Reading

Q & A

Large-Group
Discussion

Journaling

Corners

Small-Group Discussion

Quick List

PMI-Q

Quotation Game

Brainstorm

Thirty-Five

Case Study

Jigsaw

Think/Pair//Share

Lecture

What the recent research on student learning has concluded is that the more actively students are involved in the learning process and take personal responsibility for their learning outcomes, the greater are the learning results.
--Todd M. Davis & Patricia Hillman Murrell, Turning Teaching into Learning. ASHE-ERIC

© Skip Downing 12

Value Line

TIMELESS WISDOM: Personal Responsibility
1. Responsibility...is...the ability to fulfill one's needs, and to do so in a way that does not deprive others of the ability to fulfill their needs. …The teaching of responsibility is the most important task of all higher animals, man most certainly included. —William Glasser
2. In our period of time, there is a shift of dominance to a new principle. The new principle is that you as an individual are the predominant creative force in your life. —Robert Fritz
3. [Y]ou are responsible for the eventual outcome of your life. You have been given the greatest power in the world—the power to choose. —Denis Waitley
4. I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of our every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.
—Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
5. What the recent research on student learning has concluded is that the more actively students are involved in the learning process and take personal responsibility for their learning outcomes, the greater are the learning results. —Todd M. Davis & Patricia Hillman Murrell
6. It is not what happens, it is how we react to it. We are each 100% responsible for all our experiences. —Louise Hay
7. Learning and development indeed progress optimally when there is an active participation from the student to take personal responsibility for his or her own learning and development.
—Johnmarshall Reeve
8. I believe it is prompt accountability for one’s choices, a willing acceptance of responsibility for one’s thoughts, behavior, and actions that make [the soul] powerful.
—Alice Walker
9. Personal responsibility is the brick and mortar of power. —Shelby Steele
10. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force.... My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny.
—Elaine Maxwell

WHAT ARE THE INNER QUALITIES
OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS?
An Inner Quality can not be seen; it can only be inferred from a student’s consistent behavior. An example of an Inner Quality is “persistence.” We observe a student’s actions to determine if s/he is persistent or not.
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13

RESPONSIBILITY MODEL

Stimulus

Choice

Victim

Creator

Response
uBlaming
uComplaining
uExcusing
uRepeating
behavior

Response
uSeeking
solutions
uTaking action
uTrying
something new

Result
Seldom achieves goals

Result
Often achieves goals

© Skip Downing 14

IF I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY...
Step 1. Complete each of the ten sentence stems below. For example, someone might complete the first sentence stem as follows: “If I take full Responsibility for all of my actions, I will achieve more of my goals in life.” You will be asked to share what you write with others.
A. If I take full Responsibility for all of my actions…
B. If I take full Responsibility for all of my thoughts…
C. If I take full Responsibility for all of my feelings…
D. If I take full Responsibility for my education…
E. If I take full Responsibility for my career…
F. If I take full Responsibility for my relationships…
G. If I take full Responsibility for my health…
H. If I take full Responsibility for all that happens to me…
I. When I am acting fully responsible for my life…
J. If I were to create my very best self…
Step 2. Write about what you have learned or relearned in this activity about personal responsibility and how you will use this awareness to improve your life. You might begin, By writing about personal responsibility, I have learned/relearned…. (continue on back)

