While self-regulation sounds like an innate trait, it’s actually a skill that we, as educators, can help students learn and refine.
Barry J. Zimmerman states that self-regulation isn’t just about an internal engine of motivation. It’s also about the external environment and how you set the stage for learning.
Self-Regulated Learning is “the degree to which students are metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their own learning processes.” Yeah, that’s a mouthful. In simpler terms, it’s students’ ability to:
- Know the learning strategies they need,
- Track their own progress,
- Adjust their approach when things aren’t working, and
- Do all of this while maintaining their motivation.
Students usually need explicit guidance, feedback, and modeling along the way especially in the beginning. That’s the part we can’t overlook.
Following Albert Bandura’s ideas, Zimmerman highlights that the three following elements influence each other in an ongoing loop. Let’s just call it a perpetual ping-pong match of sorts one side can’t help but bounce off the other. Self-regulation isn’t about sitting alone in a quiet room, repeating “I’ve got this.” It’s also about the context we adults provide.
- Personal (Self): A student’s beliefs, self-efficacy, and prior knowledge.
- Behavior: What the student actually does: study strategies, self-monitoring, and effort.
- Environment: The teacher’s modeling, the classroom setup, and even peer interactions.
Self-Efficacy
Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy is a cornerstone in this conversation. Self-efficacy is “a personal judgment of how well one can execute courses of action required to deal with prospective situations.” Or, put simply: “Do I think I can actually pull this off?”
To illustrate, let’s say you have a math-phobic student (we’ll call her Sasha) who rarely practices her multiplication facts because she believes she’s terrible at it. She’s a bright student in history class, where she feels comfortable and confident, but math? Nope. Her low self-efficacy in math translates into minimal practice, avoidance, and probably fewer correct answers.
As Zimmerman explains, self-efficacy can grow when we provide:
- Modeling – Show them the steps (including slip-ups). When they see a teacher or peer coping with errors and eventually succeeding, it feels attainable.
- Specific Goals – “Do your best” is basically a free pass to do nothing. Instead, break tasks into tangible bits, like “Complete five long-division problems in 10 minutes.”
- Verbal Persuasion – Encourage them through tough spots with real-time feedback and reassurance. (But try to refrain from plastering on a forced “You can do it!” grin they’ll see right through it.)
Why Independent Learning Isn’t Just Worksheets
Jerome Bruner once encouraged discovery learning, spare the lecture, let kids find it all out themselves. While the intention was good, Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller, and Richard E. Clark, point out that minimal guidance can be counterproductive for novices. This is particularly relevant when we’re trying to build self-regulatory skills. Don’t assume letting them flail will magically make them “resilient.” Students, novices by definition, need explicit instruction, practice, and feedback. That’s how they develop the skill of directing their own learning effectively.
Zimmerman’s 14 Self-Regulated Learning Strategies
Zimmerman’s research surfaces 14 strategies that high-achieving students often use.
- Self-Evaluation
- What It Is: Checking your own work or progress against a standard.
- Example: After solving a set of math problems, a student reviews each answer with an answer key or a calculator to see which ones need revisiting.
- Organizing and Transforming
- What It Is: Restructuring information in a way that helps you learn it better. This can be done overtly (writing or drawing) or mentally.
- Example: A student who’s assigned a chapter of reading might create a graphic organizer or mind map that summarizes main ideas and supporting details.
- Goal-Setting and Planning
- What It Is: Breaking down larger objectives into smaller, actionable steps with a clear timeline.
- Example: If a project is due in two weeks, a student schedules checkpoints like finishing research by Day 3, drafting by Day 7, and editing by Day 12 so nothing’s left to the last minute.
- Seeking Information
- What It Is: Actively looking for more data or resources beyond what you already have.
- Example: A student writing a paper might consult additional books at the library or watch a short documentary to gain deeper insight into the topic.
- Keeping Records and Monitoring
- What It Is: Documenting key data about your performance or progress over time.
- Example: A student might maintain a reading log, noting down the pages read each day and jotting a quick summary of what they learned.
- Structuring the Environment
- What It Is: Changing or arranging your physical or social setting to optimize concentration and learning.
- Example: Finding a quiet study corner in the library or silencing notifications on a device so you’re less tempted to check social media.
- Self-Consequating
- What It Is: Setting up personal rewards or consequences linked to reaching (or not reaching) a goal.
- Example: Promising yourself a favorite snack break after completing 10 review questions no cheating allowed!
- Rehearsing and Memorizing
- What It Is: Using techniques that help store information in memory, such as repetition or mnemonics.
- Example: Reciting vocabulary words out loud until they stick, or creating a catchy phrase to remember scientific classifications.
- Seeking Help From Peers
- What It Is: Turning to classmates or friends for assistance when you’re stuck or need feedback.
Example: Forming a study group where each member takes turns explaining concepts and clarifying doubts about a topic.
- What It Is: Turning to classmates or friends for assistance when you’re stuck or need feedback.
- Seeking Help From Teachers
- What It Is: Reaching out to instructors for extra guidance, clarification, or resources.
- Example: A student visits the teacher during office hours to go over tricky math problems or to get pointers on structuring an essay.
- Seeking Help From Adults or Experts
- What It Is: Consulting a tutor, counselor, or another adult who can provide specialized knowledge or support.
- Example: A high school student might email a local scientist for insights on a science fair project or meet with a writing coach for college essay feedback.
- Reviewing Personal Notes
- What It Is: Revisiting your own summaries or annotations to reinforce learning.
- Example: Spending 10 minutes each evening flipping through the day’s lecture notes, highlighting key terms and concepts.
- Reviewing Past Tests
- What It Is: Examining previous quizzes or exams to pinpoint errors, trends, and areas needing more attention.
- Example: A student looks over a returned math test, identifies the types of problems missed most frequently, and practices those problem types for mastery.
- Reviewing Textbooks or Readings
- What It Is: Going back to the original source material to clarify details or confirm understanding.
- Example: After a confusing history lecture, rereading the relevant textbook section and taking additional notes on points that were unclear in class.
When you can help students to engage with concrete tools to try, their faces light up finally, something specific instead of vague commands like “focus more.”
The Challenge
Introduce one self-regulated learning strategy from Zimmerman’s list in your classroom this week. Pick something easy to implement, like having students set one very specific goal for a reading assignment: “By the end of today’s lesson, I will be able to identify the main argument in at least one paragraph and explain it to a friend.”
Once they do that, encourage them to evaluate whether they succeeded (self-monitoring!), and if not, what else can they try next time? Sure, they might roll their eyes initially, but you’ll be surprised how quickly they internalize the process when it’s explicit and meaningful.
School Intellect 