Helping students achieve success - teaching self-regulation helps children become better students - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Dec, 1997

If your offspring brings home a test paper with an "F" on it, don't ask why he or she failed. That "can lead to a response such as `Because I'm not smart enough,'" says Dale H. Schunk, professor of educational psychology and head of the Department of Educational Studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. He says the issue is not that the youngster needs to be smarter; it's that he or she needs to work smarter.

"In the case of the failed test, ask your child,`How did you take the test?' You may learn that your child was watching two boys in class pushing each other, and as a result, didn't have time to finish the test. If you know the problem, you can suggest a better strategy or method for dealing with it next time.

"In addition to teaching subject-area knowledge and skills, the more important goal right now in education is to teach kids to operate independently." Schunk explains that, to learn, students need to regulate themselves to achieve their desired goals.

Self-regulation requires the capability to exercise some degree of control over one's learning. That means regulating as best you can your environment, thoughts, behavior, and emotions so you can be successful. "Rarely can you control everything, but what we need for students to do is to decide what areas they can control and make a difference in. if a teacher assigns a term paper on a certain author and says it has to be 10 pages long, then there's not a lot you can could about that. But you could make a difference by asking if you could write specifically about one of the author's books."

Students who attribute success to factors over which they have little control--such as luck or ease of task--may not be motivated to learn on their own. On the other hand, those who believe that success comes from a combination of factors--such as ability, effort, and the use of strategy--may be more motivated to work on learning. Schunk offers these suggestions for parents to help their offspring become successful, self-regulated learners:

* Monitor where your children study. Help them select an environment conducive to concentration and see that they have the materials needed to do the work.

* Make sure they know the correct methods and procedures for doing the assignment. Go over the steps to ensure that they are aware of how to do the work.

* Build their confidence. Students who feel they can do well will try even when the work is difficult.

* Teach them to control their emotions, not to panic if test questions are hard. Remind them to maintain concentration and focus.

* Emphasize the progress they are making. Point out that they are doing more complicated work now than they were six weeks ago.