Skills Portfolio (Unit 2)

Introduction and overview of Lesson

Understanding Motivation; Personal Attitudes, Behaviors and Interests; Self-Reflective

Process; Approaches to Dealing with Negative Factors; Class Attendance and Participation;
Procrastination; Self-Reliance; Discipline; Accountability; Healthy Habits.

Unit Activity

Activity: What are some of the negative things that can and are affecting your academics?

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 Understand what is meant by ‘motivation’ and identify what motivates you

 Give some thought to your attitude toward your academic life, your behaviors and
your interests
 identify factors that can have a negative impact on your academics 
 Identify new positive approaches to dealing with these negative factors
 Understand the importance of class attendance and participation
 Understand what procrastination is and how to deal with it effectively
 Know what is meant by self-reliance, discipline, and accountability
 Learn new health habits to help improve your academic life

Understanding Motivation

 Whether career or personal and whether you guide yourself through it or get
someone to help, the Skills Portfolio Module is about developing superior knowledge
and awareness about yourself.
 Being open to honestly learning and exploring who you are and who you could
become are vital parts of making effective decisions.

Personal Plan for Success

 Choose your attitude daily

 Set positive expectations

 Use positive self-talk

  Learn to respond, not re-act

 Wipe the slate clean of negative emotions

  JUST DO IT!
  Start each day as a new day with a new attitude. Each night before bed, think and
plan out your day ahead and when you wake up, put your plan into action. Force a
smile, and force yourself to choose to be happy and productive. Think only positive
thoughts.

Approaches to Dealing with Negative Factors

Introduction to Approaches to Dealing with Negative Factors

Besides skills and experience, academic performance is one of the key requirements that
employers consider when recruiting employees. You must have a sense of responsibility and
discipline which is reflected in your academic performance. You are thus expected to put in a
lot of effort in your studies so that you can get good grades. There are a lot of reasons and
contributing factors that have a negative impact on your academic performance and these
vary from student to student. Each student can identify what has a negative impact on their
studies and with the help of a Student Counsellor, work out a study plan to help eliminate
these challenges. Too much of something is not good, one must find a balance.

Some of these factors affecting academic performance can be:

 Distractions (Overindulgence in social media, TV, and friends)

 Skipping classes
 Unable to balance social and academic life
 Feeling overwhelmed by the current problem
 Poor sleeping habits
 Procrastination (avoiding tasks)
 Switching and struggling with tasks
 Emotional blocks reduce concentration (boredom, daydreaming, stress, guilt, anger,
frustrations)
 Sickness/family crisis

Activity: What are some of the things that you can do to deal with these negative things?

 Here are the examples of Approaches to Dealing with Negative Factors:

1. Class Attendance and Participation

According to Jacob & Chase (1992), class participation is when students engage in the
classroom to answer or ask questions, make comments or join in discussions. Participation is
an important method of teaching that provides you with opportunities to share knowledge
and experiences with other students and enhance your public speaking skills.
At the university, it is your sole responsibility to ensure that you have an updated timetable
and that you attend all your scheduled classes. If you are unable to attend, then you must
follow the right channels to make arrangements for not attending. Class attendance forms
part of the assessment and not attending classes can reduce your ability to achieve the
required percentages.

2. Procrastination

Procrastination is putting off or avoiding doing something that must be done. It is natural to
procrastinate occasionally. However, excessive procrastination can result in guilt feelings
about not doing a task when it should be done. It can also cause anxiety since the task still
needs to be done. Further, excessive procrastination can cause poor performance if the task
is completed without sufficient time to do it well. In short, excessive procrastination can
interfere with your school and personal success.

2.1. What are some of the reasons you procrastinate?

a) Perfectionism. Your standard of performance may be so high for a task that it does not
seem possible to meet that standard.

b) Fear of Failure. You may lack confidence and fear that you will be unable to accomplish a
task successfully.

c) Confusion. You may be unsure about how to start a task or how it should be completed.

d) Task Difficulty. You may lack the skills and abilities needed to accomplish a task.

e) Poor Motivation. You may have little or no interest in completing a task because you find
the task boring or lacking in relevance.

f) Difficulty Concentrating. You may have too many things around that distract you from
doing a task.

g) Task Unpleasantness. You may dislike doing what a task requires.

h) Lack of Priorities. You may have little or no sense of which tasks are most important to
do.