From Skip Downing. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning 15

POPSON’S DILEMMA
Fresh from graduate school, Assistant Professor Popson was midway through his first semester of college teaching when his depression started. Long gone was the excitement and promise of the first day of class. Now, only about two-thirds of his students were attending, and some of them were barely holding on. When Popson asked a question during class, the same few students answered every time. The rest stared off in bored silence. One student always wore a cap with a slender cord slithering from under it to the iPod in his shirt pocket. With 10 or even 15 minutes remaining in a class period, students would start stuffing notebooks noisily into their backpacks or book bags. Only one student had visited him during office hours, despite Popson’s numerous invitations. And when he announced one day that he was canceling the next class to attend a professional conference, a group in the back of the room pumped their fists in the air and hooted with glee. It pained Popson to have aroused so little academic motivation in his students, and he began asking experienced professors what he should do.
Professor Assante said, “Research says that about 70 percent of students enroll in college because they see the degree as their ticket to a good job and fat paycheck. And they’re right. College grads earn nearly a million dollars more in their lives than high school grads. Show them how your course will help them graduate and prosper in the work world. After that, most of them will be model students.”
Professor Buckley said, “Everyone wants the freedom to make choices affecting their lives, so have your students design personal learning contracts. Let each one choose assignments from a list of options you provide. Let them add their own choices if they want. Even have them pick the dates they’ll turn in their assignments. Give them coupons that allow them to miss any three classes without penalty. Do everything you can to give them choices and put them in charge of their own education. Once they see they’re in control of their learning and you’re here to help them, their motivation will soar.”
Professor Chang said, “Deep down, everyone wants to make a difference. I just read a survey by the Higher Education Research Institute showing that two-thirds of entering freshmen believe it’s essential or very important to help others. Find out what your students want to do to make a contribution. Tell them how your course will help them achieve those dreams. Even better, engage them in a service learning project. When they see how your course can help them live a life with real purpose, they’ll be much more interested in what you’re teaching.”
Professor Donnelly said, “Let’s be realistic. The best motivator for students is grades. It’s the old carrot and stick. Start every class with a quiz and they’ll get there on time. Take points off for absences and they’ll attend regularly. Give extra points for getting assignments in on time. Reward every positive action with points and take off points when they screw up. When they realize they can get a good grade in your class by doing what’s right, even the guy with the iPod will get involved.”
Professor Egret said, “Most people work harder and learn better when they feel they’re part of a team with a common goal, so help your student feel part of a community of learners. Give them interesting topics to talk about in pairs and small groups. Give them team assignments and group projects. Teach them how to work well in groups so everyone contributes their fair share. When your students start feeling like they belong and start caring about one another, you’ll see their academic motivation go way up.”

From Skip Downing. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning 16 12

POPSON’S DILEMMA (continued)
Professor Fanning said, “Your unmotivated students probably don’t expect to pass your course, so they quit trying. Here’s my suggestion: Assign a modest challenge at which they can all succeed if they do it. And every student has to do it. No exceptions. Afterwards, give students specific feedback on what they did well and what they can do to improve. Then give them a slightly more challenging assignment and repeat the cycle again and again. Help them expect to be successful by being successful. At some point they’re going to say, ‘Hey, I can do this!’ and then you’ll see a whole different attitude.”
Professor Gonzales said, “Learning should be active and fun. I’m not talking about a party; I’m talking about engaging students in educational experiences that teach deep and important lessons about your subject. Your students should be thinking, ‘I can’t wait to get to class to see what we’re going to do and learn today!’ You can use debates, videos, field trips, group projects, case studies, learning games, simulations, role plays, guest speakers, visualizations…the possibilities are endless. When learning is engaging and enjoyable, motivation problems disappear.”
Professor Harvey said, “I’ve been teaching for thirty years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: You can’t motivate someone else. Maybe you’ve heard the old saying, ‘When the student is ready, the teacher will arrive.’ You’re just wasting your energy trying to make someone learn before they’re ready. Maybe they’ll be back in your class in five or 10 years and they’ll be motivated. But for now, just do the best you can for the students who are ready.”
* * * * *
Listed below are the eight professors in this story. Based on your experience, rank the quality of their advice on the scale below. Give a different score to each professor. Be prepared to explain your choices.
Best Advice ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 è Worst Advice
____PROFESSOR ASSANTE ____PROFESSOR DONNELLY ____PROFESSOR GONZALES
____PROFESSOR BUCKLEY ____PROFESSOR EGRET ____PROFESSOR HARVEY
____PROFESSOR CHANG ____PROFESSOR FANNING
Diving Deeper: Is there a response not mentioned by one of the eight professors that would have been even more motivating for you?

