Self Regulated Learning

1. Organization and Elaboration

Recently, whenever I dont have much time left to study, I tend to do (si du or si tak) , a Chinese term
that means one just memorizes things for the sake of memorizing them, without understanding at all. This leads to me
remembering nothing at all a day or so after squeezing out new information I have just acquired during exams or
recitations. I hate this feeling and it makes me think that in the long run, I actually am not learning anything at all.
I have actually slightly learned these two concepts way back during high school when I was studying Chinese
Languages. I didnt know that there are actually legit terms that describe them but was quite amazed that they are well
recommended by experts as studying strategies. I want to regain these skills and apply them more regularly on how I
study now, especially in the field of Finance. As a business student and a soon to be working person, I know how
important this subject is. Ill exert effort and take time to patiently weave in concepts together and relate them to
things and events whether internally or externally so that they will forever be embedded in my brain, my heart, and
my soul.
2. Ask for Help
I dont like group studies because Ive always thought that its inefficient. My friends and I will just end up
chatting and talking about anything under the sun, except academics. However, after listening to the discussion on
Psych OClock, I realized that there are also advantages in doing so.
I can apply this best for my accounting subjects. Since Im not that good in this field. What I can do is I can
study alone, deeply understand the concepts, and do practice exercises. After that, for the items that Im having a hard
time answering, I can ask for my classmates who are good in the subjects and/or look for upperclassmen who have
already taken the course for help. This way, I wouldnt waste so much time trying to figure out how to solve some
particular types of problems when at the end of the day, I really wont be able to understand them without the help of
others. Truly, no man can live alone in an island.
3. Reward Yourself
I have done this before but stopped doing so when some acquaintances criticized me and said Youre not a
dog. Why do you need to reward yourself with food whenever you do something good in school? But now, I realized
that I should actually not listen to them since this practice is actually working. I love food and I realized that this
works as a good reinforcement for me since whenever I know that theres something good at the end of a hardship, I
get motivated to finish the tasks given.
Im always lazy to read books and I think this is a good strategy for me to apply whenever I have reading
requirements. I can apply this by setting a goal such as I need to finish 15 chapters in 5 hours and when Im able to
do this well (including understanding very well the concepts and the thoughts of the book, I can reward myself with a
bowl of my favorite ramen. Of course, I need to regulate these rewards also and analyze what rewards would make me
feel happy and not harm me in any way. At the end of the day, I cant always eat ramen whenever I finish my readings.
I mean I will get really really fat after the school year. Its also good to be creative and think of different options to
reward myself.
Conclusion
I agree with what they said that there should really be a subject wherein people would learn how to learn.
This might sound ridiculous to some but I believe that this is necessary since this habit is not that innate to everyone.
My younger brother would be a good example to prove this. He does not study on his own nor have the sense of
responsibility when it comes to his own academic deliverables because he firmly believes that it has always been his
teachers job to spoon-feed him information. No matter how many times Ive given him lectures and sisterly talk, he
just doesnt seem to understand my point that he also has responsibilities to carry when it comes to this matter. I guess
if he encounters a class about this topic in school, theres a bigger chance that he would finally accept this reality.
Overall, I think that self regulated learning and its techniques are not new to me anymore. Throughout the
years of being a student, I have unconsciously acquired these skills and have already been practicing them from time
to time. However, whats lacking in me is the consistency. I should learn and push myself to make these become habit
and permanently integrate them to my lifestyle. This way, I believe that I can learn so much more in my lifetime in
this world.