The article discusses the integration of weekly planning into elementary education, encouraging children to take charge of their learning. However, many students struggle with self-regulated learning due to a lack of essential skills and teacher support. Educational scientist Yves Karlen emphasizes the importance of teaching these skills explicitly to ensure long-term academic success. The piece highlights the need for teachers to enhance their understanding of self-regulated learning techniques to effectively guide their pupils in mastering independent learning.
Weekly planning has become an integral part of elementary education, enabling students to outline their learning objectives. They are encouraged to assess the time and effort needed, conduct independent research, and evaluate their success.
These personalized weekly plans play a vital role in promoting self-directed learning, allowing children to take charge of their educational journey right from an early age.
However, this seemingly structured approach often faces challenges, as many students feel overwhelmed. They may struggle with confusion, become stuck, or simply not understand what is expected of them, leading to frustration and chaos.
The underlying issue is that few young learners possess the necessary skills for self-directed learning, whether it’s in individualized learning environments, collaborative spaces, or project-based sessions. As educational researcher Yves Karlen from the University of Zurich points out, children need foundational skills in self-regulated learning to thrive.
Karlen has dedicated nearly 15 years to exploring self-regulated learning and its impact on education. He has previously implemented and assessed strategies to promote these skills at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, collaborating with various model schools and educators.
Essential Skills for Learning
Self-regulated learning hinges on three core competencies: first, the knowledge of effective learning strategies, such as using task booklets, flashcards for vocabulary, mind maps for projects, or traditional techniques like summarizing and memorizing material. Second is the capacity for self-motivation; success requires persistence and the will to overcome challenges. Lastly, metacognitive abilities—like planning, self-observation, and reflecting on one’s learning process—are essential.
According to Karlen, individuals who master their learning processes reap significant long-term benefits. “Students with robust learning strategies achieve higher academic performance,” he notes, which is evident across all educational stages, from kindergarten through university.
Research indicates that students lacking these techniques often drop out of university, earn lower grades, face longer study durations, and experience heightened stress levels. Proficiency in self-regulated learning proves to be a more critical factor in academic success than other variables, such as intelligence or socio-economic background.
Taking Control of Learning
The concept of personalized learning is not new; over a century ago, early reform schools in the United States began experimenting with customized teaching methods. Progressive educators back then criticized the one-size-fits-all approach to education.
During the reformative 1960s and 1970s, new insights in psychology and neuroscience further fueled these methods. A common thread across all approaches is the shift in perception of learners; rather than being viewed as passive recipients of knowledge, students are active participants in their educational process, evolving into “masters of their own learning.”
Nonetheless, this remains a significant hurdle for secondary students, as illustrated by a past experiment in Zurich. In one initiative, secondary students were tasked with working autonomously. Unfortunately, this experiment did not yield the anticipated results—many learners failed to meet their goals, resulting in disappointment for both students and educators.
Challenges in Implementation
This pilot project highlighted the shortcomings of the self-directed learning model as it was applied: students were often left to navigate on their own. “Our findings indicate that teachers also need further training in this area,” Karlen explains. “Many have misconceptions about self-regulated learning.”
Some educators mistakenly believe that they can entirely delegate responsibility to students in modern learning environments, assuming that self-regulated learning will develop naturally for children. Teachers in higher grades often take for granted that students arrive equipped with these skills from prior education, making it difficult to accurately gauge their abilities.
However, much like traditional academic content, the components of self-regulated learning must be explicitly taught and routinely practiced. “Students need to understand various learning strategies: when to use them, how to apply them, and why they are important,” Karlen emphasizes. Teachers should focus on practicing each step with their students.
Setting personal learning goals? Demonstrate and clarify the process. Assigning a learning tool like a diary? Don’t just expect students to use it—teach and supervise its implementation. Researching new subjects and recalling knowledge? Emphasize continual practice. Furthermore, motivational techniques and perseverance strategies also require practice.
Professional Development for Teachers
Recent research conducted by Karlen and his team, published in “Research Papers in Education,” illustrates that effective teaching is closely linked to teachers’ skills in self-regulated learning. Educators who possess a strong understanding of learning strategies and personal experience with self-regulated learning are more successful in conveying these concepts to students.