The Concept of Self-regulation - Assignment Example

The Concept of Self-regulation Chapter 4 1. Chapter 4 is about learning and some of it was difficult to understand. The quote that stood out to me was “the most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows” (p. 124). I chose this quote because it makes sense to me. I believe that as a learner I bring information with me from my experience, to the classroom. 2. At first, I did not understand schema, but after reading all the information and seeing the examples, I was able to understand this concept better. I am not sure the role that theories play in education, and how we would use them later. This is something that I would like to understand better. Talking Points 1. Students bring information to their class that was formed by their experience. This information stuck with me because some professors ask about your experience and others do not. I think that ones experience is very important to overall learning because it lays a foundation so that the learner can relate new learning to something they already know. 2. Ausubel’s information was interesting. I was interested in his ideas on anchoring because I become overwhelmed easily. If a teacher starts with a lot of information immediately and then goes to specific information, I sometimes get lost. I think Ausubel’s idea of anchoring works better for me (specific information to general). 3. Making instructional materials meaningful is important because as a student, I need the information I am reading to be relevant to me. When I am in a class that does not make sense to me, I have a harder time understanding what I am supposed to do. 4. I also thought it was interesting when the author said that most students already know something about any new topic, or they can make connections between what they already know and what they are learning. I do not think that learners always make the connections though. I think that there are things that are taught in high school that would be helpful in college, but we do not always remember what we learned. 5. I also found this chapter explained why I do well in some subjects and not so well in others. The text says that if a student is having trouble learning something, the materials should be changed to materials that explain the concept more thoroughly. I do think that in some situations, even the materials break concepts down, the student may still have problems if the subject is one they have problems in like science, math or English. Chapter 7 1. The quote that I liked in this chapter was “This means that the social interactions they encounter could lead to developmental delays or abnormal development as well as to normal or accelerated development” (p. 257). This quote refers to Vygotsky’s theory and the zone of proximal development. I thought this was an interesting statement the more I thought about it because I think it is true. If a child grows up in loving and encouraging home, he or she will most likely have a normal development. However, if he or she grows up in an abusive or neglectful home, there may be developmental problems that can make learning in school difficult. 2. I found this chapter to be very interesting because of all the different ideas that were shown about learning. I do not have any questions about anything because I understood the concepts easily. Talking Points 1. Vygotsky’s information is important because it shows how teachers, students, and parents are an integral part of learning. The ideas of zone of proximal development and scaffolding were important ways that show various steps in the learning. Vygotsky seemed very student oriented in his approach. 2. The issue of development is particularly important because it explains the emotional and cognitive issues that happen as a child begins to learn. This was not something I really thought about before reading this chapter. 3. The concept of Pet Monkey on p. 226 was important as an aspect of learning. It reminded me of teachers who stand in front of a classroom and just impart their knowledge on the student. This does not work well because it can actually put students to sleep. This type of class was always very boring for me. In a situation like this, I cannot see how real learning takes place. 4. Bruner’s work is important because he pointed out that the thinking mind would eventually turn a learner into a “self-propelled” (p. 227) thinker. I think this happens in most cases eventually, especially when the students go through high school or when they enter higher education. 5. The idea of enactive, iconic, and symbolic representation are important because they break down the psychological aspects of thinking. I could see how these three aspects of Bruner’s theory worked in my own learning. Chapter 9 1. “Teachers say students are not motivated, for example, when they study halfheartedly, complete a task only for the external reward, it assures, or spend time on things antithetical to the learning task…” (p. 309). This quote struck me quickly because the perception that some teachers have is not necessarily true. From a student perspective, the reason that a student may seem unmotivated in class may be because the class is boring. I think students learn in a classroom better when there is something to do that involves them with other children or other adults. 2. I did not find any questions in this chapter. I enjoyed the concepts in this chapter because it provided information about motivation and how this could affect students as they move through their lives. Talking Points 1. The concept of self-regulation is important because it is one reason for a student to do their best. Student who is motivated through self-regulation is able to set their own goals, take control of their own learning and behave in a way that gets them a good grade. 2. Shrunk and Zimmerman (1994) said that self-regulation was important because it helps a person move towards their goals. Goal setting and achievement is important in most societies because people have to get work done. 3. Bandura’s work further the discussion of self motivation in that he suggests that a person that is motivated will continue to set goals for themselves and strive to meet them. In college, it is important to set your own goals because the only person that will be disappointed if you do not receive the grades you want, is you. 4. No one really knows how someone becomes self-regulated, but there are different theories that attempt to figure this out. Some theorists think that teachers teach information directly to students about how to be self-regulated. Other theorists say children are self regulated because they acquire more skill as they evolve in their learning that automatically makes this happen. 