From Skip Downing. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning 17

MOTIVATION QUIZ
College and University educators often talk about their students’ motivation (usually noting a lack thereof). What, then, do experts say about what educators can do to increase their students’ motivation?
Take this quick quiz and compare your ideas about motivation with two experts who have given much study and thought to this important topic.
GOOD NEWS: You don’t have to take the quiz alone. Join with a partner, put your heads together, and write your best answers in the blanks below:
Extra Credit: I could use/adapt a Paired Quiz in the following way:

1. "The proper question is not, 'How can people motivate others?’ but rather
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.”
—Edward Deci, Why We Do What We Do
2. "Today’s theories about motivation emphasize the importance of factors within the individual, particularly the variables of _______________ and ________________. Students’ motivations are strongly influenced by what they think is important and what they believe they can accomplish.”
—K. Patricia Cross, Motivation: Er...Will That Be on the Test?

© Skip Downing 18

SELF-MANAGEMENT
QUADRANTS

URGENT NOT URGENT
IMPORTANT
NOT
IMPORTANT

Quadrant 1 / Procrastinators / & / Fire-Fighters	Quadrant 2 / Prioritizers / & / Investors
Quadrant 3 / Placators / & / Yes-People	Quadrant 4 / Slackers / & / Life-Wasters

Adapted from Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People 19

URGENT NOT URGENT
IMPORTANT
NOT
IMPORTANT

SELF-MANAGEMENT
QUADRANTS-IDEAL

Quadrant 2
Important
&
Not Urgent

1

3

4

Adapted from Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People 20

ADVISING ALLYSA
Imagine that you receive the following email from one of your favorite students:
When the fall semester began, I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit everything into my schedule. In addition to taking three college courses, I’m waitressing 24 hours a week, taking dance classes, teaching dance classes to kids, spending time with my boyfriend, doing housework and errands, hanging out with friends from three different groups (high school, college, and church), and rehearsing two evenings a week for an annual December musical at Memorial Auditorium, an event that draws thousands of people. I stay up late to get my homework done, then wake up exhausted. I’m struggling in math, and in my heart I know I could be doing better in my other classes. I forget to turn in homework, I’m skimping on preparation for my dance classes, I’m not calling friends back, and I forget to bring costumes and makeup to rehearsals for the musical. I’m sick all the time with colds and headaches. I’m seriously stressed and not doing full justice to anything. I need some advice. What should I do? Desperately, Allysa
SOLO: In the “Solo” space below, offer Allysa some specific self-management strategies to try.
PAIR:
SQUARE:

© Skip Downing 21

CHOOSE X OR Y
Goal: WIN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN!
Rules of Play: During each of seven rounds, do the following:
1. Deliberate: Discuss whether to choose X or Y. In Rounds 1, 2, 4, and 6, you may talk with only your team. In Rounds 3, 5, and 7, you may talk with members of any team.
2. Vote: Every person in your team must vote for X or Y before the Reporter may announce the team’s choice. The choice of the majority becomes the team’s choice.
3. Announce Group’s Choice: When the chime rings, the Reporter for each team must hold up an X or Y card within 10 seconds. If the Reporter is late displaying the card, the team’s choice will be recorded by the facilitator as a Y. The facilitator’s decision is final.
4. Record Points: Using the Payoff Chart below, record on the Team Score Sheet the number of points your team won or lost in each round. Then determine your team’s total winnings.
Payoff Chart:
Team Score Sheet:
Bonus Rounds (Highlighted in Score Sheet)
*Round 3 payoff is multiplied by 3
**Round 5 payoff is multiplied by 5
***Round 7 payoff is multiplied by 10

4X’s	X’s lose $1.00 each
3 X’s / 1 Y	X’s win $1.00 each / Y loses $3.00
2 X’s / 2 Y’s	X’s win $2.00 each / Y’s lose $2.00 each
1 X / 3 Y’s	X wins $3.00 / Y’s lose $1.00 each
4 Y’s	Y’s win $1.00 each

