Emotional Intelligence

Student’s Name: ________________ (w#___________) Date: ________ Professor’s Name: ____________

A. Introduction

Taking effective notes is one of most critical skills essential to the success of college students. While reading and during lectures, taking notes can help students stay focused and engaged as they need to excise critical thinking skills to process the information. It is important to go beyond taking verbatim notes because passive learning does not guarantee comprehension. I usually take notes in my own words, and it enhances my academic performance in a variety of ways. First, it maximizes learning and facilitates memory retention because I have to reflect on what I have read and heard before I can possibly summarize and paraphrase the ideas. Second, my notes can serve as my study guides, which help with examination revision subsequently. For this assignment, I chose to take notes based on the outline method because it was easier for me to use roman numerals, uppercase letters, numbers, and lowercase letters to organize the information as it was presented. In general, as a read/write learner, I find the outline format highly compatible with my dominating learning style. It allows me to draw on my writing skills when paraphrasing the concepts and grouping the major ideas along with their supporting details in a linear, sequential manner.

B. Note-Taking: Outline Method

Chapter 2 (Cultivating Motivation, Resilience, and Emotional Intelligence) from Understanding Your College Experience – Strategies for Success

Section 2.1 The Importance of Motivation, Attitude, and Mindset
I. Motivation
A. Motivation is the driving force for our actions, and it explains the reasons why we behave the way we do.
B. To make a difference, we need to stay committed and focused.
C. Two types of motivation:
1. Intrinsic motivation
a. It refers to your desire to accomplish your goals, and it comes from within you.
b. You are engaged in activities for the sake of enjoying the activities themselves, and you derive pleasure during the process of participation.
c. Example: If a student goes to the nursing school because he feels happy helping others, his decision is driven by internal motivation.
2. Extrinsic motivation
a. You perform a behavior in the hope of getting an external reward (e.g., paychecks, grades, respect, etc.) or avoiding a negative outcome (e.g., punishment).
b. Example: A student maintains a 4.0 GPA because he wants to get scholarships.

II. Attitude
A. Attitude is how you think, feel, and respond to different situations and people.
B. Two types of attitude:
1. Positive attitude
a. It refers to a state of mind that always envisions constructive and optimistic results.
b. People with a positive attitude tend to:
i. Expect success and will not let failure define them.
ii. Seek solutions to the existing problems instead of dwelling on problems.
iii. See hope and opportunities in an otherwise negative situation.
2. Negative attitude
a. It refers to a state of mind that is not constructive, cooperative, or optimistic.
b. People with a negative attitude tend to:
i. Stay in their comfort zone and avoid changing their circumstances.
ii. Take things for granted.
iii. Blame others for their behaviors, thoughts, feelings that are negative.
C. Six ways to adjust attitude:
1. Focus on the lessons you can learn when overcoming obstacles
2. Acknowledge yourself every time when a good decision is made
3. Learn from your mistakes and see how things could have been done differently
4. Hang out with people who have a positive impact on you
5. Think about how the attitude you choose will change the outcome
6. Exert more conscious control over your attitude and stay positive consciously

III. Mindset
A. It refers to what you think about your individual personality, intelligence, or talents.
B. Two types of mindset:
1. Growth mindset
a. Believe there is always room to improve their characteristics and abilities
b. Think that their abilities and intelligence can grow with effort.
c. Willing to take risks because failure is the first step to success
2. Fixed mindset
a. Believe their characteristics and abilities are static, so putting in effort is worthless
b. Tend to prove themselves and view feedback as personal criticism
c. Sensitive about being wrong and do not embrace challenges to avoid failure
d. Perceive trying hard as a manifestation of lacking talent

Section 2.2: Resilience and Grit
I. Resilience / Grit
A. Resilience means being able to adapt to challenges and not giving up easily.
B. Ten Ways to bounce back from difficult situations:
1. Build rapport and accept help from others when needed
2. Look beyond the problem and believe that there is always a solution
3. Be flexible and embrace changes in your life
4. Create realistic goals and take action to achieve the goals little by little
5. Be a proactive problem solver instead of waiting for problems to disappear
6. Kick off your self-discovery journey
7. Boost your confidence and self-esteem
8. Consider the bigger picture, which can help you prioritize more effectively
9. Stay positive, hopeful, and optimistic
10. Focus on yourself more and get to know your needs/emotions better

II. Grit
A. Grit is a trait that is based on a combination of perseverance, passion, and resilience.
B. It refers to sustained persistence that supports achievement of long-term goals.
C. Being a “gritty” person means:
1. Putting in continuous effort to make the goals come true
2. Making progress little by little
3. Keeping the big picture in mind and refocusing attention on the true priorities

III. Using Resilience and Grit to Learn from Tough Circumstances
A. Resilient and gritty students tend to bounce back from negative experiences; they learn from the difficult situations and will keep trying instead of giving up easily.
B. Many well-known people have overcome tough circumstances before they succeed.
C. Examples: J. K. Rowling, Walt Disney, and Michael Jordan

Section 2.3: Understanding Emotional Intelligence
I. Emotional Intelligence
A. It refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions.
B. Once you are more aware of your emotions, you can procced to:
1. Deal with stress.
2. Adjust your emotions to facilitate problem solving and decision making.
C. Healthy EI also contributes to:
1. Academic success
2. Positive human relationships (professionally and personally)
3. Job satisfaction
4. Your overall well-being (physical and psychological)

II. Roles of emotional intelligence in everyday life:
A. Academic success – Emotionally intelligent students tend to perform better at school.
B. Anger management – Anger can be a motivating force that drives positive changes, but it should be carefully monitored and controlled.
C. Priority management – Part of developing a strong emotional intelligence involves paying attention to your priorities and making adjustments when needed.

III. Identifying Your EI Skills and Competencies
A. Bar-On Model shows an array of emotional and social skills that affect human behavior and performance.
B. Five dimensions of the Bar-On Model:
1. Intrapersonal skills (i.e., emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, independence, self-regard, and self-actualization)
2. Interpersonal skills (i.e., empathy, social responsibility, and interpersonal relationships)
3. Stress management (i.e., stress tolerance and impulse control)
4. Adaptability (i.e., reality testing, flexibility, problem solving, and resilience)
5. General mood (i.e., optimism and happiness)

IV. Improving Emotional Intelligence
A. Eight concrete ways to improve emotional intelligence:
1. Label your emotions to gain a better understanding about how you are feeling exactly
2. Reflect on why you feel the way you do
3. Step outside of the comfort zone and open yourself up to challenges
4. Modify your behaviors through observing a role model
5. Conduct research and learn more about emotional intelligence
6. Read books and articles on emotional intelligence for leisure
7. Seek assistance from professionals (e.g., academic advisers, wellness/counseling centers, etc.) when needed
8. Take a college success course such as EDUC 1300