Talking about teaching self-regulated learning: Scaffolding student teachers’ development and use of practices that promote self-regulated learning

Self-regulated learning (SRL) involves metacognition, motivation, and strategic action, and self-regulated learners are successful in and beyond school. Therefore, studies of how SRL develops and, perhaps, how it can be taught, are needed. Our research examines whether and how beginning teachers can be mentored to develop practices that support elementary school children's development of and engagement in academically effective forms of SRL. Here, we present post-observation data of student teachers discussing their classroom teaching with their school-based mentor teachers and their university-based faculty associates. We analyzed the transcripts from these discussions to determine whether and how student teachers talked about SRL with their mentors and faculty associates, and how mentors and faculty associates scaffolded student teachers’ understanding and use of practices that promote SRL. Findings indicate that the post-observation discussions contained content relating to SRL and practices that promote it. Also, findings indicate faculty associates and mentor teachers applied a wide range of scaffolding techniques to engage student teachers in planning for and reflecting on teaching SRL. Implications for making SRL in classrooms as prominent as research suggests it should be are discussed along with recommendations for more research to understand how to help teachers develop practices that support SRL.