Being a teacher is not just teaching students information day in and day out, it is about teaching them life-long skills that they can build and develop throughout their educative years. Teaching is about helping the students be active thinkers who can dissect subjects and develop into deeper level thinking concepts, but it is also about helping students become effective members of the community that surrounds them. Teachers must be reflective and ready to change what they think and do in order to make sure the students are becoming successful. As a teacher, I am responsible not only for their success in the learning process, but also their success and failures with societal skills. While I taught, during my internship year, in the second grade at Discovery Elementary in Meridian, Idaho, we had a lot of students who came to our school with social and behavior issues because of the wonderful programs that they can offer those students. I had a student who recently moved to the school. For this project his name will be Sam. Sam was a student who struggles daily and become frustrated, but he also seemed to make me frustrated as well. He had issues focusing, blurting out, yelling, fighting at recess, and seemed to have many issues with women or other female students. Most of his aggression or behavior would occur around women rather than male figures. He lacked self-regulation in and out of the classroom. My lead teacher and I decided to look at Sams records from his previous schools. We found out that he had been to three different schools in the past two years, but the most interesting fact was that Sam received a one on his previous ISAT test score, which is the lowest score possible. We found out that he refused to take the ISAT test because he simply did not want to take the test that day. Due to his actions, he received the lowest possible score on that test. After the first couple weeks of school, my lead teacher and I decided to do a behavior intervention sheet which allows us to track his behavior throughout each day to see if we could find Sams triggers. Every time he had something happen in or out of the classroom, we would put a tally mark on his sheet next to the specific behavior. Then we would state exactly what happened during that time. On this sheet, he was mainly market for blurting out, refusal to comply with directions, and touching others or things. I then decided to research on self- regulation strategies that he could benefit from not only this year, but for many years to come.
What is Self-Regulation? Self-regulation refers to both unconscious and conscious processes that affect the ability to control responses (Brandy, 2010, 1). This means that the student is able to control his or her emotions and thoughts effectively. Self-regulation comes in two separate forms, cognitive self- regulation, and social-emotional self-regulation. Cognitive Self-Regulation is the degree to which children can be self-reflective, and can plan and think ahead. Social-Emotional Self- Regulation is the ability to inhibit negative responses and delay gratification (Brandy, 2010, 1). An example of Cognitive Self-Regulation would be a student who can control his thoughts and evaluate his actions to adjust his own behavior. An example of Social-Emotional Self-Regulation would be a student who can refrain from his initial thoughts when something happens. For example, when another student cut the line right in front of him, he has the ability to hold back an initial response and think about an appropriate response. Being able to self-regulate will help the students navigate their individual learning experiences. There are three distinct phases of self-regulation which include forethought and planning, performance monitoring, and reflections on performance. During the forethought and planning phase, students analyze the learning task and set specific goals toward completing that task. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 4-5) Students will be able to continue to challenge themselves and want to learn more about the content that we, as teachers, are covering. These students will inquire about more information, to fully master the content and continue to accomplish their individual goal that they had set. Performance monitoring phase is where, students employ strategies to make progress on the learning task and monitor the effectiveness of those strategies as well as their motivation for continuing progress toward the goals of the task. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 5) In this phase the student will be able to develop strategies while learning, but when new strategies come, he may sometimes revert to the most familiar strategy he knows and is successful at. In the final phase, reflection on performance phase, students evaluate their performance on the learning task with respect to the effectiveness of the strategies that they chose. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 5) In this phase the students are always reflecting on their own work and the strategies that they used to become successful or not successful. They will be able to adapt and adjust to what they need to accomplish their goal successfully. Much of regulation takes place automatically beyond our awareness. But as we mature, our brain requires that we actively participate in our own regulation. (Perry, n.d) How Does Self-Regulation Skills Develop and the Importance of Being a Self-Regulated Learner? Over time, students will be able to develop self-regulation skills. Self-regulation skills develop gradually so it is important that adults hold developmentally appropriate expectations for childrens behavior. (Florez, 2011, 48) Students will be guided through strategies to help organize information, but when they become more successful, guidance and support from an adult becomes less frequent. As they develop, most children begin to use self-regulation skills without