Identity Formation and Possible Selves: Becoming a Self-Regulated Learner in Mathematics Alan Zollman Northern Illinois University School Science and Mathematics Association 108th Annual Convention

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Identity Formation and Possible SelvesBecoming
a Self-Regulated Learner in Mathematics Alan
ZollmanNorthern Illinois UniversitySchool
Science and Mathematics Association108th Annual
Convention October 23, 2009Reno, NV
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"I'm beginning to understand myself. But it would
have been great to be able to understand myself
when I was 20 rather than when I was 82."
Dave Brubeck, American jazz pianist
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Why is Illinois famous?
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Because of our basketball players?
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our senators?
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our governors?
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• Question 1
• As a lieutenant you need to get a 40-foot
  telephone pole raised.
• You have 5 privates and 1 sergeant.
• Specifically,
• how do you get the pole raised properly?

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• Question 2
• When you were in the first grade,
• what did you plan to be?

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• Question 2
• When you were in the first grade,
• what did you plan to be?
• WHY?

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• Question 3
• If you grow up,
• where do you plan to be?

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• Question 3
• If you grow up,
• where do you plan to be?
• WHY?

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• Why, in one class, do we have some students
  mathematically achieve, and other students in the
  same class with similar aptitude and background
  do not?
• What is that one attribute we cannot put a finger
  on that is the difference between these students?
  

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• Why, in one class, do we have some students
  mathematically achieve, and other students in the
  same class with similar aptitude and background
  do not?
• What is that one attribute we cannot put a finger
  on that is the difference between these students?
  
• I say the major influence is self identity.

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• Students Development
• Physical Development

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• Students Development
• Physical Development
• Social Development

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• Students Development
• Physical Development
• Social Development
• Cognitive Development

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• Students Development
• Physical Development
• Social Development
• Cognitive Development
• Identity Development

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• Identity Formation
• Identity formation is the fundamental development
  task of psychological maturity

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• Identity Formation
• Identity formation is the fundamental development
  task of psychological maturity
• Identity formation is a striving to achieve a
  unified, integrated sense of self.

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• Identity Formation
• Identity formation is the fundamental development
  task of psychological maturity
• Identity formation is a striving to achieve a
  unified, integrated sense of self.
• This requires the incorporation of past and
  present identifications with significant others,
  recognition of ones aptitudes and skills, and
  occupational goals and aspirations.

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Identity Formation

• Identity is how we respond to the environmental,
  cognitive, and social affects in our lives.

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Identity Formation

• Identity is how we respond to the environmental,
  cognitive, and social affects in our lives.
• All affective domain topicsmotivation,
  persistence, self-esteem, self-confidence,
  attitude, even behaviorare outcomes of our
  personal identity.

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Identity Formation

• Identity is how we respond to the environmental,
  cognitive, and social affects in our lives.
• All affective domain topicsmotivation,
  persistence, self-esteem, self-confidence,
  attitude, even behaviorare outcomes of our
  personal identity.
• Forming ones identity is as important as
  developing ones social skills or cognitive
  abilities.

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• Main Question "Is my world predictable and
  supportive?

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• Main Question "Can I do things myself or must I
  always rely on others?

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• Main Question "Am I good or am I bad?

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• Main Question "Am I successful or worthless?

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence
• Main Question "Who am I and where am I going?

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence
• intimacy versus isolation, in young adulthood

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence
• intimacy versus isolation, in young adulthood
• Main Question "Am I loved and wanted?" or "Shall
  I share my life with someone or live alone?

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence
• intimacy versus isolation, in young adulthood
• generativity versus stagnation, in middle adult
  life

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence
• intimacy versus isolation, in young adulthood
• generativity versus stagnation, in middle adult
  life
• Main Question "Will I produce something of real
  value?

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence
• intimacy versus isolation, in young adulthood
• generativity versus stagnation, in middle adult
  life
• integrity versus despair, in old age (Erikson,
  1950).

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• Eight Psychosocial Stages
• trust versus mistrust, in infancy
• autonomy versus shame and doubt, in toddlers
• initiative versus guilt, in early childhood
• industry versus inferiority, in middle childhood
• identity versus role diffusion, in adolescence
• intimacy versus isolation, in young adulthood
• generativity versus stagnation, in middle adult
  life
• integrity versus despair, in old age (Erikson,
  1950).
• Main Question "Have I lived a full life?

