Life As A Non-Traditional Student

Life as a Non-Traditional Student: Mastering Self-Regulated Learning

Self-regulated learning can be defined as “The process in which [a] student is cognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active in his or her learning.” (Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons). While this concept is relatively new, many students have embraced it over the last few decades resulting in their success. I am one of those many students that embrace this concept; some aspects stronger than the others. Planning and organizing not only play a major role in my life as a student, but in my life in general. Though I often lack the confidence to ask questions that provide a more thorough understanding of what I am trying to learn, the one aspect of my learning I can control is my learning environment.
Being a non-traditional student with a full time job can be as hard as a rock. It means I must plan and organize every moment of my day. When I have places to be, for example class, I calculate driving times and when I will be there. This planning measure provides me with a better perspective of what I will be able to accomplish before having to leave work. Along with scheduling, budgeting is another very important priority. I calculate the cost of
I wasn’t a bad student or a slow reader, but I had distinctive features, such as being as tall as a giraffe. Because I was taller than the majority of my classmates: I stood out. I was for many unkind comments. Because of that my confidence suffered. I do not like to stand out for the fear of being judged or degraded. It makes me as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Because of this lack of confidence my education sometimes suffers. If I don’t understand the material or the concept being covered in class, I have a tendency to apply my own interpretation versus asking the instructor, which will not help me to master the material I desire