prompting or assistance. They develop strategies to manage incoming information, choose appropriate responses, and maintain levels of arousal that allow them to actively participate in learning. (Florez, 2011, 48) As a teacher, I must guide my students to become successful in the classroom and other classrooms during their learning experience. Teaching students about self-regulation is very important because they will be able to use those strategies not only in the classroom, but also within the community and society. Research shows that self-regulated students are more engaged in their learning. These students voluntarily offer answers to questions, and seek out additional resources when needed to master content (Zumbrunn, 2011, 6-7). These students are more willing to master the content, but also they make their own learning environment to meet their own needs. These students are able to create their own environment and find information to cater to their own needs within that environment. For example, researchers have found that self- regulated learners are more likely to seek out advice, information, and pursue positive learning climates than their peers who display less self-regulation in the classroom (Zumbrunn, 2011, 7). Change for Me When I was teaching Sam, during his constant interruptions, I found myself getting frustrated and unable to model the best strategies for Sam. He seemed to know how to push my buttons and I couldnt seem to get through to him on any level. I seemed to be acting on the same level as Sam. After a few weeks of always going home frustrated and sometimes confused, I realized that I not only needed to help Sam learn strategies about self-regulation, but I need to change the way that I was teaching him. Teachers should guide learners self-beliefs, goal setting, and expectations, promote reflective dialogue, provide corrective feedback, help learners make connections between abstract concepts, and help learners link new experiences to prior learning. (NRC, n.d.) I wanted to change the way I worked with Sam because the other students function around me, and the actions that I exemplify are the actions that they should follow. I believed I needed to do the following: Model self-regulation for the students Anticipate and re-direct React to the situation, by using those situations as a learning experience for that student and the whole class Create more structure and guidance for the students Give effective feedback and support These were the things that I needed to improve on, but also the things that would not only benefit Sam, but would benefit the whole class. During this action research, I divided each step into student and teacher changes. Each step would continue to build on the previous step to encourage both Sam and me to demonstrate and build on our newly created foundation together. Step One: Planning and Goal Setting Planning and goal setting seemed to be a great way to start for Sam and me because we both needed to set an expectation or goal, but also plan around that goal so that it could be met. In fact, research indicates that planning and goal setting are complementary process, as planning can help learners establish well thought out goals and strategies to become successful. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 10) Before we began this step, I took Sam aside and conducted an interview with him asking the following questions: 1. How do you like school? 2. What is your favorite subject? 3. What is your least favorite subject? These questions were the general questions asked, but when he would answer, I asked follow up questions to gain more insight into what the child was thinking and what made him tick. Sam answered all the questions willingly. His answers are as follows: 1. I like school, but I am tired of moving around so much. I dont like doing things that I dont want to do because they are not fun. I want to play games and go outside to run and play. 2. I like science because you can do fun things. I like the experiments that we do because I can create my own ideas and dont have to write much. 3. I dont like anything to do with writing. It is not fun at all and I wont do it. Following these questions, I talked to Sam about how we were going to learn together and we were going to work and change things so that he could become successful. Sam said that would be nice, so he wasnt in trouble all the time. We talked about goals, and what it meant to accomplish those goals. He asked a question about if he accomplishes his goal, is he done or does he make a new one. I told him that he will be able to change his goal so that he can accomplish a new one. Finally, we set a goal for his math test scores that he gets once a week. He wanted to get a start on his paper to show his mother, which meant that he could on miss two questions on a ten questions test. He decided to set another goal which was that he didnt want to get his behavior chart switched to yellow more than twice a week. After Sams goals were set, we were able to talk about how he could achieve these goals. I asked him about his behavior and what he could do to fix this, but also the things that he could do to achieve his math goal. Sam said that he would try not to react quickly to other distractions in the class, and work hard during math time. These goals were hard for Sam at first, but after a few days he slowly was becoming an attentive student. He was beginning to participate more with the other students, and engage within a classroom debate. He would start to ask more questions about his work so he understood without getting frustrated or giving up immediately. This step was active alone for about two weeks until self-motivation strategies were implemented. During the first week, he only needed to be reminded about his goal a few times and seemed very engaged throughout the week. When he got his math test scores back from the week, he was happy that he