2.2. How to control procrastination:

a) Motivate yourself to work on a task with thoughts such as "There is no time like the
present," or "Nobody's perfect."

b) Prioritize the tasks you must do.

c) Commit yourself to completing a task once you have started.

d) Reward yourself whenever you complete a task.

e) Work on tasks at the times you work best.

f) Break large tasks into small manageable parts.

g) Work on tasks as part of a study group.

h) Get help from teachers and other students when you find a task difficult.

i) Make a schedule of the tasks you must do and stick to it.

j) Eliminate distractions that interfere with working on tasks.

k) Set reasonable standards that you can meet for a task.

l) Take breaks when working on a task so that you do not wear down.

m) Work on difficult and/or unpleasant tasks first.

n) Work on a task you find easier after you complete a difficult task.

o) Find a good place to work on tasks.

p) Above all, think positively and get going. Once you are into a task, you will probably find
that it is more interesting than you thought it would be and not as difficult as you feared.
You will feel increasingly relieved as you work toward its accomplishment and will come to
look forward to the feeling of satisfaction you will experience when you have completed the
task.

 2.3. Discipline

Creating and maintaining a culture of integrity and discipline at UNAM is very important for
effective teaching and learning.

The main purpose of enforcing discipline at a university level among the university
community is to ensure that good standards of life are shared and upheld at all campuses.

It is of utmost importance to understand yourself and others then you can be able to show
respect for all members of the university whether it is other students, lecturers,
administrative staff, security officers, or cleaners.

2.4. Accountability

All registered University of Namibia students have an obligation to behave in a certain

manner and are all expected to abide by the Rules and Regulations and maintain the Student
Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct outlines what is expected of the student and
violation of this may result in disciplinary action and these actions range from a warning to
suspension or even expulsion. This is to make sure that the university maintains a safe and
secure environment where all students can thrive and become successful. 
2.5. Healthy Living

Between exams, assignments, and maintaining an active social life, many students feel that
they can’t really find time to keep up with their personal health and wellness until an illness
gets to hold and stops them in their tracks. With the University providing endless physical
activities for students, staying healthy is easy.  Here are some tips for staying healthy:

a) Make sure you have a healthy well-balanced diet (lots of fruit and vegetables, take
multivitamins, don’t skip meals, and drink lots of water.)

b) Exercise (play sports, join the gym or simply walk or jog)

c) Sleep (get at least 8 hours of sleep every day, avoid all night studying)

d) Sexual health is important. Make sure you get tested for HIV and Sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) and always practice safe sex by using condoms and being faithful to one
partner.

e) Illnesses (if you are ill, go to the clinic as soon as possible. Make sure you ask your friend
to inform your lecturers and get sick leave from the doctor when you get back. )

f) Don’t abuse alcohol or use drugs

g) Cut down on the stress in your life by giving yourself a break, being realistic about your
goals, and seeking help to cope.

Class Attendance and Participation

According to Jacob & Chase (1992), class participation is when students engage in the
classroom to answer or ask questions, make comments or join in discussions. Participation is
an important method of teaching that provides you with opportunities to share knowledge
and experiences with other students and enhance your public speaking skills.

At the university, it is your sole responsibility to ensure that you have an updated timetable
and that you attend all your scheduled classes. If you are unable to attend, then you must
follow the right channels to make arrangements for not attending. Class attendance forms
part of the assessment and not attending classes can reduce your ability to achieve the
required percentages.

Procrastination

Procrastination is putting off or avoiding doing something that must be done. It is natural to
procrastinate occasionally. However, excessive procrastination can result in guilt feelings
about not doing a task when it should be done. It can also cause anxiety since the task still
needs to be done. Further, excessive procrastination can cause poor performance if the task
is completed without sufficient time to do it well. In short, excessive procrastination can
interfere with your school and personal success.
2.1. What are some of the reasons you procrastinate?

a) Perfectionism. Your standard of performance may be so high for a task that it does not
seem possible to meet that standard.

b) Fear of Failure. You may lack confidence and fear that you will be unable to accomplish a
task successfully.

c) Confusion. You may be unsure about how to start a task or how it should be completed.

d) Task Difficulty. You may lack the skills and abilities needed to accomplish a task.

e) Poor Motivation. You may have little or no interest in completing a task because you find
the task boring or lacking in relevance.

f) Difficulty Concentrating. You may have too many things around that distract you from
doing a task.

g) Task Unpleasantness. You may dislike doing what a task requires.

h) Lack of Priorities. You may have little or no sense of which tasks are most important to do.

