This May 21, 2013 webinar offered a fresh perspective on an all-too-common challenge: how to engage students who possess low expectations as well as self-defeating habits and attitudes. These characteristics often manifest in behaviors that reflect a lack of precision, or an aversion to academic challenges, or both. In this session, we will share and discuss strategies that can help your students develop new ways of being and doing which can boost their self-confidence and lead to greater success.

2. Boosting Students’ Precision & Persistence:
A New Take on a Timeless Challenge
Gary J. Williams, Ed.D.
Crafton Hills College
Yucaipa, CA

3. Let’s Start with a Game …
• Solve the Puzzle on the next slide
• You will have 20 seconds
• Type your solution in the Chat Box

5. Let’s Start with a Game …
• What skills or qualities were required of you?
• What was the conversation that you had with
yourself while solving the puzzle?
• How would some of your students respond to this
challenge?

6. Our Challenge …
• How to Engage Students who possess:
 Low Expectations
 Self-defeating attitudes and habits.
• Lack of Precision
• Aversion to Academic Challenges
• Developing strategic approaches to operate with
precision & persistence

7. What is Precision?
Students operate with a sense of exactness in all they do.
They listen carefully, express themselves clearly, and read and recall with
exactness.
They clarify details as needed, complete tasks with a high degree of precision.

8. What is Persistence?
Students understand that overcoming obstacles are the key to success in college
and in life.
They display a sense of determination and urgency when facing obstacles and
challenges.
They possess a high level of commitment, doing “whatever it takes” to succeed.

9. Precision & Persistence
The core of student engagement
Together – defines a self-directed learner.
Strategic approaches that are effective
Conscientiousness

10. Behaviors & Attitudes
• Defined: Task-orientation with precision.
• The ability to break larger expectations into specific tasks to be completed,
usually under deadline.
• The ability to set goals, and formulate steps to completion
• The ability to follow instructions, execute a sequence of steps, e.g. Lab or
Clinical procedures
• Language: “Staying on Task” “Task-master”
• Being a Finisher = Success

11. Why do so many
students struggle with
Precision &
Persistence?

12. • Some Reasons for Student Struggles:
– Procrastination
– Low Motivation
– Unclear goals/purpose/direction
– In need of Organization Skills
– Living in “the Great Void” …

13. Precision/Persistence
Concepts:
Activities that Introduce Key Concepts …
 Case Study: “The Procrastinators” (On Course, Skip
Downing)
 Note-taking with Precision
 Memory skills – how to encode, store and recall key
information
 The Multi-tasking debate
 How to practice/encourage precision when working in
groups

14. Modeling
Precision/Persistence
Structure your course around planning.
 Syllabus, Assignment Lists
 Require students to carry a planner and write in them.
 Write upcoming deadlines on the board.
 Build in structure consistently.
 Stress “Chunking” -- dividing up tasks & information in
pieces easy to understand/organize & manipulate.

15. Steps to Encourage Precision
Begin with the syllabus …
Calendaring & Prioritizing
Project planning & delegation of tasks.
Daily To-do lists:
 Model them in class – manage your class tasks
Grading rubrics that encourage completion with precision.

16. Steps to encourage Persistence
Individual and Group-oriented games and challenges that require persistence.
Values clarification exercises
Commit to completion of all tasks and steps
Discuss concepts such as Locus of Control, Scripts, Self-Talk, Resilience

19. Precision & Persistence
What are some of your strategies for encouraging students
to become more precise and/or persist through obstacles?

20. Questions?
Gary J. Williams, Ed.D.
Professor/Instructional Assessment Specialist
Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa, CA
(909) 389-3567
gwilliams@craftonhills.edu

21. The Benefits of Internalizing
Competitiveness
to the Learning Process
Gary J. Williams, Ed.D.
Crafton Hills College
Yucaipa, CA

22. Today’s Agenda:
Copy over the intro slide…

23. Let’s Start with a Test …
• You will need a blank sheet of paper & pen/pencil
• You will have 20 seconds
• Please complete as many items as possible

24. SOLVE!
0 x 5 =
3 x 1 =
3 x 12 =
2 x 3 =
8 x 1 =
2 x 9 =
3 x 11=
7 x 3 =
1 x 2 =
3 x 6 =
11 x 3 =
12 x 1 =
1 x 0 =
2 x 8 =
12 x 3 =
9 x 3 =
2 x 6 =
3 x 5 =
10 x 3 =
2 x 4 =
6 x 1 =
1 x 3 =
5 x 1 =
2 x 2 =
0 x 7 =
5 x 3 =
2 x 1 =
3 x 9 =
8 x 3 =
12 x 2 =
2 x 12 =
0 x 2 =
9 x 2 =
1 x 3 =
3 x 9 =
11 x 0=
3 x 3 =
1 x 1 =
2 x 11=
2 x 7 =
4 x 3 =
2 x 5 =
6 x 3 =
2 x 0 =
3 x 7 =
0 x 3 =
0 x 0 =
3 x 8 =
3 x 2 =
2 x 10 =

26. Count Your Correct Answers:
0
3
36
6
8
18
33
21
2
18
33
12
0
18
36
27
12
15
30
8
6
3
5
4
0
15
2
27
24
24
24
0
18
3
27
0
9
1
22
14
12
10
18
0
21
0
0
24
6
20

27. Let’s do it again …
• Turn over your sheet of paper …
• MAKE A PREDICTION:
 Write it down in the top corner.
• 20 Seconds
• As before, please solve as many items as possible.