improved, but he was disappointed that he didnt reach his goal because he missed three instead of two. This caused a huge uproar because in his mind, he was a failure. This was light bulb moment for me because I was able to use this moment as a teachable time for him to be able to self-regulate his actions during his own experience. The second week he struggled all week and wasnt able to truly focus his mind because all he could think about was his previous test. The second week, his test was even worse than before because he reached the frustration level. After last recess, I had another interview with him to see what he was thinking. This time he didnt want to say much and answered my questions quickly. He then shouted and said that he could never accomplish his goal, but I then told him that he could and I would support him any way I could. I was able to reason with him, because I leveled with him and was able to understand him in a new way. I didnt automatically get frustrated with him. Overall, goal setting was great strategy for Sam, but it will take more time to fully become operation and successful for him. Planning occurs in three stages: setting a goal for a learning task, establishing strategies for achieving the goal, and determining how much time and resources will be needed to achieve the goal. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 10) While planning, I began to think about how Sam would act during certain activities, but also set different goals for him and me. I began to always have different resources not only for Sam, but for all the students to help develop the students inquiry. While Sam began to become more engaged, he would begin to ask more question about the subject, so having more resources and information continues to build his enthusiasm for learning and desire to find out more information about a subject. Along with adding resources, I also wanted to incorporate different teaching strategies to create active learners, and also to enhance the students engagement levels. Overall, all the students were excited to try something new, but especially Sam because I incorporated technology with nearly every subject. His engagement level skyrocketed, but sometimes became distracted by all the technology. Sam and I then sat down and had another conversation about technology. Sam decided that he should earn the technology throughout the day so that it can be a motivational tool for Sam. This worked out great because he really wanted to use the technology and he worked hard to earn the technology. With this he was actively listening, engaged in classroom discussions, and seemed to have an enjoyment while learning new information. Step Two: Self-Motivation After Sam had been using his goal as a motivational tool for the past two weeks, I wanted to build off of that and see if he could become self-motivated. Self-motivation occurs when a learner independently uses one or more strategies to keep themselves on-track toward a learning goal. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 10) I wanted to see if Sam could motivate himself to reach the goals that he had set. So far with his goal of not being on yellow or red on his behavior chart he had been successful. His second goal of doing better on his math test scores had been a struggle for him. It is important to the process of self-motivation because it requires learners to assume control over their learning. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 10) Throughout a two week period, I needed to make sure that Sam knew how motivation works and that he understood the process before leaving it to him to find something that motivated him. I filled a bucket with ping pong balls with a numbers on them. For each number, there is an assigned game or fun activity that he and the students could do in the classroom. For example: teacher helper, student of the week, educational computer game, or iPad game. The students were able to draw a ping pong ball from the bucket if they achieved their goals or finished all of their work for the whole week. With Sam, he would draw a ping pong ball if he achieved the goals set earlier. Sam really enjoyed this and wanted to achieve his goals to win a prize. I wanted Sam to begin to think about motivation and how it can help him in the classroom setting and in reality. With this, he was able to self-motivate himself to finish his homework, but also started to inquire about more information about a given topic. He would ask more questions in class, and became an active participant in the classroom. These two weeks led to Sams biggest improvement because he was self-motivated and fully engaged in the educative process. Looking at both of his goals, his behavior significantly improved. He never changed his behavior chart to red or yellow, but also never had an negative issue at recess or in the classroom with other students or teachers. He was also able to achieve his math goal both weeks by not missing a single question on either test. He seemed much happier within the classroom, and eager to learn in more areas including writing. I was very impressed with the way he worked these two weeks, I had another interview with Sam. This was very quick because I wanted to ask him a couple questions to get him thinking about step three, self-evaluation. I asked him the following questions: 1. How do you feel about the last two weeks? 2. What went well for you? 3. Would you change anything? He answered these questions with sincere thought. 1. I feel like I have done really well. I liked learning new material, and didnt mind that it was even a little boring. I didnt get on yellow or red this week, so could you tell my mom? 2. I think I did well asking more questions during class and I really liked how I wasnt in trouble this week. (With a big smile.) 