Worksheets to Accompany Guided Self-Assessment Grading

Worksheet 1 (filled out at beginning, middle, and end of semester):

Self-Reflection on Learning Habits

Please indicate below where you see yourself on the following scales. The statements on either side are meant to represent two possible extremes of a spectrum of possible responses. Circle the “0” if you are undecided between the two choices, or circle the “+” that best represents how close you are to one of the options. For example, if you completely agree with one and disagree with the other, circle the “+” that is closest to the statement with which you agree.


I tend to work hard, pushing myself to my very limits, in activities I enjoy.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I do not want to get too carried away, even in activities I enjoy.
I am good at pushing myself through tasks I don’t enjoy but have to do or think I ought to do.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	When faced with tasks I don’t like, I tend to avoid them or do the minimum required to get by at an acceptable level.
I find most topics or areas of study interesting, or at least can see why others would find them interesting and important. The word “boring” is not part of my vocabulary.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I find some topics or areas of study boring, and don’t really understand why people want to study these.
If I have a hard time understanding the significance of something, I regard this as my problem and work to figure out why it is important.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	If I have a hard time understanding the significance of something, I wish someone would tell my why it’s supposed to be important.
I have learned time-management skills and regularly employ them.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I have problems managing my time well.
I make it a point to attend every class.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	Sometimes I skip classes.
I love writing.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I really dislike writing.
I like learning new kinds of writing.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I do not like learning new kinds of writing.
I love reading.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	Reading has never been something I have enjoyed.
It is very rewarding working through difficult reading.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	Difficult reading is very hard on me.
I like speaking up in class discussions.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	Speaking in class discussions is very hard for me.
I am good at listening carefully to what others have to say.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	It is hard for me to focus on what others are saying.
I take thorough reading notes.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I never take notes while reading.
I take thorough notes in class.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I never take notes in class.
I have educational goals.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I let my teachers set my educational goals.
I am willing to take risks to help fulfill my educational goals.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I would rather play it safe and try to please my teachers.
I care more about my education than my grades.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I care more about my grades than about my education.
I process my learning outside of class by writing my ideas or talking with others about my ideas.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	At most, I do my homework—no more—and then turn my attention to other things.
I willingly came to college.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I felt somewhat forced to come to college.
My life outside of my classes is relatively calm and pleasant.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	I am dealing with one or more major issues outside of classes.
For the most part, my wider social context (family, friends, jobs, extracurricular activities) supports my coming to college and taking my classes seriously.	+ + + + + 0 + + + + +	Some aspect of my wider social context disapproves of my being in college and/or in other ways undermines my motivation or ability to prepare adequately for classes.

Choose one from the following:

q I came to college to get a good education.

q I came to college to get a degree.

q I came to college because it was expected of me.

q I came to college because I didn’t know what else to do next.

q Other: ________________________________________________.

Finally, take time to think about and write down your own educational goals for this course.

On the table above, the options on the left represent attitudes and situations more conducive to active learning. The options on the right represent attitudes and situations that can hinder your ability to get the great education you deserve. If your answers tend to be weighted to the left, you already take an active approach to your education. If your answers tend to be weighted to the right, you take a more passive approach. The disadvantages of taking a passive approach to your education are not just disadvantages to yourself (i.e., that you could be learning much more than you actually are), but also have effects on others as well: your teachers, your classmates, the overall quality of undergraduate education, the health of our society, and the well-being of our planet!

For those questions where you answered in the middle or to the right, reflect on why this is so. The answers to the right are not necessarily bad answers, but they do tend to indicate a more passive approach to education, one of letting others have too much control over you, or one of expecting others to provide that which can only be provided by you. The exception to this is the last two pairs of statements, which reflect external life issues that are somewhat out of your control but may interfere with your motivation to get the most out of your education at the moment. If the presence of factors like these influences your answers to the rest of the questions, think about this as well: should you be letting these situations taint your attitudes in these ways? To what extent can a revision of your basic attitudes about education help you address your other life-situations in more effective ways?