5. The figure on p. 333 is a good representation of Keller’s model. The model clearly shows that an individual has to produce some type of effort into what they are doing so they stay motived. I think that a person is motivated to do something when they enjoy what they are doing. Chapter 10 1. “Developing unique as well as effective cognitive strategies is typically consider a part of learning to learn and learning to think independently” (p. 362). I agree with this statement because I think cognitive strategies have to do with the ability to critically think. A student in college, as an example, must use critical thinking skills to fill in the gaps that may not be directly shown on a syllabus. The student has to be able to ask questions to make sure they understand the learning. 2. There seem to be so many different rules that are engaged when we are talking about learning. I am wondering whether teachers are able to use their own innovative ideas when they approach a classroom. I also wonder whether a college professor has more room to use their own ideas in a college classroom than a teacher has in a K-12 classroom. Talking Points 1. Teachers in some of my classes have used Bloom’s Taxonomy and this chapter helped me understand this concept better. I think the chart on p. 359 is a good breakdown of Gagné’s theory and provides a snapshot for the chapter. I felt hat it also explained what teachers expect to happen in their classrooms. 2. Most people think that intellectual skill has to do with high intelligence, but in this chapter, it really means that all learning provides important skill development that increases intellectual skill. The idea that one has to be able to discern certain things in their environment before they can create a perception of something else makes sense. 3. Gagné’s definition of attitude is very important to a discussion on cognitive strategies because it explains why people have different ideas about the same topic. I know that some students who enter college seem to have an attitude that because they pay for classes, the teachers owe them a grade. A better attitude is that they have paid for college, so they should do their best. 4. Learning goals are important to conditions for learning as well. This section on conditions for learning made it clear that the teacher should set clear goals to make sure that students understand any term that are “fuzzy, vague, or unspecified goals” (p. 365). This makes sense because students do not like to struggle with information and it if it is too difficult, they will ignore it. 5. The entire section on conditions for different ways of learning is important for teachers because students have more than one way to receive information. There are different strategies that can enhance the learning of the various types of learning. As an example, a condition for learning verbal information is to draw attention to specific features in print or speech. I have had teachers say, “This is important” or, “you might want to remember this for the test”. I always paid more attention to that information. Chapter 11 1. “Students cannot be expected to learn to deal with complexity unless they have the opportunity to do so” (p. 394). This quote struck me because I think that many classrooms are dummied down because teachers or the administration feel that students cannot learn some material. As an example, a friend of mine who is older than I am, said that what students are taught today in their AP classes, my friend learned in general classes. My friend is a very good student and thinks critically when she needs to. I think that my friend learned to deal with the complexity in school and in the world because her teachers exposed her to complexity throughout her education. 2. I really liked this chapter! IT seemed to bring all the information together from all the chapters because it went over some of the ideas from other chapters through a constructivist’s view. I also wondered why this chapter and Chapter 10 had their own chapter, but I thought this might be because they had so much to say in the chapters. Talking Points 1. The issue of complexity in learning is important because teachers need to understand that just because a concept is simple to them, it may not be simple to their students. I think that every student has a subject or two that is difficult for them. When they find a teacher who can really explain concepts well, they do better in that subject and in the class. 2. The discussion of why learning is important gave me something more to think about. As a student, we do not think about retention as an issue, we think more about money as the issue. The “active use of knowledge and skills” (p. 391) has not been relevant to me except in classes where I am receiving hands on information that I can extend to my chosen profession. The idea of understanding makes sense, because a student must understand what they are learning or it is difficult for them to do well on a test or in school in general. 3. The idea that learning environments must be relevant seems to be an ongoing debate, especially with students. Many times my friends and I talk about the classes that are relevant to what we want to do and those that make no sense. Although all must be taken to obtain a degree, it would seem that the more relevant a class is, the better it will translate to the workforce. 4. Ownership in learning goes back to the discussion in Chapter 9 when we talked about self-efficacy. Constructivists suggest that it is the student who is ultimately responsible for how they learn and what they learn. I think this is true. A student can go into a classroom, but if he or she does not have the attitude that they want to learn, or that they can tackle the subject matter, they may not do as well as a student who is self-motivated and has a better attitude. 5. The overall discussions in this chapter are important because the Constructivists seem to be more student oriented in some respects. They place the student in control of their learning and they suggest that teachers must create situations that allow the student to further explore their learning; this is a very important concept, especially when students move to higher education. Read More