3. I wouldnt change anything, because I beat my goal. I ended this interview by stating how much he accomplished in a small amount of time and that he needed to keep up the awesome work. I dont think I have ever seen a child feel so important and so happy that they achieved their own goals and their own expectations. I also reminded Sam that he had MAP testing coming up He told me that he would try his best to beat his goal of 175 for each test. Then we talked about what things he will do to prepare himself for those tests. Overall, he seemed happy that he was able to not only understand the material, but our teacher student relationship improved significantly. Step Three: Self-Evaluation Students are more likely to become self-regulated learners when they are able to evaluate their own learning. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 13) Sams hardest task was to reflect on his own actions, so therefore I gave this stage more time than the other because this area was a huge weakness for him. Every time Sam did something, I began by asking him questions that helped him reflect on what he had just done to help him tailor his own learning and behavior. Sam had new and old goals set, but I wanted him to be able to self-reflect on his own actions throughout the day. This would not only help him understand the how to reach his goals, but how to change his actions for behavior. This step was a challenge for Sam because with any given situation, he wasnt able to control his thoughts and emotions and self-reflect on what his actions had caused him to do. He needed to be able to self-evaluate his own learning goals and see how he can accomplish his goal through various strategies that we had developed. However, teachers should understand that learners develop at various paces, and strategies that work best for one learner may not always work with the next. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 13) What I wanted to accomplish within this step was to have Sam think about his actions before he responded. At first I had to guide him through the process, but it seemed frustrating and he was unsuccessful for the first few attempts. After everything that he would do in mathematics or for behavioral issues, we would ask him to go in the hall to use his reflection questions that I created together for positive and negative behaviors. These reflection questions were as follows: 1. What happened? 2. What caused this to happen? 3. How could you do better next time? 4. What would your consequence or reward be? At his own desk he had the time to take a break and write down in a journal what he thought, or record his feelings into an iPad or other technology devices that only Sam and I could access. He would place a yellow card on his desk when he was taking a break, so I knew when he needed a moment to himself to reflect on activities. When he was feeling angry, he would at first be asked to take a break, which meant that he needed to go answer his reflection questions, and once he was done, he would come back in and start work that he needed to finish or continue the activity that he took a break from. After about 10-15 minutes of monitoring his behavior after his break, I would pull him aside and give him feedback so he knew that his behavior was acceptable after his break, and talk about what he could do next time. After a few weeks, Sam was able to just stop, place his yellow card on his desk, then take a break without being asked. He was starting to reflect on good behavior as well, and would also come back focused and ready to work.
Sams Outcome: As mentioned above, Sam lacked self-regulation skills both outside and within the classroom setting. As the strategies were implemented in small fractions at a time, Sam grew greatly in a short amount of time. He was able to monitor his feelings and focus during class time. He was able to understand more of the material presented throughout the day, and showed great improvement in all subject areas. He was able to work with small groups without getting frustrated with the work or the other students, but he was also able to share what he knew about the given subject in an effective way. Over this time that I spent with Sam, he had less frequent calls home on behavior and no incidents outside during recess with other students. When he would get frustrated, he knew that he could take a break and was able to place the yellow card on his desk and go answer his reflection questions, then come back focused and ready to learn. He struggled at the beginning with writing as well, but by the end of this he became a better writer because he had to write what he thought down, but also he was less frustrated during writing time because he knew that he could take a break. Sams grades were improving slowly, but he was improving. The biggest improvement was his MAP testing scores. He improved on average eight points per test. When he found out that he beat his goals that he had set, he was the happiest kid I had ever seen, and he even started to cry because he finally accomplished something that he wanted for himself. I couldnt have been more proud of this little boy. During this time I asked him what he thought we should do next, and he thought for about one minute. So I waited and he said that he wanted to set new goals with me. I was so impressed that he wanted to set new goals that I was about in tears because Sam has come so far. He wanted to keep improving his grades, especially his writing skills. He also wanted to be a more active member in the classroom. I asked him what he meant by this, and he said that he likes to work with groups and he wanted to participate more within them, without getting in trouble or frustrated when he did work with them. His final goal was to improve another five points on every MAP test. He said that he was proud of his last test score that he wanted to feel that way again. I was so happy with Sams improvement that I wanted to continue my time with him, but my time in the second grade was coming to a close.
