Self-regulated learning
Self-regulated learning is a cycle in which you plan your studying, monitor how it is going and reflect on the result, then adjust the next round. Zimmerman describes three phases: forethought, performance and self-reflection. Students who run this cycle on purpose tend to learn more than students who only follow the syllabus.
In more detail
The idea comes from educational psychology, mainly the work of Barry Zimmerman and Paul Pintrich. It treats learning as something you do, not something that happens to you. You set a goal, pick a method, check whether the method works and change it if it does not. Three skills work together: planning, monitoring and reflecting. Metacognition supplies the monitoring, motivation supplies the drive, and your behaviour (where, when, for how long) supplies the structure.
Zimmerman's cyclical model has three phases. In forethought you set a goal for the session, choose a strategy and judge how confident you feel. In performance you carry out the strategy while watching your attention and understanding. In self-reflection you compare the result with the goal, explain it honestly (strategy, effort or luck?) and decide what changes. The reflection of one round feeds the forethought of the next, which is why it is called a cycle.
A common mistake is to plan well and never look back. Reflection is the phase most students skip, and it is where you learn from your own results. Another mistake is to explain a bad grade with ability (I am just bad at this) instead of strategy (I only reread). Strategy is something you can change by next week.
The phases of self-regulated learning
| Phase | The question you ask | Strong version | Weak version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forethought (plan) | What do I want from this session and how will I get it? | Finish the chapter 4 deck, then quiz myself on the 10 hardest cards | I will study biology tonight |
| Performance (monitor) | Is this working? Do I understand it or only recognise it? | Pause every 20 minutes, rate understanding from 1 to 5, close the notes and recall | Reading on autopilot |
| Self-reflection (reflect) | What did I get done, why, and what changes next time? | Compare the quiz result with the goal and note one change for tomorrow | Looking only at the grade |
| Motivation and setting | What keeps me going and what gets in the way? | Phone in another room, small reward after a block | Waiting until I feel like it |
Example
Sam has a biology exam in 12 days. Forethought: on Sunday he sets the goal for the week (chapters 3 and 4, two quizzes), books three 45-minute blocks and decides to test himself instead of rereading. Performance: in Tuesday's block he pauses after 20 minutes, notices he can only describe osmosis with the textbook open, and switches from reading to recall. Self-reflection: on Thursday he takes a quiz, scores 8 of 10, sees that both misses are about membrane transport and moves two extra blocks on that topic into next week. One loop took a week, and the next one starts from facts instead of feelings.
How to use it
- 1
Set one concrete goal for the session or the week: what you will finish and how you will test it.
- 2
Choose a method before you start, and a time and place that fit it.
- 3
Check in during the session: rate your understanding from 1 to 5 and test it with a recall question.
- 4
Afterwards compare the result with the goal and write down why it went that way, in terms of strategy.
- 5
Change one thing for the next session and put it into your plan.
How StudyPDF does this
StudyPDF follows the same cycle. In the study plan of a course you give an exam date, your hours per day and your study days, and it lays out dated sessions with the weak topics first. Quizzes and flashcards track mastery per concept, and the results screen lists the weakest concepts first, so monitoring and reflecting start from your results instead of your feelings. Bo can tell you what to focus on next.
See also
Put it to work on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.
Common questions
What are the phases of self-regulated learning?
Zimmerman names three: forethought (set goals, plan, judge your confidence), performance (carry out the strategy and monitor attention and understanding) and self-reflection (compare results with the goal, explain them, adjust). Pintrich's version adds that you also regulate motivation, behaviour and your study setting.
How is self-regulated learning different from metacognition?
Metacognition is knowing and monitoring your own thinking. Self-regulated learning is wider: it uses metacognition and also covers goals, motivation, time and your study environment. Metacognition tells you what you know. Self-regulated learning decides what you do about it.