Self-Regulation in the Classroom by Richard M. Cash

Author:Richard M. Cash
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781631980848
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Published: 2016-05-21T04:00:00+00:00

Learning/Performance Goals

Now the learners are ready to define what they will do to do well in learning. Goal setting, management, and reflection are the critical elements at this stage. The quality of the goals a student sets prior to a learning activity will have an effect on their motivations to learn. As defined by Barry Zimmerman, quality goals can have four motivational effects on the learner.10

1.First, a goal can focus the student on the choices of and attention toward tasks that are relevant to achieving the goal. The specificity of the goal can assist students in tuning out irrelevant information or chores. This also helps students retain information most directly related to the task at hand.

2.Second, a quality goal statement helps students know where and when to exert higher levels of effort.

3.Third, students who set quality goals learn persistence; they are willing to work longer toward achieving their goal than those students who set poorly framed goals or no goals at all.

4.Finally, students who set quality goals achieve a greater sense of self-satisfaction, which has a sustaining effect on future goal setting, monitoring, and attainment. Feeling successful can lead to a greater sense of confidence, which leads to more success.

Setting Quality Learning/Performance Goals

Learning or performance goals are related to the students’ learning of the content in a unit of study. Prior to setting these goals, students need to know what they should understand (conceptually), be able to do (procedurally), and know (factually). Frame this information in the daily lesson objectives and the overall unit plan. Secondary teachers can state this in the course syllabus, and elementary teachers can do a mini-lesson (brief introduction) or overview of the entire unit with the objectives clearly stated.

Be specific about the outcomes of the lessons and unit. Students should be able to define the expectations or the reasonable “take-aways” from the total unit of study. This clarity will help them align prior experiences to future learning and notice the importance of information learned in prior lessons and its impact on what is to come.

Setting goals for unit-level learning can be somewhat difficult; there may be too much to consider, or students may not have a good handle on what should or could be learned. In this case, guide students toward a list of specifics to accomplish or toward what is possible during the learning process. Avoid having students focus too closely or narrowly on what the possibilities might be for the unit. Remember, the subject matter is a launching point for students to continue their learning, whether on topics of interest, important materials, or thinking skills essential to their future growth.

SMARTS/S Goal-Setting Method

Have students use the SMARTS/S method of setting goals. This format provides students with an explicit way of framing their goals for greater attainability. The more focused students are in stating their goals, the more likely students will be to reach their goals. Note in the following framework, included in the specific and measureable nature of the goals, are the consciousness of

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