What Is the Next Step? The next steps for me were to improve my management skills with the students that I have or will have, but to also be a mentor for these students so they can all become successful. I need to be a good model of self-regulation for these students, so they understand how to self- regulate effectively. Also I want to be able to be using my classroom setting to help students understand and develop strategies to help them self-regulate. At the beginning, I always felt frustrated with misbehavior, but if I am able to self-regulate efficiently, the students will see a positive and effective example or model. Also, I needed to improve my feedback to my students. Communicate effectively to both connect with the child and deliver messages that help calm them down. (Self-Regulation/Self-Control, n.d., 1) I needed to improve on how I communicated with the students, especially Sam. Once I understood and connected with the students, my feedback became stronger and more effective. When I get my own classroom, I would like to create a break corner or area where any of my students who need a break from something during the day, they can take up to five minutes in the corner. There will be different activities that they can do using the ping pong ball activity. They get to draw one ping pong ball from a bucket, then choose the activity that has the same number as the activity card. They will then get to do that activity for no more than five minutes. Examples of these activities would include: Proprioceptive Activities o Rolling on an pool noodle for joint compression o Walking Vestibular Activities o Jump Rope o Jumping in place o Stretching Oral o Snack for chewing or sucking Calming Activities o Pillows o Squishy balls o Play Dough Deep breathing Soothing Music Calming Video Reflections These activities will help the student calm down, but also relax during the break. After they take a break they will be asked to reflect so they can begin developing self-reflection skills. I want the students to be able to feel safe, but also comfortable within the classroom, and that begins with me and creating that environment.
Conclusion Action research is a great way to implement strategies to create a comfortable and successful environment for all students, and the teacher. For me, this was a wonderful experience because it became very successful for not only my student Sam, but for me as well. All students have self-regulation issues, but being able to understand and use different strategies helps these students become successful with self-regulation in the classroom, and also in society. Self- regulated learners are able to set short-and long-term goals for their learning, plan ahead to accomplish their goals, self-motivate themselves, and focus their attention on their goals and progress. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 13) Sam was a wonderful example of how he adapted, and changed how he thought in order to be successful within the classroom. He accomplished his goals and wanted to continue to do so. After he had the courage to accept change and learn strategies one at a time, he was able to adapt at his own pace, in a controlled setting. Students are able to employ multiple learning strategies and adjust those strategies as needed, self-monitor their progress, seek help from others as needed, and self-evaluate their learning goals and progress based upon their learning outcomes. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 13) I wouldnt say that Sam is completely a self- regulated learner, but I would say that he understands the process and how continue his growth with the help of my lead teacher. By teaching students to be more self-regulating, teachers may experience greater success in promoting academic achievement, motivation, and life-long learning. Motivation, engagement, and self-regulation are the primary determinants of students learning outcomes, and whether or not they will persist through challenging tasks. (Zumbrunn, 2011, 18)
Bibliography Bandy, T., & Moor, K. (2010, October). Assessing Self-Regulation: A Guide For Out-of-School Time Program Practitioners. Child Trends, unknown, 1-8. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Child_Trends- 2010_10_05_RB_AssesSelfReg.pdf Chapin, B. (n.d.). Self-regulation Strategies for School-age Children. Self-regulation Strategies for School-age Children. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.slideshare.net/chapin55/selfregulation-strategies-for-schoolage-children Florez, I. R. (2011, July). Developing Young Children's Self-Regulation throught Everyday Experiences. young children, unknown, 46-51. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201107/Self-Regulation_Florez_OnlineJuly2011.pdf NRC. (n.d.). Self-RegulationHow-to Instruction for Self-Regulated Learning Strategies. Self- RegulationHow-to Instruction for Self-Regulated Learning Strategies. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/selfregulation/section8.html Perry, B. D. (n.d.). Self-Regulation: The Second Core Strength. Self-Regulation: The Second Core Strength. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/self_regulation.htm Unknown. Self-Regulation/Self-Control: Tips and Strategies. (n.d.). Self-Regulation. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://www.cdd.unm.edu/ecspd/resources/pdfs/QualityChildcare/Resource%20Guide/Sel fRegulationTipsandStrategies.pdf Zumbrunn, S., Tadlock, J., & Roberts, E. D. (2011). Encouraging self-regulated learning in the classroom: A review of the literature. Unpublished manuscript, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, Retrieved from http://www.self-regulation.ca/download/pdf(2)/Self Regulated Learning.pdfNRC. (n.d.). Self-RegulationHow-to Instruction for Self-Regulated Learning Strategies. Self- RegulationHow-to Instruction for Self-Regulated Learning Strategies. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/siegle/selfregulation/section8.html