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Personal Learning Analysis

Post ID: 3534504

Personal Learning Analysis

Explore personal learning processes in the areas of metacognition, optimal challenge and performance, and motivation and procrastination.

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Introduction

Many underlying processes influence and guide our learning. We can help improve our learning experience by better understanding these processes. Consider, for instance, optimal challenge. This is the balance between difficulty level of a task and the individual's abilities to perform the task. An optimal task is neither too difficult nor too easy for a learner. Procrastination, or the tendency to put off completing tasks, can be a result of tasks that are out of alignment with a person's optimal level of challenge for a given task. Someone might avoid or delay completing a task as a result of that perceived challenge or a variety of other factors. Metacognition is a cognitive psychology term that loosely means “thinking about your thinking.” Being a reflective learner can help you identify challenges, set reasonable goals, and make forward progress on your work.

Learning about these skills can help you to become even more aware of your own thinking and learning processes and how to enhance them. For this assessment, you will reflect on your own learning processes to better understand your learning strengths and challenges. You will also formulate a plan for growth.

Overview

For this assessment, you will reflect on your own learning processes to better understand your learning strengths and challenges as well as formulate a plan for growth.

Preparation

Use the resources for this assessment to explore each of the following cognitive concepts:

  • Metacognition.
  • Optimal challenge and performance.
  • Motivation and procrastination.

As you learn about metacognition, optimal challenge and performance, and motivation and procrastination, think about your areas of strength and greatest areas for growth in relation to these learning topics. Be prepared to describe these strengths and areas for growth.

Professional Sources and Scholarly Research

In your paper, you will support your analysis using at least four credible sources, such as textbooks, chapters in scholarly books, peer-reviewed journal articles, or information from professional organizations. You may use the resources provided in this course, or you may select your own professional and scholarly sources from the Capella library.

If you are unfamiliar with scholarly journals, review these library resources:

Assessment Instructions

Using the Personal Learning Analysis Template [DOCX], write a 5–7 page paper that addresses your learning processes in the following areas:

  • Metacognition.
  • Optimal challenge and performance.
  • Motivation and procrastination.

In your paper, do the following:

  • Analyze your skills in specific areas of metacognition, supporting your thinking with information from professional and scholarly sources.
  • Analyze the role of optimal challenge in your academic performance, supporting your thinking with information from professional and scholarly sources.
  • Analyze the role of motivation and procrastination in your academic performance, supporting your thinking with information from professional and scholarly sources.
  • Describe your areas of strength and areas for growth in learning.
    • Describe your strengths in one or two paragraphs.
    • Describe your areas for growth in at least one fully developed paragraph.
  • Choose one area of growth and create a plan to strengthen this area. Identify some strategies and steps that you’ll take to continue to build this area of skill. Support your strategies with information from professional or scholarly sources.

Additional Requirements

Your assessment should also meet the following requirements:

  • Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
    • Check your spelling and grammar. Visit the Writing Center's Microsoft Editorpage for tips on using Microsoft Editor to support your writing.
    • Please feel free to write in first person (I, me, et cetera).
  • Sources: Use a minimum of four resources. Sources can be a combination of course resources, professional sources (such as a textbook), and peer-reviewed scholarly articles (no more than eight years old).
    • Note on the scoring rubric that to reach distinguished scoring, you will need to apply information from professional scholarly journals to support your analysis.
  • APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting guidelines. Refer to Evidence and APA page on Campus for guidance.
    • Use in-text citations throughout your work and provide full references at the end of your paper.
  • Template: Use the Personal Learning Analysis Template [DOCX] for your paper.
  • Length: 5–7 typed, double-spaced pages of content in addition to a title page and references page.
  • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

  • Competency 2: Analyze a personal learning process through theory and research.
    • Analyze optimal challenge and performance in personal learning processes and support analysis with professional sources.
    • Analyze procrastination and motivation in personal learning processes and support analysis with professional sources.
  • Competency 4: Apply metacognitive strategies to assess personal performance quality.
    • Analyze metacognition in personal learning processes and support analysis with professional sources.
    • Describe areas of personal strength and areas for growth in learning.
    • Describe a plan to strengthen an area for personal learning.
  • Competency 5: Communicate with clear purpose, organization, evidence, tone, and sentence structure.
    • Address the assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
    • Apply APA style, including in-text citations and full references for sources.The following chapter in your Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice text will help you learn more about motivational processes related to learning:
      • Chapter 8, “Motivation and Learning.”

      Optimal Challenge

      View the following interactive media, which introduces some of the theory and research behind the idea of optimal challenge and how it relates to performance:
      • Optimal Challenge and Flow.( Consider how the following factors influence optimal arousal levels.

        Skill level

        The degree of skill that one has on a given task will change the level of arousal needed to reach the optimal level for best performance. For example, when one is learning a new task, such as driving for the first time, the level of arousal is higher than for someone who has been driving for a year.

        Task familiarity

        The degree of familiarity one has with a given will change their level of arousal in reaction to that task. The more familiar one is, the lower the level of arousal when facing the task, and the more ability to work under higher levels of arousal before performance is negatively impacted.

        Task complexity

        Highly complex tasks will create more arousal than simpler tasks.

        Personality

        Personality traits and other personality factors can influence both one’s desire for certain levels of arousal, and the levels of arousal one experiences when faced with various tasks. For example, those who are on the higher end of extroversion are more likely to experience less arousal when performing in front of groups than those on the higher end of introversion.