28. SOLVE!
0 x 5 =
3 x 1 =
3 x 12 =
2 x 3 =
8 x 1 =
2 x 9 =
3 x 11=
7 x 3 =
1 x 2 =
3 x 6 =
11 x 3 =
12 x 1 =
1 x 0 =
2 x 8 =
12 x 3 =
9 x 3 =
2 x 6 =
3 x 5 =
10 x 3 =
2 x 4 =
6 x 1 =
1 x 3 =
5 x 1 =
2 x 2 =
0 x 7 =
5 x 3 =
2 x 1 =
3 x 9 =
8 x 3 =
12 x 2 =
2 x 12 =
0 x 2 =
9 x 2 =
1 x 3 =
3 x 9 =
11 x 0=
3 x 3 =
1 x 1 =
2 x 11=
2 x 7 =
4 x 3 =
2 x 5 =
6 x 3 =
2 x 0 =
3 x 7 =
0 x 3 =
0 x 0 =
3 x 8 =
3 x 2 =
2 x 10 =

30. Count Your Correct Answers:
0
3
36
6
8
18
33
21
2
18
33
12
0
18
36
27
12
15
30
8
6
3
5
4
0
15
2
27
24
24
24
0
18
3
27
0
9
1
22
14
12
10
18
0
21
0
0
24
6
20

31. What happened the second time
around?
• Did you outperform your first total?
• Did you meet/exceed your prediction?
• How did you approach the activity differently the second time
around?
• How did the prediction influence your performance?
• What influenced your prediction?
• Did you become more “competitive?”
• What can you take from this exercise that could help your
students?

32. COMPETITION

33. What is Competition?
• What first comes to mind for you?
• Where do our notions of competition come from?
• How do your students view competition?
• What’s the connotation that can best serve our students?

34. What do we mean by
‘Internalized Competition?’
• Focusing on elements that motivate students to perform at their
best.
• Encouraging the use of strategies that produce desired results.
• Activities that appeal to students’ sense of play, imagination &
possibility – and FUN!
• Develop & refine knowledge & skills.
• Build on successful experiences that foster self-confidence,
resilience & creativity.
• Reframe academic tasks so that they are less intimidating, less
high-stakes.

35. Benefits of Competition:
• Focus on Achieving/Producing Results
• Directs energy toward employing strategies/
taking successful actions.
• Promotes risk-taking, collaboration & resourcefulness.
• Boosts confidence, and fosters positive ways of being.
• Transforms a students’ belief system.
• Students take charge/responsibility for learning.
• Aligns with other CSFI Factors.

36. Competition into Results:
A Framework
Results

37. Competition into Results:
A Framework
Results Actions

38. Competition into Results:
A Framework
Results Actions
State of Being

39. Competition into Results:
A Framework
Results Actions
State of BeingBelief System

40. Competition into Results:
A Framework
Results Actions
State of BeingBelief System

41. How Can Students Practice?
• In Class …
• Homework …
• Preparing for Tests . . .
• During Tests …
• Group Assignments …
• Tracking Grades …

42. Strategies for Developing
Internalized Competition
• GAMES are GREAT!!!
• Re-frame activities to include puzzles, games,
riddles or structured play.
• Physical activities/challenges
• Group/team-oriented challenges
• Give students/teams the time & space to work out
solutions.
• Be open to creative/alternative solutions.

43. Internalized Competition
in Study Strategies
What Approach works best?
• Study, Study, Study, Study (SSSS)
• Study, Study, Study, Test (SSST)
• Study, Test, Test, Test (STTT)
Roediger, H., & Karpicke, J.D. (2006), Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention, Psychological
Science, 17(3), 249-255. dol:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
Thanks to Christine Harrington, Author: Student Success In College: Doing What Works! (2013)

44. The Study:
Study
Technique
STTTSSSTSSSS
180 College
Students
Retention of
Information
S = Study T =Test

45. RESULTS:

46. Time for another Challenge …

47. Do you see it?

48. One Solution:

49. Created for free at www.variety-games.com

51. ‘Anti-Gravity’
Tent Pole Challenge:

52. Questor Game
From http://matec.org/questor/ Maricopa Community College

53. Insights on
Internalized Competition:
(Adapted from a lecture by Dr. Edward “Chip” Anderson)

54. Take-Aways:
• Internalized competition can be a powerful framework for
engaged, self-directed learning.
• Competition can be developed.
• Creating the conditions for cultivating this capacity within
students requires planning.
• Activities can invigorate your course, and introduce a new
level of engagement & fun.

55. Questions?
Gary J. Williams, Ed.D.
Professor/Instructional Assessment Specialist
Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa, CA
(909) 389-3567
gwilliams@craftonhills.edu