Round	Deliberate	You may talk to	Your Choice	Team’s Choice	$ Won	$ Lost	Total Winnings
1	10 minutes	Your group only	X or Y	X or Y
2	2 minutes	Your group only	X or Y	X or Y
3	4 minutes	Any group	X or Y	X or Y	*
4	2 minutes	Your group only	X or Y	X or Y
5	4 minutes	Any group	X or Y	X or Y	**
6	2 minutes	Your group only	X or Y	X or Y
7	4 minutes	Any group	X or Y	X or Y	***

“Choose X or Y” is a variation of an activity from Pheiffer’s Classic Activities (John Wiley and Sons) 22

A Fish Story
One September morning, on their first day of college, two dozen first-year students made their way into the biology laboratory. They sat down six at a lab table and glanced about for the professor. Because this was their first college class, most of the students were a bit nervous. A few introduced themselves. Others kept checking their watches.
At exactly nine o’clock, the professor, wearing a crisply pressed white lab coat, entered the room. “Good morning,” he said. He set a white plate in the middle of each table. On each plate lay a small fish.
“Please observe the fish,” the professor said. “Then write down your observations.” He turned and left the room.
The students looked at each other, puzzled. This was bizarre! Oh, well. They took out scrap paper and wrote notes such as, I see a small fish. One student added, It’s on a white plate.
Satisfied, they set their pens down and waited. And waited. For the entire class period, they waited. A couple of students whispered that it was a trick. They said the professor was probably testing them to see if they’d do something wrong. Time crawled by. Still they waited, trying to do nothing that would get them in trouble. Finally, one student mumbled that she was going to be late for her next class. She picked up her books and stood. She paused. Others rose as well and began filing out of the room. Some looked cautiously over their shoulders as they left.
When the students entered the biology lab for their second class, they found the same white plates with the same small fish already waiting on their laboratory tables. At exactly nine o’clock, the professor entered the room. “Good morning. Please take out your observations of the fish,” he said.
Students dug into their notebooks or book bags. Many could not find their notes. Those few who could held them up for the professor to see as he walked from table to table.
After visiting each student, the professor said, “Please observe the fish. Write down all of your observations.”
“Will there be a test on this?” one student asked. But the professor had already left the room, closing the door behind him. Frustrated, the student blurted, “Why doesn’t he just tell us what he wants us to know?”
The students looked at one another, more puzzled. They peered at the fish. Those few who had found their notes glanced from the fish to their notes and back again. Was the professor crazy? What else were they supposed to notice? It was only a stupid fish.
About then, one student spied a book on the professor’s desk. It was a book for identifying fish, and she snatched it up. Using the book, she quickly discovered what kind of fish was lying on her plate. She read eagerly, recording in her notes all of the facts she found about her fish. Others saw her and asked to use the book, too. She passed the book to other tables, and her classmates soon found descriptions of their fish. After about fifteen minutes the students sat back, very pleased with themselves. Chatter died down. They waited. But the professor didn’t return. As the period ended, all of the students carefully put their notes away.

From Skip Downing. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning

23

The same fish on the same white plate greeted each student in the third class. The professor entered at nine o’clock. “Good morning,” he said. “Please hold up your observations.” All of the students held up their notes immediately. They looked at each other, smiling, as the professor walked from table to table, looking at their work. Once again, he walked toward the door. “Please . . . observe the fish. Write down all of your observations,” he said. And then he left.
The students couldn’t believe it. They grumbled and complained. This guy is nuts. When is he going to teach us something? What are we paying tuition for, anyway? Students at one table, however, began observing their fish more closely. Other tables followed their example.
The first thing all of the students noticed was the biting odor of aging fish. A few students recorded details about the fish’s color that they had failed to observe in the previous two classes. They wondered if the colors had been there originally or if the colors had appeared as the fish aged. Each group measured its fish. They poked it and described its texture. One student looked in its mouth and found that he could see light through its gills. Another student found a small balance beam, and each group weighed its fish. They passed around someone’s pocket knife. With it, they sliced open the fish and examined its insides. In the stomach of one fish they found a smaller fish. They wrote quickly, and their notes soon overflowed onto three and four sheets of paper. Finally someone shouted, “Hey, class was over ten minutes ago.” They carefully placed their notes in three-ring binders. They said good-bye to their fish, wondering if their finny friends would be there on Monday.
They were, and a vile smell filled the laboratory. The professor strode into the room at exactly nine o’clock. The students immediately thrust their notes in the air. “Good morning,” the professor said cheerfully, making his way from student to student. He took longer than ever to examine their notes. The students shifted anxiously in their chairs as the professor edged ever closer to the door. How could they endure the smell for another class period? At the door, the professor turned to the students.
“All right,” he said. “Now we can begin.”
* * * * *
1. What do you believe the biology professor wanted his students to learn about learning from this opening week activity? (Write your answer in the space below...continuing on the back if necessary.)
2. How important do you consider this lesson to be for the students with whom you work? Circle your choice on the scale below. Be prepared to explain your rating.
Unimportant ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 è Extremely Important
3. Given what the professor wanted his students to learn, how would you rate his method of conveying the lesson. Circle your choice on the scale below. Be prepared to explain your rating.
Poor ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 è Excellent
—Inspired by Samuel J. Scudder, “Take This Fish and Look at It” (1874)

