“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a
habit.” --- Aristotle --- Aspects of Success: adapted from
"Developing your child's habits of success in school, life and
work" , Arthur L. Costa, Ed. D Professor Emeritus, California State
University,
- Persisting
- Managing Impulsivity
- Listening To Others with Understanding And Empathy
- Thinking Flexibly
- Thinking About Thinking (Metacognition)
- Striving For Accuracy And Precision
- Questioning And Problem Posing
- Applying Past Knowledge To New Situations
- Ingenuity, Originality, Insightfulness: Creativity
- Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
- Responding with Wonderment and Awe
Persisting
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished
by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope
at all" – Dale Carnegie
Efficient problem solvers persevere even when the solution to a
problem is not readily apparent. They have a wide range of
problem-solving strategies.
If you …
give up in despair when the answer to a problem is not
immediately known.
say "I can't do this,&" or "It's too hard"
just want to get tasks over with as quickly as possible
have troubles analyzing a problem,
have troubles to developing a system or strategy to approach
problems
Why not try …
looking for three ways to solve each problem and then
choosing the best one
looking for evidence to indicate that your problem-solving
strategy is
working and making subsequent decisions based on your
evidence
looking for role models for "persistence' at school, at
home
or in the media
discussing the value of persisting with friends and family
Managing Impulsivity
"The sign of intelligent people is their ability to control
emotions by the application of reason." - Marya Mannes
Successful people have a sense of deliberativeness. They know how
to monitor their own impulses and resist jumping to conclusions.
If you…
shout out the answer
blurt the first idea that comes to mind
take the first suggestion given
start to work without fully understanding directions
make immediate value judgments about an idea
Why not try …
considering alternatives and consequences of several
possible directions
see if you can explain rules or parameters before
beginning a task
talk over a plan for solving a problem
explore alternative problem solving strategies
consider consequences of actions before beginning
Listening To Others with Understanding And Empathy
“If there is any secret of success, it lies in the ability to get
the other person’s point of view and see things from his angle as
well as from your own.” - Henry Ford.
Successful people spend an inordinate amount of time and energy
listening. They empathize with, and strive to understand other
people’s points of view.
Being able to paraphrase another person's ideas, detecting
indicators of their feelings or emotions, accurately expressing
another person's concepts, emotions and problems—all are
indications of listening behavior.
If you …
often ridicule, laugh at, or put down the ideas of others.
rarely build upon, consider the merits of, or operate on
another person's ideas.
Why not try…
showing you understand what others say and feel
considering the feelings of others in your decision-making
processes
empathizing with another person’s idea or feeling by
paraphrasing it
accurately, building upon it, clarifying
Thinking Flexibly
"Soften the rigidities within yourself and the universe will give
you strength and vigor." Arabic Proverb
Successful people consider alternative points of view.
If you …
often feel your way to solve a problem is the only way
often feel that your answer is the only answer
are more interested in knowing whether your answer is
correct, rather than being challenged to find other answers.
avoid ambiguous situations and have a need for certainty
rather than tolerating doubt
have a mind that is already made up
resist listening to reasoning that contradicts your beliefs
Why not try…
remembering how you feel when working with others who are
not flexible
considering another person's point of view or rationale.
deliberately stating several ways of solving the same
problem
evaluating the merits and consequences of two or more
courses of action
changing your mind in light of convincing data, argument or
rationale
asking adults in your life how thinking flexibly aids their
success in the workplace
Thinking About Thinking (Metacognition)
"I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always
control what goes on inside." - Wayne Dyer
Successful people are aware of themselves — their own thoughts,
actions, values and their effects on others.
If you…
are unaware of your own thinking while you are thinking.
often lacking a plan of action to solve problems before
they begin
are unable to determine if a plan is working, or if it
should be discarded and another plan employed.
seldom reflect on, or evaluate the quality of your
thinking.
answer reply "I don't know, I just did it."
when asked "How did you solve that problem?"
Why not try …
describing what goes on in your head when you think.
organizing your thoughts under the following headings:
what you know,
what you need to know
what information is lacking.
outlining your plan of action before you begin to
solve a problem.
tracing the pathways and blind alleys you took on the
road to solution.
spending time thinking about and articulating “What
worked for me?” and “What would I do differently next time?” at
the end of each major assignment.
Striving For Accuracy And Precision
"You go back to the gym and you just do it again and again until
you get it right." Arnold Schwarzenegger
Successful people appreciate and strive for correctness,
elegance, and fidelity. In contrast, students may be careless
when completing work.
If you...
are anxious to finish so you may go on to other things
feel little inclination to reflect upon the accuracy of
your work, to contemplate your precision or to take pride in your
accomplishments.
rank speed of completion higher than your desire for
quality
Why not try...
making a habit to check all your class work, tests and
homework assignments
reviewing the rubrics and exemplars you were to follow to
confirm that your finished product matches exactly.
determining three organizational changes you could make to
would significantly improve your work
looking to eliminate three more grammatical/technical
errors in your work.
changing the wording in three places to make the language
more precise
Questioning And Problem Posing
"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can
tell whether a man is wise by his questions." - Naguib Mahfouz
(Nobel Prize Winner)
One of the distinguishing characteristics between humans and
other forms of life is our inclination and ability to FIND
problems to solve.