Education really can empower you to live more effectively, but for this to happen, it is imperative for you to be an active learner. Think carefully about all of this now, set yourself some goals for improvement, and periodically reflect back on these questions, noting where you feel you have made progress.

Worksheet 2 (filled out at beginning of semester):

Philosophical Competencies

By Laura Rediehs

What is the purpose of philosophical education? Is it meaningful to say that some people are better philosophers than others? If so, in what contexts would this matter? What accomplishments should good philosophers be able to perform? What are the idealized standards of philosophical accomplishments? How do your philosophical abilities benefit yourself? How do they benefit others? Is being a good philosopher important? Why? Are there dangers to not being a very good philosopher?

My own view is that what is more important than actual philosophical accomplishment, according to the standards set within the academic discipline of philosophy, is your development of various philosophical competencies.

What exactly are philosophical competencies? We may refine this list in class, but here are some preliminary thoughts on philosophical competencies. First, here is a very general list:

Ability to understand the philosophical ideas of others
Ability to reflect critically on philosophical ideas
Ability to generate your own philosophical ideas
Ability to communicate philosophical ideas effectively

This next list breaks down that most general list into some more specific examples, but these examples are still general in that they would apply to most philosophy courses. You can take these kinds of examples and develop even more specific competencies specific to particular courses, and you will each work on this for this course in your ongoing self-assessment. So, here is the more detailed, but still general list:

Ability to understand the philosophical ideas of others

a. Being able to read and accurately understand philosophical texts

b. Being able to listen well to others and accurately understand the philosophical ideas they express

c. Knowing the major subfields of philosophy

d. Knowing major concepts and terminology frequently employed in philosophical work

e. Knowing the major questions posed in philosophy, and/or knowing the questions that define and shape the particular subfields of philosophy

f. Knowing who the thinkers are who have made the most influential contributions to the important questions/subfields in philosophy, and what their major contributions were

g. Understanding and recognizing basic philosophical methodologies

h. Understanding how philosophers have responded to the ideas and questions raised by other philosophers who preceded them – that is, having a sense of the historical development of ideas

i. Discernment of subtle differences: ability to distinguish between ideas of different, but similar, thinkers; ability to notice how an individual philosopher’s ideas changed over the historical development of that philosopher’s thought, and why

j. Being able to discern the ways philosophical ideas underlie all of human thought.

k. Being able to discern how all human action is justified implicitly or explicitly by ideas, and being able to discern the patterns of reasoning underlying all justification

Ability to critically reflect on philosophical ideas

a. Ability to correctly explicate core arguments from philosophical texts and distinguish the logical elements of arguments from rhetorical elements

b. Ability to distinguish the literal from the metaphorical

c. Analyzing arguments for validity or inductive strength

d. Evaluating arguments (beyond merely determining validity or inductive strength)

e. Evaluating coherence of networks of philosophical ideas or bodies of philosophical thought

f. Ability to compare ideas of different philosophers well

i. Ability to discern subtle differences; and articulate why these differences are important

ii. Ability to find commonalities – common patterns, themes, approaches, styles of arguing – and reflect on the significance of these

g. Ability to discern what is good: strengths, novel approaches, innovative philosophical methodologies

h. Ability to unpack further implications (such as logical implications) from core ideas

Ability to generate your own philosophical ideas

Constructing your own coherent philosophical belief systems
Coming up with your own responses to philosophical problems
Ability to generate new ways of looking at old ideas
Ability to reconceptualize old problems or questions in new ways perhaps more amenable to solution
Ability to generate genuinely new solutions to old problems
Ability to generate good philosophical questions
Ability to synthesize – take the best of others’ ideas and construct out of them something new and stronger

Ability to communicate philosophical ideas effectively

Ability to summarize accurately and clearly the views of others, in your own words
Ability to articulate your own ideas well
Ability to articulate philosophical ideas through standard forms of philosophical writing

Now, it is important to note that, on the one hand, this might not be a complete list; and, on the other hand, parts of this list might be redundant. It is also important to note that some of the items on this list are higher-level competencies that cannot be addressed without other, more basic ones, being adequately developed. The lists do not necessarily proceed from most basic to most highly-advanced, and most (but perhaps not all!) items on the list are the kinds of skills and competencies that can be developed ad infinitum. Finally, please note that it may not be the case that all of these competencies are relevant to this particular course. We will talk about this periodically in the course, and, in all likelihood, refine and modify this master list as you each develop your more specific learning goals for this course.

