Self-management of learning: what is it and what are its elements and phases?

Let's see what self-managed learning is and what its processes and phases are.

There are many different teaching methods, but the method of self-managed learning has some characteristics that make it unique.

We will now go into the details of this model in order to understand it in depth and to get to know the peculiarities that make this system so important. Likewise, we will explore the different factors that must be included as well as the phases of this process.

What is self-managed learning?

Self-management of learning is a training process based on the learner himself taking control of the procedure and therefore setting the objectives. The student is able to manage his or her own work on the contents in order to integrate them as knowledge. This model is also known as self-managed learning or self-regulated learning.

Therefore, the main key to this process is the weight it places on the figure of the student, becoming at the same time his own teacher, since he must act in an active way, managing himself throughout the learning process and thus achieving the fulfillment of the objectives that had been set, i.e., the acquisition of the knowledge proposed at the beginning.

The self-management of learning would encompass all the cognitive processes as well as the behaviors that the individual carries out throughout the whole process.. But the key factor to explain this phenomenon is undoubtedly motivation, because without it it is practically impossible for a person to carry out a correct self-management of learning, since he needs a reason to force himself to put all his mental services at the service of this process.

Elements of self-management of learning

Self-management of learning implies the appearance of a series of elements for us to be able to consider it as such. These are the ones we are going to see below.

1. Interest

We have already anticipated that motivation is the backbone of this procedure. This motivation implies in one way or another an interest, which can be the usefulness of the knowledge or skill being learned.The reasons why the object of learning is of interest are very personal and will depend on each individual, but they must always exist, as they are necessary to achieve a self-motivating effect.

The reasons why the object of learning is of interest are very personal and will depend on each individual, but they must always exist, as they are needed to achieve a self-motivating effect.

On the contrary, if there is absolutely no reason that arouses a person to embark on the mission of acquiring a certain knowledge or skill, it is unlikely that he or she will do so, and therefore the phenomenon of self-management of learning cannot occur.

2. Attribution

The second element that we find when we talk about self-management of learning is attribution, i.e., what the person who initiates this process does not know, that is, what the person who initiates this process expects to achieve with it.. It may be learning a new skill or knowledge or being able to achieve a promotion. It is not the interest itself, but the perspective itself that is expected to be achieved.

3. Self-monitoring

Another element that is needed to be able to walk the path of self-management of learning is self-monitoring. What does it mean? That the individual has to be able to look at himself with perspective during the process in order to realize where he is at, what possible problems he is encountering, and what possible problems he is facing.what possible problems he/she is encountering and how to solve them or in general if the process is being effective or if, on the contrary, he/she should adopt new strategies to achieve the goal he/she is pursuing.

4. Self-efficacy

In order to be able to self-manage learning, it is essential to believe that we are capable of doing it because we have the right tools, whether they are manuals to use, sufficient time, motivation, etc. Thanks to this we generate a perception of self-efficacy without which we would hardly see the proposed goal as a feasible scenario and therefore we would not initiate the process, or we would abandon it, due to the expectations of failure we would have.

5. Self-awareness

If we have all the previous elements and we are within a process of self-management of learning, we will be able to review the new knowledge or skills that we are incorporating in ourselves, we are aware of it. Hence, self-awareness is another element that appears when we talk about this procedure.

6. Recursivity

Finally, the last factor involved in the self-management of learning is that of recursion. This is the ability of people to use the resources available to them in very different ways to achieve different ends. In this case, it is a matter of to orient our resources and capabilities in order to get closer and closer to the learning goal we have set for ourselves, thus integrating and thus integrating the skill or knowledge that we originally desired.

Phases according to Winne and Hadwin's model

The self-management of learning has different models that try to explain it in the most correct way possible. One of them is by authors Philip H. Winne and Allyson Fiona Hadwin. These researchers speak of a process that takes place in four phases, which we will see below.

1. Approach to the task

The first thing a person willing to learn will do is to approach the task. In this way, he/she will assess their motivation and the resources they have available to begin the challenge.. The perception that the subject will have about the task is a totally individual matter, so for each person it will be different.

2. Goal setting

Once the learner has assessed the task at hand, he/she will be in a position to set the goals he/she feels appropriate and also to to make a plan that will enable him/her to manage his/her resources in order to achieve these goals.. Likewise, goals are a decision that is up to the individual.

3. Implementation of the plan

Once oriented towards the task and with a defined plan in mind, it is time to take action and carry it out. This would be the third step of self-management of learning. To do so, they will have to apply their skills and resources so that the strategies they choose to achieve the established goals are as efficient as possible.

4. Reorientation

Obviously, many times the objectives set at the first attempt are not achieved, but that is part of the process of self-management of learning. That is why the fourth phase refers to the reorientation of the plan, learning from the failures and errors we have encountered and thus being able to get closer and closer to a satisfactory strategy that will ultimately lead us to the fulfillment of our objectives. that will ultimately lead us to the fulfillment of the goals and therefore to the acquisition of the new skill or knowledge.

During this phase, the goals can be reoriented, the entire plan can be changed, the use of resources can be varied, and the task can even be abandoned altogether if the person discovers that he or she has misjudged the feasibility, is no longer interested for whatever reason, or decides to spend time on a different task that at that moment motivates him or her more or seems to be more successful.

Self-management of learning in practice

There are several mechanisms to bring self-management of learning into a practical setting, especially in the learning context. Let's take a look at the most commonly used strategies.

1. Self-assessment

Through self-assessment the learner can approach the task, realize where he/she is at, what resources he/she has at his/her disposal, and thus be able to draw up a plan that will allow him/her to and thus be able to draw up a plan that will lead him/her to achieve the learning.

2. Pre-post comparison

Usually pre-post comparison exercises are used, i.e., before and after going through the teaching process. In this way the student can introspection about his or her own learning and realize what changes have taken place within him or her and what knowledge he or she has integrated or should try to strengthen. and which knowledge has been integrated or which should be strengthened.

3. Thinking aloud

Another strategy used for self-management of learning is to try to actively verbalize all the knowledge you have learned. trying to actively verbalize the whole thinking process that occurs in the learner's mind when he/she that occurs in the learner's mind when he/she is trying to solve a particular task.

4. Battery of questions

It can also be proposed to the student that, when faced with new learning material, he/she should be the one to elaborate a series of questions to be solved. Being able to answer them correctly will imply that an integration of knowledge has been achieved..

5. Mutual teaching

Another tactic used by some teachers is to to their students that they themselves try to teach their classmates certain questions about the subject they are dealing with. about the subject they are dealing with. Thanks to this, they will go through a self-management of learning that will allow them to later become teachers for the rest of the students.

Bibliographical references:

• Boekaerts, M. (1999). Self-regulated learning: Where we are today. International journal of educational research. Elsevier.
• Pintrich, P.R. (1995). Understanding self-regulated learning. New directions for teaching and learning. Wiley Online Library.
• Winne, P.H., Perry, N.E. (2000). Measuring self-regulated learning. Handbook of self-regulation. Elsevier.
• Zimmerman, B.J. (1990). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: An overview. Educational psychologist. Taylor & Francis.