If you …
depend on others to solve problems, to find answers,
and to ask questions for you
are reluctant to ask questions for fear of displaying
ignorance slow to take the lead in asking questions and finding
problems for yourself are not noticing a change of your questions
towards more profound and more complex
Why not try…
Taking note of any growth in your pattern of posing
questions
Increase the number of questions you ask each week
Asking yourself what evidence you have and "what-
if" questions
Predicting the solutions others might offer
Suggesting solutions which might be mutually acceptable
to all involved
Applying Past Knowledge To New Situations
"I've never made a mistake. I've only learned from
experience." - Thomas A. Edison
The ultimate purpose of learning is to learn from experience.
When successful people encounter problems, one of the first
things they ask themselves is “What do I already know about
this?”, “Where have I encountered a problem like this before?'
or “ What strategies helped me in the past that I can
apply to this new problem?"
If you ...
have troubles applying concepts learned in school in
practical "out of context" situations..
approach each new task as if it were being approached
for the very first time are stumped by "making connections"
questions
Why not try ...
recalling any similar situations to identify strategies
which worked
thinking about the practical uses of concepts learned
in school as you learn and study asking yourself
"If you were to design a new..... what would
it be like"
"What would it be like if...........?"
"Where else would you use this
information..........?"
"In what other situations could you apply
this............?"
trying to apply your learning to your future
Ingenuity, Originality, Insightfulness: Creativity
“We need people who can read and write. But what we really need
is people who can not only read the instructions, but also
change them. They need to be able to think outside the lines.” -
Richard Gurin, CEO and President, Binney & Smith, Crayola
Products
Increasingly we are coming to realize that all human beings have
the capacity to generate novel, original, clever or ingenious
products, solutions, and techniques—if that capacity is
developed. Successful people are creative.
They try to examine problem solutions differently, examining
alternative possibilities from many angles. They tend to project
themselves into different roles using analogies, starting with a
vision and working backward, imagining that they are the objects
being considered. Creative people take risks—they "live on the
edge of their competence," testing their limits.
Creative people are open to criticism and hold up their products
for others to judge and seek feedback in an ever-increasing
effort to refine their technique. They constantly strive for
greater fluency, elaboration, novelty, perfection, beauty,
harmony, and balance.
If you…
need help to know how to tap your creative potential.
Why not try…
increasing your creativity in terms of
fluidity (the raw number of brainstorming items you can
name)
originality (the number of brainstorming items only you
would come up with)
elaboration (the detail that you could add to a specific
brainstorming item)
application (practical uses for your creative idea)
some exercises from Dr. Roger Taylor
Brainstorming: If you are discussing "sour things" try to
find the A to Z of "sour things"
eg acid, b____, c_____ etc.
2. Viewpoint: What would a _______________ look to a
______________.
eg. "charge" to a knight, banker, electrician, teen?
3. Involvement/Personification : You are a
________________. Describe how it feels eg old jogging shoes,
dandelion seed in flight
4. Conscious Self-Deceit: What would happen if _________?
eg there were no more schools, if gravity were a repulsion, etc.
5. Forced Association: How is a _______________ like a
____________?
eg novel/politician, solar eclipse/peanut
Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
"True eloquence consists of saying all that should be said, and
that only." - Francois de La Rochefoucald
Language and thinking are closely entwined. Successful people use
specific terminology, refrain from over-generalizing, and support
their assumptions with valid data. When you hear vague, fuzzy
language, you detect vague, fuzzy thinking.
If you…
use language that is confused and imprecise.
describe objects or events with such non-specific words
as "weird," "nice." or "O.K."
identify objects as "stuff," "junk," and "things."
use "ya' know," "er," and "uh." frequently
Why not try
making a point of clarifying for others. Instead of ...
"You NEVER listen to me." - give the pertinent specific
example
"Everybody has one." - list the people who have one and
explain its importance to you
"This cereal is better" - identify the pertinent
attributes using more descriptive words to distinguish
attributes.
using more correct names and labels.
spontaneously providing criteria for your value judgments
speaking in complete sentences
voluntarily providing supportive evidence for your ideas.
Responding with Wonderment and Awe
“The most beautiful experience in the world is the experience of
the mysterious." - Albert Einstein.
A Dutch psychologist tried to figure out what separated chess
masters and chess grand masters. He subjected groups of each to a
battery of tests but found the only difference was that Grand
Masters simply loved chess more.
They had more passion and commitment to it. Successful people
find enjoyment, enthusiasm and fascination in their work and
world.
If you…
Lack personal involvement in your learning
Rarely respond with awe
Why not try
Finding awesome phenomena, intriguing situations, and jaw-
dropping experiences.
Surrounding yourself with beautiful scenes, technological
marvels and lofty ideals and letting your imagination take
flight.
Trying new things until you find something to inspire passion.
Asking others to share their own fascinations.
Seeking role models who are enthralled and excited about a
problem ordiscovery and compelled with their work.
Watching for any progression in your attitude from "I can do
it" to "I enjoy doing it because…"
Culturing an attitude of lifelong learning,
Allowing yourself to respond with positive emotion to simple
and profound things.
Valuing curiosity and creativity over perfection.
Displaying compassion and empathy.