How to control procrastination

You consider the following tips on how you can control procrastination:

a) Motivate yourself to work on a task with thoughts such as "There is no time like the
present," or "Nobody's perfect."

b) Prioritize the tasks you must do.

c) Commit yourself to completing a task once you have started.

d) Reward yourself whenever you complete a task.

e) Work on tasks at the times you work best.

f) Break large tasks into small manageable parts.

g) Work on tasks as part of a study group.

h) Get help from teachers and other students when you find a task difficult.

i) Make a schedule of the tasks you must do and stick to it.

j) Eliminate distractions that interfere with working on tasks.

k) Set reasonable standards that you can meet for a task.

l) Take breaks when working on a task so that you do not wear down.

m) Work on difficult and/or unpleasant tasks first.

n) Work on a task you find easier after you complete a difficult task.

o) Find a good place to work on tasks.

p) Above all, think positively and get going. Once you are into a task, you will probably find
that it is more interesting than you thought it would be and not as difficult as you feared.
You will feel increasingly relieved as you work toward its accomplishment and will come to
look forward to the feeling of satisfaction you will experience when you have completed the
task.

Discipline

Creating and maintaining a culture of integrity and discipline at UNAM is very important for
effective teaching and learning.

The main purpose of enforcing discipline at a university level among the university
community is to ensure that good standards of life are shared and upheld at all campuses.

It is of utmost importance to understand yourself and others then you can be able to show
respect for all members of the university whether it is other students, lecturers,
administrative staff, security officers, or cleaners.

Accountability

All registered University of Namibia students have an obligation to behave in a certain

manner and are all expected to abide by the Rules and Regulations and maintain the Student
Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct outlines what is expected of the student and violation of this may
result in disciplinary action and these actions range from a warning to suspension or even
expulsion. This is to make sure that the university maintains a safe and secure environment
where all students can thrive and become successful. 

Healthy Living

Between exams, assignments, and maintaining an active social life, many students feel that
they can’t really find time to keep up with their personal health and wellness until an illness
gets to hold and stops them in their tracks. With the University providing endless physical
activities for students, staying healthy is easy.  Here are some tips for staying healthy:

a) Make sure you have a healthy well-balanced diet (lots of fruit and vegetables, take
multivitamins, don’t skip meals, and drink lots of water.)
b) Exercise (play sports, join the gym or simply walk or jog)

c) Sleep (get at least 8 hours of sleep every day, avoid all night studying)

d) Sexual health is important. Make sure you get tested for HIV and Sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) and always practice safe sex by using condoms and being faithful to one
partner.

e) Illnesses (if you are ill, go to the clinic as soon as possible. Make sure you ask your friend
to inform your lecturers and get sick leave from the doctor when you get back. )

f) Don’t abuse alcohol or use drugs

g) Cut down on the stress in your life by giving yourself a break, being realistic about your
goals, and seeking help to cope.

Reflective Activity

Reflection: Think about the following questions and note your answers in your
learning diary

1. Why are you here? What is motivating you to be here?

2. How does your attitude affect your academic performance? How does your attitude
about your course or school compare to your attitude about your work and/or social
life? Are you willing to change your attitude? Are you responsible for your attitude?
3. How would you describe your attitude before and now? What commitment will you
make right now that will help you have a successful semester?

Personal Plan for Success

 Choose your attitude daily

 Set positive expectations
 Use positive self-talk
 Learn to respond, not re-act
 Wipe the slate clean of negative emotions
 JUST DO IT!

Start each day as a new day with a new attitude. Each night before bed, think and plan out
your day ahead and when you wake up, put your plan into action. Force a smile, and force
yourself to choose to be happy and productive. Think only positive thoughts.