writing

24 Wirth & Perkins - Learning to Learn

Table 6. Behavioral dimensions of grades and characteristics of outstanding and average

students (modified from Williams, 1993).

Behavioral Dimension “A” or Outstanding Student “C” or Average Student

1. Attendance

(commitment)

Nearly perfect attendance; rare excused

absences except for other scheduled

conflicts; make prior arrangements for

missed content

Sometimes comes to class late;

occasional absences from class are

rarely excused; frequently puts

other priorities ahead of course

2. Preparation Well-prepared; readings and assignments completed before class

with great attention to detail; rarely

misses deadlines; retains information

from the course and makes connections

with past learning

Readings and assignments

completed in a timely, but

perfunctory manner with little

attention to detail or further

contemplation; work often appears

to be “draft” quality

3. Curiosity Has a motivating purpose; inquisitive; asks thoughtful questions and is an

active participant in classroom

discussions; makes the extra effort to

learn more and connect with other

aspects of education or life

Uninterested in subject material and

class; participates in class and

projects without enthusiasm;

exhibits only modest interest in

subject matter

4. Attitude (dedication) Has a winning attitude and shows responsibility, motivation and

determination to succeed; enjoys and

values learning; listens to feedback and

acts on it

Rarely does more than required;

Seldom shows initiative; defensive

about feedback and unwilling to

accept responsibility; perceive

themselves as victims

5. Talent (ability) Possesses special talents such as exceptional intelligence, unusual

creativity, or outstanding commitment

that are evident to the instructor

Can have greatly varying natural

talent; some students are quite

talented, but lack organization or

motivation; others are motivated,

but lack special aptitude

6. Retention Learns concepts rather than memorizes details so better able to connect past

learning with present material

Tries to memorize facts at the last

minute rather than learn concepts;

makes few conscious efforts to

connect new learning with past

knowledge

7. Effort (time

commitment)

Reads, studies, and thinks about course

subject on a regular basis; begins

assignments and projects well before

deadlines; often willing to devote extra

time and effort when needed; attention

to detail; seeks out instructor outside of

class

Does not develop a regular system

for studying and doing

assignments; frequently begins

readings and assignments at the last

minute; rarely willing to devote

time necessary to develop deeper

understanding

8. Communication Skills Speaks confidently and writes well; presentations and documents are well-

conceived, well-prepared, and

informative

Presentations and written work lack

organization and clarity; papers are

generally draft quality requiring

extensive re-writing to be effective;

quality of content limited by poor

communication skills

9. Results (performance) Exams and papers are always of the highest quality (among the highest in a

class); contributions in the classroom

are significant and insightful; work

demonstrates critical thinking

Products are mediocre or

inconsistent in quality; writing and

speaking indicates only a cursory

understanding rather than a mastery

of material