From Skip Downing. On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College and in Life. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning

24

The same fish on the same white plate greeted each student in the third class. The professor entered at nine o’clock. “Good morning,” he said. “Please hold up your observations.” All of the students held up their notes immediately. They looked at each other, smiling, as the professor walked from table to table, looking at their work. Once again, he walked toward the door. “Please . . . observe the fish. Write down all of your observations,” he said. And then he left.
The students couldn’t believe it. They grumbled and complained. This guy is nuts. When is he going to teach us something? What are we paying tuition for, anyway? Students at one table, however, began observing their fish more closely. Other tables followed their example.
The first thing all of the students noticed was the biting odor of aging fish. A few students recorded details about the fish’s color that they had failed to observe in the previous two classes. They wondered if the colors had been there originally or if the colors had appeared as the fish aged. Each group measured its fish. They poked it and described its texture. One student looked in its mouth and found that he could see light through its gills. Another student found a small balance beam, and each group weighed its fish. They passed around someone’s pocket knife. With it, they sliced open the fish and examined its insides. In the stomach of one fish they found a smaller fish. They wrote quickly, and their notes soon overflowed onto three and four sheets of paper. Finally someone shouted, “Hey, class was over ten minutes ago.” They carefully placed their notes in three-ring binders. They said good-bye to their fish, wondering if their finny friends would be there on Monday.
They were, and a vile smell filled the laboratory. The professor strode into the room at exactly nine o’clock. The students immediately thrust their notes in the air. “Good morning,” the professor said cheerfully, making his way from student to student. He took longer than ever to examine their notes. The students shifted anxiously in their chairs as the professor edged ever closer to the door. How could they endure the smell for another class period? At the door, the professor turned to the students.
“All right,” he said. “Now we can begin.”
* * * * *
1. What do you believe the biology professor wanted his students to learn from this opening week activity? (Write your answer in the space below...continuing on the back if necessary.)
2. How important do you consider this lesson to be for the students with whom you work? Circle your choice on the scale below. Be prepared to explain your rating.
Unimportant ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 è Extremely Important
3. Given what the professor wanted his students to learn, how would you rate his method of conveying the lesson. Circle your choice on the scale below. Be prepared to explain your rating.
Poor ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 è Excellent
—Inspired by Samuel J. Scudder, “Take This Fish and Look at It” (1874)

Adding to my
Learner-Centered Tool Box
ued è

Structures	How I can USE/ADAPT
Case Study / (Purchased Paper)
Quick List (Qualities of Successful Students)
How Can I Use/Adapt?
Jigsaw
Think/Pair/Share
Quotation Game
Value Line
Thirty-Five
Corners
PMI + Q
Sentence Stems (If I take full responsibility...)
Journal
Guided Conversation
Case Study / (Popson’s Dilemma)
Paired Quiz
Self-Management / Quadrants
Giving Advice / (Advising Allysa)
Think/Pair/Share/Square

