This is Part 3 in a series about building academic tenacity in our students. Throughout this series, I will explore empirically-validated interventions shown to promote long-term learning and achievement. This post will focus on the development of self-regulation skills.
Academic tenacity consists of the mindset and skills that allow students to focus on long-term or higher order goals and withstand challenges in pursuit of these goals. It's about working hard, working smart, and working for a long time. It allows students to look past their immediate wants and needs and focus on long-term goals. It gives them the will to withstand challenges and persevere in pursuit of their goals. In this post, we will dive into how self-regulation skills, like self-control and grit, can positively impact a student's academic tenacity and overall well-being.
Perhaps one of the most well-known experiments on self-control and delayed gratification is Walter Mischel's famed "Marshmallow" experiments. In this study, a child was offered the choice between an immediate, smaller reward (one marshmallow) or waiting for a larger reward (two marshmallows). This study was designed to test a child's ability to delay gratification - an essential self-regulatory skill. The researchers found that the children who were able to delay gratification and wait for the second marshmallow ended up having higher SAT scores, lower levels of substance abuse, lower likelihood of obesity, better responses to stress and better social skills as reported by their parents later in life. (Note: A 2018 study failed to replicate this study. You can learn more about that study here.)
"Academic success requires more than ability. It requires the application of ability and the growth of ability through sustained hard work" (Dweck et al 2014, p. 13).
Self-Regulation Skills
Self-regulatory skills "allow students to rise above the distractions and temptations of the moment, stay on task, and navigate obstacles to long-term achievement" (Dweck, et al, 2014, p.12). At its most basic level, self-regulation is one's ability to control oneself. It helps us keep our emotions in check, resist impulsive behaviors, and identify appropriate responses to differing situations.
Factors Influencing Self-Regulation: Self-Control and Grit
There are two key factors that influence a student's self-regulation: their self-control and their grit. The children in Marshmallow Study who delayed their gratification exhibited high levels of self-control. They were able to resist temptation and focus on a longer-term goal or reward. There are a number of advantages to having a high-degree of self-control. Students who exhibit high levels of self-control are less likely to be absent from school and spend more time studying than those who do not possess it. Self-control is a stronger predictor of student success than their IQ! (Dweck et al, 2014, p. 12).
Self-control involves the ability to delay gratification in the short-term. Another factor, grit, involves the ability to persevere in the face of adversity for the long-term. Grit is a term coined by Dr. Angela Duckworth. She describes grit as having PASSION + PERSEVERANCE. It is a positive trait that serves as a driving force in goal-attainment. Both self-control and grit are necessary. For example, "an individual high in self-control but moderate in grit may, for example, effectively control his or her temper, stick to his or her diet, and resist the urge to surf the internet at work - yet switch careers annually" (Dweck, et al, 2014, p. 13). Grit is not related to IQ, but like self-control, is highly predictive of academic success.
Building Self-Regulation
There are a number of interventions that are shown to help build self-regulation skills. One such program is the Student Success Skills Program helps students develop self-regulation skills by teaching them how to set goals, monitor their progress, and handle stressful situations. It includes explicit instruction in stress management techniques such as breathing exercises and identifying negative self-talk. Each week students choose one skill to focus on and develop a goal to accomplish it. Then, at the end of the week they reflect on the process and outcome and reflect on what the experience taught them about themselves. This is also an excellent example of metacognition. Metacognition is a student's ability to be aware of their thought processes. When students reflect on their learning, it increases their future learning, memory, and transfer of knowledge. If you are looking for ways to build more metacognition into your class, check out this resource.
There are a number of other ways to teach self-regulated learning, including;
Mindfulness Practices: Mindfulness encourages self-regulation by bringing awareness to one's own thoughts and feelings. Last year, I had the opportunity to work with the APA TOPPS division on the redesign of the Positive Psychology module. As a part of this unit, my colleague, Leah Greene built a fabulous lesson on mindfulness. It includes the how, the why and the what. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to click here to learn more. Panorama Education also offers some great activities that you could implement today! For example, they include deep breathing strategies in their playbook including flower breathing and belly breathing. Lastly, I previously shared other mindfulness strategies in this blog post.
McGill Self-Regulation Lesson Plans: One of my favorite things is pre-designed lessons that are effective and FREE! This resource from McGill University in Canada includes several lesson plans designed to build self-regulation skills in students, including lessons on emotional regulation, acceptance, positive reappraisal and more! Here is the link to the lesson plans.
Curriculum For Teaching Emotional Self-Regulation: This resource was shared by the School Social Work Network. It includes a ready-to-print student manual and four lesson plans on emotional regulation, self-calming methods, reframing and conflict resolution. Here is the link to the lesson plans.
Self-regulation is a crucial piece to solving the academic tenacity puzzle. As educators, we can foster self-regulation in our students by empowering them to make choices whenever possible, providing them with opportunities to assess their work and learn from their mistakes, and being cognizant of their beliefs about their own learning and abilities. In my next post, I will share some ways that we can help our students develop tenacity by increasing their sense of belonging. Until then, I would love to hear your thoughts on this series so far. Also, if you have any resources that you would like to share please drop them in the comments section.
Be Well,
Cori
Previous Posts in this Series
#85 Building Tenacity: It's All About the Mindset
#86 Building Tenacity: It's All About the Goals
Resources:
Ackerman, C. (2022, September 12). What is self-regulation? (+95 skills and strategies). PositivePsychology.com. Retrieved November 18, 2022, from https://positivepsychology.com/self-regulation/
Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Practicing positive psychology coaching: Assessment, activities, and strategies for Success. John Wiley and Sons.
Dweck, C., Walton, G., & Cohen, G. (2014). (publication). Academic Tenacity: Mindsets and Skills that Promote Long-Term Learning. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://ed.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/manual/dweck-walton-cohen-2014.pdf.
Sheldon, K. (2013). Positive motivation: A six week course. Positive Acorn.
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