You are on page 1of 6

REFLECTION ON SELF-REGULATION

For this weeks reflection, I decided to zero in on my comments in two areas of interest discussed by Schunk in Chapter 9. One of the areas revolves around learner choices and selfregulatory processes. The second area refers to the learning methods that students can follow as they achieve learning and performance goals. Both areas will be explained based on my experience as a graduate student in the Educational Psychology field. Schunk (2012) states that, from a social cognitive perspective, self-regulation involves providing learners with choices. This does not mean that learners always take advantage of the available choices, especially when they are uncertain about what to do and ask the teacher. When all task aspects are controlled, however, it is accurate to speak of achievement behavior being externally controlled or controlled by others (Schunk, pgs. 405 & 406, 2012). Throughout the last thirteen weeks of the semester, I have chosen to participate in every single discussion board that was posted on our D2L site. My goal at the beginning of the semester was to successfully complete each assignment demonstrating a clear understanding of the different learning theories from an educational perspective. Although at present my time is limited, I wanted to go the extra mile to actively engage in this asynchronous class not only because my performance is being evaluated, but because I wanted to become a better prepared classroom facilitator and counselor (values). When I began my graduate college experience, I was very anxious and lacked selfconfidence. Being an international student does not make things any easier. In fact, at times, I found myself falling behind in reading and discussion assignments because I had to think in two different languages (English and Spanish) at the same time. When I started my program my

metacognitive abilities were not developed, which made my life more complicated whenever I had to reflect on how well I was progressing towards the achievement of goals. It was then when I had an AHA moment ad realized that I needed to choose a method and a strategy to overcome the barriers and anxiety I was facing. I proceeded to incorporate theory into practice by developing practical applications for each concept I was learning. I also decided to meet with my instructors to ask for advice and guidance. Schunk considers that students who judge their learning process as inadequate may react by asking for teacher assistance, which alters their environment. In turn, teachers may instruct students in a more efficient strategy, which students then use to promote their learning. That environmental influences can assist the development of self-regulation is important, because educators advocate that students be taught self-regulatory skills (Schunk, p. 407, 2012). The meetings I had with my faculty advisor helped me to maintain a sense of selfefficacy for learning, value the learning, believe that positive outcomes would result, and to maintain a positive emotional climate (Schunk, 2012). Consequently, I felt empowered to keep working towards the achievement of my Masters Degree. Using my self -judgment and socially comparing my performance with other classmates, I have made satisfactory progress in all nine classes that I have completed so far. Not only have I learned different learning theories for the last 2 years, I have also learned how to apply organizational, comprehension and monitoring strategies to impact beliefs of self-observation, self-judgment, and self-reactions positively (choose outcomes). As a final note, it is pertinent to look at Schunks views on self-evaluation. Schunk (2012) realizes that students may not spontaneously self-evaluate their capabilities. One means of highlighting progress is to have them periodically assess their progress. Explicit capability

self-evaluations constitute a type of self-monitoring because students must attend to their present performance and compare it with their prior performance to note progress. By making performance improvements salient, such self-monitoring is apt to raise self-efficacy, sustain selfregulatory activities, and promote skills (Schunk, p. 412, 2012). This semester I have had the opportunity to self-monitor my comprehension by responding to questions posed by classmates. I have also been able to realize how efficacious I have been by creating concepts maps, instructional design, and by using critical thinking skills to create questions to classmates to promote discovery learning. Last but not least, by consistently sustaining self-regulatory activities, I have seen progressive changes that are helping me develop (grow) as a more integral individual in the Educational Psychology field.

Reference: Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

CHECKING MY UNDERSTANDING OF SELF-REGULATION

5. Discuss self-regulation from a constructivist perspective to include the role of students' implicit theories.

To discuss self-regulation from a constructivist perspective requires one to analyze the following key assumptions using Implicit and Sociocultural Theories:

There is an intrinsic motivation to seek information: individuals are curious entities by nature. When one does not know how to use declarative or procedural knowledge, he/she attempts to find the resources that will allow him/her to arrive at a solution/conclusion under certain circumstances. This statement proves that individuals construct most of what they learn. Additionally, individuals, particularly children, are motivated to construct explanatory frameworks and understand their educational experiences, such as theories of competence, which aid learning and usage of adaptive learning strategies (Schunk, 2012).

Understanding goes beyond the information given: most of the time individuals tend to put theory into practice as they achieve a goal. It is through practice that one furthers his/her skills and is able to connect new knowledge with knowledge that has been previously acquired.

Mental representations change with development: taking into consideration Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development, it is plausible to assert that cognitive structures are constructed and altered. Schunk describes that during the sensorimotor stage, childrens actions are spontaneous and represent an attempt to understand the world. He also describes that by the end of the sensorimotor period, children have attained sufficient

cognitive development to progress to new conceptual symbolic thinking characteristic of the preoperational stage. Preoperational children are able to imagine the future and reflect on the past while during the concrete and formal operational stage childrens language and basic skill acquisition accelerate and develop dramatically as reasoning capabilities improve (Schunk, pgs. 237 & 238, 2012). There are progressive refinements in levels of understanding: from a personal standpoint, as individuals develop they are able to formulate hypotheses of life situations and form abstractions of complex concepts that they wish to learn. For example, the way a 5-year old perceives addition and subtraction is not the same as a teenager that is in his/her senior year of high-school. The latter sees these processes as basic operations that can assist in the solution of algebra and calculus problems. As individuals refine their concepts they seek equilibration as the main mechanism of learning. Schunk (2012) defines equilibration as an attempt to resolve cognitive conflict given that information from the environment is not automatically received but rather is processed according to the childs prevailing mental structure (Schunk, p. 238 & 239, 2012). There are developmental constraints on learning: biological maturation, which directly affects cognitive development, is a clear example of a constraint that affects the learning process. Equally as important is the Zone of Proximal Development explained by Vygotsky. ZPD, as stated by Schunk (2012), is the differenc e between what children can do on their own and what they can do with assistance from others (p. 243). From Vygotskys perspective, a critical component of psychological development was mastering the external process of transmitting cultural development and thinking through symbols such as language, counting, and writing. For example, children that are not

stimulated by parents during the critical stages of language development may experience difficulties (constraints) when internalizing word meanings to direct their behaviors. Reflection and reconstruction stimulate learning: it is said that constructivist theories place greater emphasis on learners activities in their physical and sociocultural environments through modeling, mentoring, and reflection. Reflection and reconstruction allow individuals to develop a sense of agency and control among individuals in terms of social interactions and academic achievement. When individuals feel they are in control of their learning process, they increase their levels of self-efficacy and motivation as they figure out how to use declarative and procedural knowledge towards the achievement of learning and performance goals.

Reference: Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

You might also like