© Skip Downing Continued on next page è

25

Adding to my
Learner-Centered Tool Box

The same fish on the same white plate greeted each student in the third class. The professor entered at nine o’clock. “Good morning,” he said. “Please hold up your observations.” All of the students held up their notes immediately. They looked at each other, smiling, as the professor walked from table to table, looking at their work. Once again, he walked toward the door. “Please . . . observe the fish. Write down all of your observations,” he said. And then he left.
The students couldn’t believe it. They grumbled and complained. This guy is nuts. When is he going to teach us something? What are we paying tuition for, anyway? Students at one table, however, began observing their fish more closely. Other tables followed their example.
The first thing all of the students noticed was the biting odor of aging fish. A few students recorded details about the fish’s color that they had failed to observe in the previous two classes. They wondered if the colors had been there originally or if the colors had appeared as the fish aged. Each group measured its fish. They poked it and described its texture. One student looked in its mouth and found that he could see light through its gills. Another student found a small balance beam, and each group weighed its fish. They passed around someone’s pocket knife. With it, they sliced open the fish and examined its insides. In the stomach of one fish they found a smaller fish. They wrote quickly, and their notes soon overflowed onto three and four sheets of paper. Finally someone shouted, “Hey, class was over ten minutes ago.” They carefully placed their notes in three-ring binders. They said good-bye to their fish, wondering if their finny friends would be there on Monday.
They were, and a vile smell filled the laboratory. The professor strode into the room at exactly nine o’clock. The students immediately thrust their notes in the air. “Good morning,” the professor said cheerfully, making his way from student to student. He took longer than ever to examine their notes. The students shifted anxiously in their chairs as the professor edged ever closer to the door. How could they endure the smell for another class period? At the door, the professor turned to the students.
“All right,” he said. “Now we can begin.”
* * * * *
1. What do you believe the biology professor wanted his students to learn from this opening week activity? (Write your answer in the space below...continuing on the back if necessary.)
2. How important do you consider this lesson to be for the students with whom you work? Circle your choice on the scale below. Be prepared to explain your rating.
Unimportant ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 è Extremely Important
3. Given what the professor wanted his students to learn, how would you rate his method of conveying the lesson. Circle your choice on the scale below. Be prepared to explain your rating.
Poor ç 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 è Excellent
—Inspired by Samuel J. Scudder, “Take This Fish and Look at It” (1874)

Structures	How I can USE/ADAPT
Learning Game / (Choose X or Y)
Metaphor / (Chair Lift)
Video / (Zea)
Card Swap
Case Study / (A Fish Story)
Groupings
Whole-Group (Q&A)
Small-Group
Pair
Solo
Miscellaneous
Popcorn Reading
Hand Up/Stand Up
Read Around
How Can I Use/Adapt?

© Skip Downing

26

USING/ADAPTING
Learner-Centered Strategies from this Workshop
ACCOUNTING: Use the Jigsaw to teach Assets, Liabilities, and Owner’s Equity. Students first use their text and class lectures to develop expertise in their chosen topic. Expert Groups then discuss/learn their topic and create 10 test questions with answers. Experts return to their home groups and teach others their topic and test the knowledge. Collect the questions and use the best ones on the next test.
ADVISING: Require advisees to create a four-semester academic plan. Then use PMI + Q as an interview technique to help them evaluate and, possibly, improve their plan. Ask advisees to explain the Pluses of their plan, the Minuses, what’s Interesting about their plan, and then ask Questions they have about the plan.
ENGLISH COMPOSITION: To help students improve their writing skills, have them read and grade (A to F) an essay written by an anonymous former student. Then, using a Value Line, have students line up by the grade they awarded the essay. Lead a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the essay and elicit suggestions about how the author could improve it. Finally, compile a list of student-generated suggestions for future reference, and possibly a rubric.
MATHEMATICS: To help students learn to solve problems, use Think/Pair/Share. Have students first work on a challenging problem by themselves (perhaps for homework). Then pair them with a classmate to compare their work. Finally, have pairs present their solutions and explain their work to the class.
NURSING: To help students learn the laws dealing with prescription drugs, have them read a Case Study in which a nurse discovers that another nurse—a close friend who recently had back surgery—is stealing prescription pain killers. Have students discuss what they would do upon making this discovery; then have them read related laws and learn the actual legal consequences of their proposed choices.
STUDENT SUCCESS/FYE: Use Thirty-Five to help students learn the value of study groups. Have students write on an index card an answer to the question, “What is the greatest benefit of a study group?” Then play the game to generate a list of the top ten benefits of participating in a study group. Publish the list on a handout.
Note the key elements of each strategy:
PURPOSE: Each strategy presents a specific academic learning outcome.
DIRECTIONS: Each explanation presents the steps specifically enough that anyone who knows the structure or strategy would be able to facilitate it.