      Use this section of your reading list for additional resources related to optimal challenge, flow, and optimal work environments:

      Metacognition

      Use this section of your reading list to access resources that introduce metacognition, discuss some of the history and research, and provide examples:
      • Assessment 3: Metacognition.
      Depending on what sources you read, you will discover that there are three or more components of metacognition. For the purpose of this assessment, focus your research on these three broad components of metacognition:
      • Planning—self-regulation.
      • Monitoring—self-monitoring.
      • Evaluating—self-assessing.

      Procrastination

      Procrastination happens for many reasons. You may be a person who doesn’t procrastinate, or who procrastinates on certain tasks but not others.
      • For a self-directed assessment of your personal procrastination style, access the following Capella Campus resource:
        • Overcoming Procrastination.9
          Overcoming ProcrastinationProcrastination: What is it, and how do I put off dealing with it for now?Although procrastination is an extremely common habit, it can become a form of self-sabotage for students, regardless of your degree level (Kearns, Gardiner, & Marshall, 2007).To procrastinate is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as to "delay or postpone action; put off doing something" (Oxford University Press, 2010)Eric Hoover of the Chronicle of Higher Education (Hoover, 2005) suggests that procrastination is essentially "when one keeps reorganizing [one's to-do list] so that little or nothing on it gets done." Hoover asserts that procrastination is linked to issues that frequently afflict college students; including anxiety, lowered self-esteem, plagiarism, depression, and cheating. In other words, procrastination can make you miserable, and prevent you from achieving your academic goals.Hoover also recognizes, though, that procrastination is not something easily remedied. He quotes Joseph R. Ferrari, a prominent researcher on the phenomenon, as saying, "Telling a chronic academic procrastinator to 'just do it' is not going to work – It's like telling a clinically depressed person to cheer up." (Hoover, 2005). Read the article.

          Why We Procrastinate

          There are two prominent schools of thought on why procrastination occurs. Ferrari and others have pointed to two types of procrastinators, based on two very different motivations:
          • Arousal procrastinators put work off for the adrenaline rush that comes with completing a project under a tight deadline.
          • Avoidant procrastinators put projects off because they're worried about their ability to perform adequately or because they worry that success will result in more pressure from others to continually perform at the same level (Hoover, 2005).
          More recently, in his book The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and start Getting Stuff Done, Piers Steel has listed three reasons why people procrastinate:
          • They lack self-confidence.
          • They dislike the task.
          • They lack impulse control (the latter being a classic symptom of Attention Deficit Disorder, but also characteristic of those without ADD who simply struggle to stay focused in a multitasking world) (Golden 2011). Read the interview

          Overcoming Procrastination

          So how can you better understand the specific reasons you procrastinate, and what can you do to address this problem? The activities and strategies in this section are designed to help you.

          Procrastination Quiz and Log

          Gain an understanding of how, when, and why you procrastinate: an important step in changing your behaviors and habits.

          Taking Action

          Tips and strategies to help you break the habit of procrastination.

          References

          Hoover, E. (2005, December 9). Tomorrow I love ya! Chronicle of Higher Education, 52(16), A30–A32.Kearns, H., Gardiner, M., & Marshall, K. (2008). Innovation in PhD completion: The hardy shall succeed (and be happy!). Higher Education Research and Development, 27(1), 77–89. doi: 10.1080/07294360701658781Oxford University Press. (2010). Procrastinate. Retrieved from Oxford Dictionaries Web site: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_us1280929#m_en_us1280929Golden, S. (2011, May 19). The Procrastination Equation. Inside Higher Education.
          RELATED RESOURCESProcrastination Log ActivityProcrastination QuizTomorrow, I Love Ya!, Article by Eric HooverThe Procrastination Equation
          How to stop putting things off and start getting stuff done. Book by Piers Steel, PhD
          TOP)
          • From this page, click the link for the Procrastination Quiz.
          • Answer the questions under the heading “Discover Your Style: The Six Styles of Procrastination.”
      Keep in mind that the six categories are generalizations (not scientific) and are only meant to give you an idea of where you might be having some challenges in accomplishing what you desire in the timeframe needed. This can give you the opportunity to reflect on what might be interfering in your work.
      • Read additional resources in this section of your reading list:
        • Assessment 3: Procrastination.

      Critical Thinking

      Familiarize yourself with what critical thinking entails. The ability to think critically is an important skill to have in your personal and professional skill toolbox.
      • Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice:
        • Chapter 11, "Critical Thinking and Critical Perspectives."
          • In this chapter, learn about the basis for critical thinking and about what critical thinking is not.

      Paul and Elder

      Two leaders in the field of critical thinking, Linda Elder and Richard Paul, established a model of critical thinking and the Foundation for Critical Thought. The Foundation’s website, linked in the section of your reading list below, is open and full of good information on critical thinking and its elements and standards.
      • Assessment 3: Universal Intellectual Standards.
      From this Capella Campus page, listen to Elder and Paul discuss the elements of thought and the intellectual standards of critical thinking:
      • Qualities of Thinking.
        • Click into the Analytic Stage of Thinking to read about the elements that Richard Paul described in the audio:
          • Concepts.
          • Point of view.
          • Information.
          • Interpretation and Inference.
          • Question at issue.
          • Assumptions.
          • Implications and consequences.
          • Purpose.

      The Wheel of Reason

      Visit the following section of your reading list to read about the wheel of reason:
      • Assessment 3: Critical Thinking Community: The Wheel of Reason.
        • Scroll to the bottom of the page to view an interactive piece of the Elements of Thought wheel. You can hold your cursor over various elements in the wheel to read more about them. Also note the intellectual standards at the top of the wheel—specifically those on how the elements and standards work together. Be sure to view and read more about the elements of reasoning.
      To wrap up this section, visit the following self-assessment, found on your Capella Campus;