Self-Assessment Worksheet – Learning Goals

A. What, in general, are your learning goals for this course? To answer this question, it may be helpful to think about why you signed up for this course – what interested you about it.

B. After reviewing the list of “Philosophical Competencies” available in a handout provided on the ANGEL system, list the ones that seem most relevant to you as meaningful and appropriate goals at your current stage of development in your own education. Choose about 2-3 in each general area listed below:

Ability to understand the philosophical ideas of others

Ability to reflect critically on philosophical ideas

Ability to generate your own philosophical ideas

Ability to communicate philosophical ideas effectively

Are there others not on the list that you wish to add?

C. Other comments or reflections at this point?

Worksheet 3 (filled out for each self-assessed assignment):

Self-Assessment Worksheet – Reflecting on Assignments

Name of Assignment (Paper, ANGEL Dialogue, Talk Show): ___________________________________

A. Which competencies do you think are especially addressed in this assignment?

B. Which of your own specific learning goals are relevant to this assignment? Explain, if necessary.

C. What progress do you feel you have made towards developing philosophical competencies and fulfilling your learning goals in completing this assignment?

D. What new awareness have you developed regarding your weaknesses and/or growing points?

E. Use this space to refine your list of your learning goals in light of the progress you have made thus far in the course. You may want to change the wording of some of your goals, or add or subtract from your list. Please comment on the reasons for the changes you make.

F. What grade (on St. Lawrence’s 4.0 scale) would you give yourself on this assignment, and why? What criteria do you use to determine this grade?

Worksheet 4 (filled out at end of the semester):

Self-Assessment Worksheet – Final Reflection

A. How well have you kept up with the readings throughout this course?

B. Reflect on your work on your philosophical notebook by addressing each of the following questions: Which competencies do you think were especially addressed in this assignment? Which of your own specific learning goals were best addressed by this assignment? Explain, if necessary. What progress do you feel you have made towards developing philosophical competencies and fulfilling your learning goals in completing this assignment? What new awareness have you developed regarding your weaknesses and/or growing points?

C. Reflect on your work in Discussion Forum participation (both the general Discussion Forum, and the Reflection Forum) by addressing each of the following questions: Which competencies do you think were especially addressed in this assignment? Which of your own specific learning goals were best addressed by this assignment? Explain, if necessary. What progress do you feel you have made towards developing philosophical competencies and fulfilling your learning goals in completing this assignment? What new awareness have you developed regarding your weaknesses and/or growing points?

D. Reflect on the questions you submitted for class each day on the Questions Forum, by addressing each of the following questions: Which competencies do you think were especially addressed in this assignment? Which of your own specific learning goals were best addressed by this assignment? Explain, if necessary. What progress do you feel you have made towards developing philosophical competencies and fulfilling your learning goals in completing this assignment? What new awareness have you developed regarding your weaknesses and/or growing points?

A. Reflect on your attendance and participation in class discussions (including taking class minutes, and making up any classes you may have missed) by addressing each of the following questions: Which competencies do you think were especially addressed in this assignment? Which of your own specific learning goals were best addressed by this assignment? Explain, if necessary. What progress do you feel you have made towards developing philosophical competencies and fulfilling your learning goals in completing this assignment? What new awareness have you developed regarding your weaknesses and/or growing points?

B. Do you want to revisit any of your Assignment Self-Assessments now, at the conclusion of the course? If so, why, and in what ways?

C. After reviewing your answers to the above questions, plus all of your Assignment Self-Assessments for the course, use this space to summarize your overall progress regarding your learning goals and your development of philosophical competencies.

a. What goals/competencies have been especially well developed by your work in this course?

b. What are your current philosophical growing points as you leave this course?

c. Other comments.

D. What grade (on St. Lawrence’s 4.0 scale) do you think is a fair grade for you in this course, and why? What criteria do you use to determine this grade?