© Skip Downing 27 14

1. STUDENT SUCCESS STRATEGIES: A collection of innovative strategies for empowering your students to become active, responsible learners. You'll find something here you can implement today!
2. ON COURSE I WORKSHOPS: In these four-day retreats, you'll learn dozens of strategies for empowering students to become active, responsible learners. Like no other professional development event you've ever attended, these workshops are perfect for all college faculty, student success instructors, counselors, Trio personnel, and administrators who want to improve student success and retention. Read the testimonials and you'll want to attend!
3. ON COURSE II WORKSHOPS: (Prerequisite: On Course I Workshop) Participants in these four-day retreats will add to their repertoire of student-empowerment strategies. They'll also explore how to design and deliver learner-centered educational experiences that help students move from superficial to deep learning. If you'd like advanced strategies for your student success tool box and you'd like to help your institution become a learning college or university, this is the ideal workshop for you!
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7. ON COURSE AMBASSADORS: Here's the roster of educators taking a leadership role at their institutions. The OCAmbassadors' ultimate goal is to transform their colleges and universities into learner-centered institutions that empower students to become active, responsible learners, thus achieving a significant increase in academic success and retention.
8. ON COURSE SELF-ASSESSMENT: Have your students take the On Course Self-Assessment online. Not only will they get an immediate and printable report of their scores, they'll also get the average scores of everyone else who's taken the self-assessment.

Join us at our 5th annual Festival for Learner-Centered Educators!
The 2010 On Course National Conference
April 9-10, 2010, in Raleigh, NC (pre-conference April 8)

Visit the On Course Web Site at http://OnCourseWorkshop.com 28

Increased Retention
with On Course
Colleges and universities using the On Course text are significantly improving retention of their first-year students. Here’s data from On Course programs at colleges and universities around the country.*

On Course
Increased
Retention

Students not using On Course

Students using On Course

ê

Baltimore City Comm College (MD):
Developmental English Students

51%

+26%
+19%
+22%
+18%
+23%
+27%

77%

Univ of North Carolina Greensboro (NC): Probationary Students

53%

72%

Mission College (CA): Basic Skills Students: Combined Reading, Writing, Math & ESL

65%

Retention

53%

87%

Illinois Valley Comm Coll (IL): First-Time, Full-Time Students after 4 semesters

31%

49%

Northeastern OK A&M College (OK):
Reading and Composition Students

73%

96%

Mt. Hood Comm College (OR):
First-Year Students

53%

80%

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

* Studies conducted by individual institutions. To read their complete reports (and others), see www.OnCourseWorkshop.com/Data.htm 29

