Scaffolding the Development of Self-Regulated Learning in Mathematics Classrooms

Abstract

Results from an action research study examine the development of self-regulated learning behaviors in a seventh grade mathematics class.Educators today are being challenged to think beyond simple, skills-based conceptions of teaching and learning and to support young learners' thinking and reasoning. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Research Council (NRC), and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGAC) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) have called for approaches to teaching and learning mathematics that deeply engage students in mathematical processes to develop mathematical proficiency (NCTM, 2000; Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001; NGAC-CCSSO, 2010). These calls to action highlight the need to develop classroom environments and specific instructional strategies that support learning content while also developing strategic learning behaviors. Typically, early mathematics instruction has consisted of helping students learn basic mathematical facts, carry out the steps of an algorithm, or understand mathematical concepts. This article provides another perspective on instruction based on broadening definitions of mathematics and mathematical competence, theories of self-regulated learning (SRL), and theories of social interaction within classrooms that support students' development of regulatory skills and strategies.In every classroom there are learners who are more independent than their classmates. These students are eager to begin working and often plan how to accomplish assigned tasks. Researchers have coined the term self-regulated learner to depict the proactive nature of such students' approaches to learning (Zimmerman, 1990). Too often, however, we fail to cultivate these competencies in each and every student. Emphasizing short-term mastery goals without attending to students' development of strategic learning skills can adversely affect what students think about their own ability to develop understanding and what it means to learn, ultimately limiting their competence as problem solvers and self-regulated learners.As students enter the middle grades, more is expected of them in terms of taking responsibility for academic growth. This increased expectation may be particularly evident as students are asked to complete homework assignments in several distinct subject areas and study independently for tests. Some students have difficulty moving from the comprehensive social support that was provided in elementary school environments, where most classes are self-contained, to the environment of middle school, where students move between rooms to separate subject area classes taught in pre-determined time segments by different teachers. To be successful in the middle grades and beyond, students must learn to navigate these new demands. Teachers play an important role in developmentally responsive instruction to help students acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for success.As middle school educators strive to provide developmentally responsive instruction for young adolescents, they must be providing all students with the knowledge and skills needed to take control of their lives (NMSA, 2010, p. 14). Although our work took place in a mathematics classroom, scaffolding the development of regulatory strategies and skills is necessary in all content areas. Young adolescents want to feel competent and responsible for themselves. However, they may not be aware of ways to evaluate their own learning behaviors, to make plans for modifying those behaviors, and then to act on plans to improve learning, thus increasing feelings of competence and responsibility. Teachers must help students become more aware of these cyclical processes-forethought, performance, and reflectionso that they will be able to attribute their successes, and possibly failures, to their own decisions and actions.In this article, we provide a theoretical framework for SRL and mathematics education that has potential for impacting the ways students learn. …