At my CFE, a large part of their program was an area called Study Space. This was a space in which students could work on homework or study with the help and support of a tutor. It is not one-on-one tutoring though; the tutor available is there to provide bits and pieces of help in order for the student to work independently.

The main person who works in Study Space is as equally passionate about self-regulation and metacognition as I am. He works very hard to help students develop their organization skills, develop their awareness of their learning, and focus on strengths and weaknesses. He will sit down with students on a regular basis for help create work plans for the students to follow, and encourages students to motivate themselves to stick to their plan. He stresses the importance of self-regulated behaviors as they carry on past high school and are integral to success in post-secondary or any job. He was telling me how many of the students used to have no organization skills and have improved significantly, which from his observations seemed to correlate to the increase in their grades. As they became more organized and aware, their stress and anxiety decreased. These students also have access to ample support and a very fluid learning environment,which allows them to work at a pace that will allow them to succeed and learn best.

I gave many students tips on how to study more effectively and many of them were very eager to hear new ways of learning. I also didn’t have the opportunity to observe how the students learned best, so whenever I would help them I would ask them how they wanted me to help. They were not taken aback by such as question as this is common – they are aware of their weaknesses and know how to ask for help. They also showed strong self-efficacy on concepts and content, and had techniques to ensure that they could learn new topics while maintaining a high self-efficacy.

I did not have the opportunity to explore my technical inquiry question more during my CFE as I was not teaching or tutoring. But what I observed and witnessing the success of personalization, I saw how I could incorporate personalizing self-regulation techniques would also help students understanding and self-efficacy. Their technique of teaching these skills was on an individual basis rather than to a whole class which allowed all students to be taught what skills they need to develop and want to develop, rather than learning skills that they may already know or do not find useful. I know that it a classroom this is not as possible but it is still something for me to think about. Maybe I could have students sign up for “sessions” in which they work on habits or skills? Or if I included entrance interviews, I could ask students what they needed to work on so I could personalize the class discussion better? The possibilities are endless, and I am glad that I was able to reflect on my inquiry in a different setting and observe what other teachers are doing!