Page 143 - Keys to College Success

StatusCHECK

How Developed Are Your Thinking Skills?

For each statement, fill in the number that best describes how often it applies to you.
1 = never 2 = seldom 3 = sometimes 4 = often 5 = always

1. I discover and explore information by asking and answering questions. 1 2 3 4 5
2. I try not to act impulsively. 1 2 3 4 5

3. I don’t take everything I read or hear as fact—I question how useful, truthful, and
logical it is before I decide whether I can use it. 1 2 3 4 5
4. Even if it seems like there is only one way to solve a problem, I tr y to generate other options. 1 2 3 4 5

5. Knowing that effort is important to creativity, I persist when I’m stumped. 1 2 3 4 5
6. I take time to “sit with” a problem or question in order to generate ideas. 1 2 3 4 5
7. When working in a group, I try to manage my emotions and notice how I affect others. 1 2 3 4 5

8. I think about different solutions before I choose one and take action. 1 2 3 4 5
9. I spend time researching different possibilities before making a decision. 1 2 3 4 5
10. When I make a decision, I consider how my choice will affect others. 1 2 3 4 5

Each of the topics in these statements is covered in this chapter. Note those statements for which you filled in a 3 or lower. Skim
the chapter to see where those topics appear, and pay special attention to them as you read, learn, and apply new strategies.
REMEMBER: NO MATTER HOW DEVELOPED YOUR THINKING SKILLS ARE, YOU CAN IMPROVE WITH EFFORT AND PRACTICE.

HOW IS YOUR BRAIN CHANGING
right now?

With the risk of effort comes the reward of positive change. When you spend
four days a week in the gym doing weight training, for example, you grow and
strengthen muscle fibers, ultimately increasing your ability to perform physically.
Similarly, when you learn, you change your brain’s cells and functioning, which
develops your thinking skills. The actions of learning are your brain’s workout. The
result? A stronger, sharper brain that gets you where you want to go.

The Biology of Learning

Learning prods neurons (brain cells) to grow and strengthen dendrites (the branches
that reach out to other neurons), and to increase and change synapses (the spaces
between dendrites). Information moves through the brain in the form of electrical
impulses that travel through dendrites and across synapses. Repeating and reinforcing
something learned, such as an action, fact, or process, strengthens the cell connections
and enables the electrical impulses to move more quickly and easily. An established

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