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adams, Kathleen. Journal to the Self: Twenty-Two Paths to Personal Growth. Warner Books, 1990.
*Allen, David. Getting Things Done. Viking, 2001.
Branden, Nathaniel. How to Raise Your Self Esteem. Bantam, 1988.
Brearley, Michael. Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom. Crown House, 2001.
Brookfield, Stephen D. The Skillful Teacher. Jossey-Bass, 2006.
*Brophy, Jere. Motivating Students to Learn. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004.
Burns, David, M.D. Feeling Good. William Morrow & Company, 1980.
Buzan, Tony. Make the Most of Your Mind. Simon and Schuster, 1977.
Chickering, Arthur & Linda Reisser, Education and Identity. Jossey-Bass, 1993.
Ciarrochi, Joseph. Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life. Psychology Press, 2001.
*Covey, Stephen R. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Simon and Schuster, 1989.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row, 1990.
deBono, Edward. deBono's Thinking Course. Facts on File, 1982.
Dewey, John. Experience & Education. Collier Books, 1938.
Dweck, Carol. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books, 2007.
Elias, Maurice & Harriett Arnold (ed.). The Educator’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Academic
Achievement, Corwin Press, 2006.
Frankl, Viktor E., M.D. Man's Search for Meaning. Washington Square Press, 1959.
Garfield, Charles. Peak Performers. Avon Books, 1986.
Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Co. 2008
*Glasser, William. Reality Therapy. Harper and Row, 1978.
*Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books, 1995.
Helmstetter, Shad. Choices. Simon and Schuster, 1989.
Herrmann, Ned. The Creative Brain.. Brain Books, 1989.
Jensen, Eric. Brain Based Learning. The Brain Store, 2000.
Kagan, Spencer. Cooperative Learning. Kagan Cooperative Learning. 1994.
Kernis, Michael. Self-Esteem: Issues and Answers. Psychology Press. 2006.
Kohn, Alfie, Punished by Rewards. Houghton Mifflin.1993.
Lehrer, Jonah. How We Decide. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2009
Maslow, Abraham H. Toward a Psychology of Being. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1968.
McKay, Matthew and Patrick Fanning. Self-Esteem Companion. New Harbinger Publications, 2002.
Merrill, A. Roger. Connections: Quadrant II Time Management. Publishers Press, 1987.
Merlevede, Patrick E., et. al. 7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence. Crown House, 2001.
Murphy, Kevin R. Critique of Emotional Intelligence. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 2006
Myers, David G. The Pursuit of Happiness. Avon Books, 1992.
Paul, Richard and Linda Elder. Critical Thinking. Prentice Hall. 2005
*Pintrich, Paul R. & Dale H. Schunk. Motivation in Education. Prentice Hall, 1996.
*Postman, Neil & Charles Weingartner. Teaching as a Subversive Activity. Dell, 1969.
Progroff, Ira. At a Journal Workshop. Dialogue House Library, 1975.
Raffini, James P. 150 Ways to Increase Intrinsic Motivation in the Classroom. Allyn & Bacon, 1996.
Reeve, Johnmarshall. Motivating Others. Allyn and Bacon, 1996.
Rogers, Carl. Freedom to Learn. Charles E. Merrill, 1969.
Ruggiero, Vincent. The Art of Thinking. Longman. 2006.
Satir, Virginia. The New Peoplemaking. Science and Behavior Books, 1988.
Scharle, Agota & Anita Szabo. Learner Autonomy: A Guide to Developing Learner Responsibility.
Cambridge Univ. Press, 2000.
*Seligman, Martin. Learned Optimism. Alfred A. Knopf, 1991.
Smith, Hyrum W. The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time & Life Management.Warner Books, 1994.
Sousa, David A. How the Brain Learns. Corwin Press, 2006.
Steiner, Claude M. Scripts People Live. Bantam Books, 1974.
*Stone, Hal & Sidra Stone. Embracing Your Inner Critic. HarperCollins, 1993.
vonOech, Roger. A Whack on the Side of the Head. Warner Books, 1983.
Tobias, Sheila. Overcoming Math Anxiety. W.W. Norton & Co., 1993.
Wlodkowski, Raymond. Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn. Jossey Bass, 2008.

* = highly recommended 30

EVALUATION OF WORKSHOP
I very much value your thoughts about this workshop. Your specific feedback helps me make course corrections as I move toward my goal of promoting learner-centered education that empowers students to be active, responsible learners, thus significantly increasing academic success and retention.
1. Please rate the overall value of this workshop to you:
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2. Specific strategies I will use/adapt include...
3. What I liked best about the workshop content and/or facilitation...
4. Ways I think the workshop content and/or facilitation could be improved...
5. I'd also like to say or ask...
***If I may share your thoughts with other educators, please print your name below:
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