Introduction | 7
and more on-time project submissions with a better understanding of historical events in social studies, increased initiative and self-confidence in physical education, and improved course grades in world languages. Special education teachers have observed students with disabilities displaying better organization and time on task. When asked, students said they had more control over their learning and academic success. They talked about feeling less stressed. Students better understood how their actions directly impacted their performance in school, and their engagement, motivation, and learning improved.
How Do We Teach Students to Self-Regulate? This book provides secondary educators the tools necessary to facilitate students’ development of self-regulation by outlining an array of instructional practices, authentic application examples, and formative assessment techniques that can be applied in any classroom or educational experience. These instructional activities and strategies are designed specifically for adolescents. Prior research shows that social-emotional instruction at the middle and high school levels often fails because these interventions do not respect the adolescent’s desire for independence, status, and respect (Yeager et al., 2018). Instead of attempting to suppress these desires, our approach empowers youth to gain independence and achieve any aspiration. In doing so, even the most reluctant students increase their ownership and motivation, applying their enhanced agency to all aspects of their lives, including academics. At this point, you may be thinking about a specific student and wondering, “He clearly needs these skills, but will he buy into the instruction? Will he put in the effort necessary to increase his self-regulation?” We have heard similar questions from hundreds of educators who later tell us that they were surprised at the high levels of student engagement, especially from students who struggle academically. These same teachers describe how high-achieving students were grateful for this instruction because it helped them manage their time and decrease their stress levels. Throughout the book, we have included quotes from educators and students illustrating how diverse learners connect with and apply self-regulation. We encourage you to skim through these quotes and highlight the ones that resonate with you. Self-regulation, like all intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies, isn’t an innate trait; it’s a teachable set of skills. The chapters in this book provide numerous instructional activities for thoroughly teaching students the self-regulation process, helping them learn each of the essential components, and creating opportunities for authentic practice within common classroom activities. The instructional activities included in this book have been taught
