Self Regulated Learning
As facilitators it is our responsibility to facilitate a productive learning environment that helps students educate themselves and assist their fellow classmates. It is this environment that we are most responsible for.
Some of the key elements of this environment includes; Motivation, Group Dynamic, and Goal Orientation (Set Goals and ask them why). Each of these elements play a role in Self-Regulated Learning and establishing a positive learning environment.
“Motivated students are more attentive to their learning processes and outcomes than poorly motivated students”(pg3)
You will find that varying confidence levels will determine how students react during studio sessions. Different students are confident in different aspects of education and learning some will be eager to share their work while others may be defiantly reluctant. In studio, every student must share their work and participate. As a facilitator it will be your initial responsibility to encourage and coach them into confidence but not to force a student into doing what they don’t want to. (Motivation is an integral part of SRL and confidence builds motivation) This also falls into the realm of Self-Efficacy. Self- Efficacy refers to matters that question one’s capability, (Can I solve this problem, Can I pass this class, Can I succeed in college?) Of course, we want to increase confidence, increase motivation, and increase self-efficacy.
How can this be accomplished?
Constant support and encouragement is key when working with new students. Be mindful of their level of self-efficacy and encourage them that they can succeed.
It helps to reward students with genuine compliments when they show positive qualities or when they improve or do well on their work. Small compliments pertaining to a positive environment helps like; I like that you guys are always on time, you give good feedback, I like your enthusiasm, I’ve noticed your improvement, you’re very descriptive, you have a helpful attitude, you’re a good listener etc. These compliments reinforce positive behaviors and show appreciation for cooperation.
It’s also normal for students to become stressed during the program due to the amount of work. Encouraging words help in this situation as well. “Don’t stress we got this, that’s what we’re here for.” “Let’s use this time to make things easier for you” “What’s giving you the most trouble so we can help you?”.
Students may become pessimistic and so Regulating a Motivational State during the sessions helps keep students focus.
Ways to regulate include: Reminding a student of their specific goals for the week or longer, Rewarding a student for completing a component of the task, rewarding a student for specific performance, make the material more valuable to them by metaphorically increasing its worth, make the material more relevant, enjoyable, interesting, and increase perception of efficacy. (P.H. Winne and A.F. Hadwin. 308)
Assigning difficult goals can significantly increase motivation and performance (pg5) and so it is effective and only fair that we announce to the students that the central goal for all students is to pass this summer program.
Goal orientation is a key element in SRL. The Goals that students set for themselves affect their motivation to learn in four major ways; It provides for the student an element of choice and proceeding down a path of their choosing. It motivates more effort and persistence in attaining the goals, and it also provides a positive reaction to completing these goals.
It is a Group Dynamic building exercise to share an ultimate goal which is helpful to the group, but the point is for a goal to be specific and achievable within the program timeframe. One option is to have an ultimate goal and map out a series of lesser goals that will help to achieve it, reaching all the way back the this summer academy. Although it can be made fun, goals should be individualized and taken seriously. Goals can include; learning to revise my own work, writing this 3-page paper by Thursday, reading this 3 chapters, increasing my vocabulary. Etc.
In your studio groups, there should be a goal for the session for each of your students, this is mandatory. But there can also be goals for the week, for the summer, and so forth. Refer back to these goals to build motivation (270).
Once again, this should be taken seriously. This exercise not only gives the students a goal to fall back on, but it gives you the chance to learn more about your students. Some students may be willing to share their goals and work hard to attain them, while others do not take it seriously either because they low self efficacy or because they have high self efficacy.
Some students, whether they know it or not, believe that if you have high ability you should not need effort or deliberate learning strategies to master new material. These students may be reluctant to some of our strategies of learning because it does not pertain to them.
These are Entity theorists, they believe in natural intelligence, they want to show how smart they are and having to make an effort means low intelligence. On the other hand, there are Incremental theorists who believe that effort and hard work is the key to intelligence, improvement and mastery. Effort and hard work is where intelligence comes from. We subscribe to the Incremental approach to learning. This is because Incremental theory instills the value of “learning goals” within the student, which means that knowing that you can increase your intelligence will make you want to do just that (34). Reluctant students should be reminded, “Even geniuses have to work hard for their great accomplishments” or “Even if you’re good at something, working hard makes you better at it”. These beliefs have real consequences in terms of learning and research shows that an emphasis on effort and hard-work is a benefit to a student’s abilities despite which theory they believe (39).
Now how do we implement incremental theory
Group dynamic and building a container, the students that are enthusiastic can become your container, learn about your students and use their positive characteristics as an example. Use that person to further the environment of the sessions.
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