Self-Regulation Study Guide

Self-Regulation Study Guide

Objectives:

●     Recognize the importance of self-regulation in learning.

●     Apply the cycle of self-regulated learning to your own learning.

●     Consider ways to enhance your future students’ self-regulation.

Key Terms:

Pages 435-449

Self-regulation – The process of activating and sustaining our thoughts, our behaviors, and our emotions in order to reach our goals

Types of knowledge needed for self-regulation:

·         Knowledge about one’s self

·         The subject

·         The task

·         Strategies for learning (what works, what doesn’t)

·         The context that the learning will apply to their lives

What motivates self-regulated learners?

·         The desire to learn more

·         Value learning and knowing why you want to learn more about the subject area

Volition – Using will power to protect themselves from distractions. For example, when I study I know that I have to study in my office. My office does not have electronic devices (beside the laptop) and any other distractions. Through my laptop I play classical music and I push the world out of my mind and focus on what I am studying. I know that if I listen to any other type of music I would be tempted to sing along and if there was a tv in the room I would be tempted to have TV on as back ground noise. But in reality I would end up watching more tv instead of studying.

Self-regulated learning – Describes how learners set goals and organize the efforts and resources needed to reach goals.

Steps to The Cycle of Self-regulated Learning:

·         Analyzing the learning task

o   Examines what information may be relevant in order to construct a sense of what the task is about.

o   Example: If there is a test I would want to know what concepts would be on it, how many questions, what type of questions

·         Setting goals

o   What are my learning goals? How much effort is required from me? What consequences are there if I do not reach my goals?

·         Devising Plans

o   What are the steps in order to complete the goal?

o   What learning skills will be useful?

o   How do I monitor my progress?

o   What feedback is available, if any?

·         Enacting Tactics and Strategies

o   What prior knowledge do I have? What do I need to know that I do not know already?

o   Am I reaching my goals?

o   Am I progressing fast enough to be prepared for exams?

·         Regulating Learning

o   Metacognitive monitoring

§  Do I need a friend to study with? Do I need to review certain material again

o   Evaluating previous phases

Cognitive behavior modification – self-talk that regulates behavior

Self-instruction – talking oneself through the steps of a task

Emotional self-regulation – being able to properly regulate one’s emotions. 4 Important Emotional skills:

•  Know yourself and others
• Make responsible decisions
• Care for others
• Know how to act

Summary:

            In order for students to be self-regulated they must have a combination of the knowledge, motivation to learn, and volition that provides the will to learn. The knowledge includes understanding yourself, the subject, task, learning strategies, etc. Motivation to learn is a commitment to yourself that you will learn the subject and volition is following through with the commitment. There are five steps to self-regulating learning: analyzing the task, setting goals, designing plans, enacting tactics, and regulate learning.

Application Questions:

1.    Describe a complex task that you could assign your students and how you will help them use the cycle of self-regulated learning to complete that task.

a.    Students can use The Cycle of Self-Regulated learning on the first day of class. The syllabus and schedule outline what is expected of the student for the semester. For the first stage students will need to examine the schedule and syllabus and determine sub tasks. The sub task can be broken down by concept units. From there students can move on to setting goals. They can determine at that point how much effort they will need to put in to each unit. The next step for students is to devise a plan. I have found to work is using a schedule. I take the syllabus and I write down on the calendar stuff I need to do before class and assignments for after class. Students can then outline what plans or steps they will take to reach their goals. Next students will implement tactics and strategies. These strategies and tactics will help students with their plan and goal to ensure they learn. The last step is evaluating the process. After they finish the first unit they can determine where in their plan did disconnects occur and if they need to create study groups in order to be successful on future units.

2.    Pick one of the strategies from Guidelines: Supporting Self-Regulation at Home and in School (pg. 442) and give a specific example of how you will use it with your students.

a.    For the “Model self-regulation” section I would describe how I set goals and monitor my progress. I would then proceed to tell them the following: My goal for each class is to pass it with a B+ or higher. In addition, I also want at least an 80% or above on every test and at least a 90% or above on all assignments and discussions.  Since my schedule is so hectic because I work full time and attend school full time I consider my time valuable. I want to make sure that I know in advance major projects so that I can work on them earlier. When I start out a semester I put all the schedule information for each of my classes into an electronic calendar like Google. I also put this same information into a personal calendar I can carry with me. The personal calendar outlines my entire daily to-do and weekly assignments. Each week I look at all my classes calendar and outline what I need to do each day and determine how long it will take me to do. At the beginning of the semester these time estimates may change but they should get more accurate as the semester moves along. After the first test for each of my classes I analyze my results. It may be that I am spending too much time on a subject that doesn’t need it and less time on a subject that does need the attention. I then refine my process and make changes and try again for the second test.

3.    How will you help to improve your students’ (and your own) emotional regulation? See Guidelines: Encouraging Emotional Self-Regulation (p. 446) for some suggestions). Be specific to your class/subject matter.

a.    To improve my students’ emotional regulation I will teach them how to recognize cultural differences in emotional expression. For business it is important to make sure that you realize that culture can impact emotion as well as their expression and their behavior. One way I would help teach them this is to have the students break up into groups and each group will pick a culture. The groups will then study and present the different types of cultures and what expressions mean what in that culture.

b.    To improve my emotional regulation I would want to learn more about coping with emotions. I am a “happy go lucky” type of girl. The problem with that is that I do not always talk about how I am feeling and I try to mask it. I would want to learn about coping with my emotions and learning healthy ways to release my emotions and talk about them.