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• Identity Crisis
• Identity crisis occurs when the adolescent
  attempts to integrate childhood identification
  with ideas about what one wants to be and become
  as an adult.

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• Identity Crisis
• Identity crisis occurs when the adolescent
  attempts to integrate childhood identification
  with ideas about what one wants to be and become
  as an adult.
• Adolescents initiate identity work as they begin
  to think about their competencies and attributes,
  academic and occupational goals, and personal
  beliefs.

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• Identity Crisis
• Identity crisis occurs when the adolescent
  attempts to integrate childhood identification
  with ideas about what one wants to be and become
  as an adult.
• Adolescents initiate identity work as they begin
  to think about their competencies and attributes,
  academic and occupational goals, and personal
  beliefs.
• School and peers are important social contexts
  where much identity work occurs.

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• Possible selves are influenced by social,
  cultural and historical contexts that surround
  the individual and function to generate feelings
  of
• competence (when a goal is attained),
• self-efficacy (beliefs about ones personal
  competence in mathematics), and
• personal control (what one can do to achieve a
  hoped-for self).

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• Possible Selves Theory is a theoretical
  foundation to promote teachers understanding of
  identity formationtheir students and their own.
  
• Possible selves are ones ideas about what one
  can become in the future.
• These perceptions of ones future self can be
  highly motivating to students.
• When students have clear ideas about what they
  want to become, they are more willing to put
  forth the effort needed to attain their goals.

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• Hoped-for possible selves, in particular, are
  strong predictors of mathematics achievement.
• A hoped-for self that is concrete, realistic,
  detailed, and invokes necessary strategies for
  achieving the goal that will guide student
  behavior and produce the intended results over
  time (Oyserman Markus, 1990).

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• When students feel committed to, and invested in,
  working towards the attainment of hoped-for
  selves, and when they connect current behaviors
  to the accomplishment of future goals, their
  possible selves serve a self-regulatory role.
• Students with a self-regulatory focus are better
  able to make changes in behavior which can lead
  to goal achievement.

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• It is important for students to become
  self-regulated learners who can
• set learning goals
• create action plans
• then monitor their progress towards their goals
• by assessing their efforts and making
  adaptations as necessary

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Instructor Initiates to Promote Identity
Development
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Instructor Initiates to Promote Identity
Development

• Show your genuine warmth (not fuzziness) for
  students
• Cultivate teacher-student professional
  relationships
• Model yourself as a life-long, inquisitive
  learner in front of your students
• Infuse passion for mathematics in your lessons
• Respect students as partners in the learning
  relationship

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Curriculum Initiates of Identity Development
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Curriculum Initiates of Identity Development

• Set up authentic problem-solving situations that
  students (not just teachers) value
• Build lessons with drama for inquiring minds who
  want to know -- the aha! vs. the oh no!
  problems
• Plan for students to discover patterns and
  relationships between and among the topics of
  mathematics

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Peer Initiates to Promote Identity Development
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Peer Initiates to Promote Identity Development

• Design cooperative learning activities where each
  student has a role rotate roles
• Conduct role playing situations, where students
  view themselves and each other as mathematicians,
  engineers, investigators and scientists as they
  work on problems

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Individual Initiates to Promote Identity
Development
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Individual Initiates to Promote Identity
Development

• Charge students to set goals, so they know where
  they want to be and what they have to do to get
  there students feel they can take control of
  their own learning
• Ask students to regularly self-reflect on what
  and how they are learning mathematics
• Teach students to continually self-assess
  progress of learning
• Provide choices for students to demonstrate
  growth in self-determination, self-efficacy,
  self-regulation

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A Look Inside the Classroom

• The classroom is a collaborative community of
  learners.

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A Look Inside the Classroom

• The classroom is a collaborative community of
  learners.
• The cooperative learning group is engaged in an
  authentic problem, thinking aloud about what they
  know, and trying to connect previous ideas to the
  current topic.

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A Look Inside the Classroom

• The classroom is a collaborative community of
  learners.
• The cooperative learning group is engaged in an
  authentic problem, thinking aloud about what they
  know, and trying to connect previous ideas to the
  current topic.
• There is warmth to the interactions between the
  teacher and students and mutual respect.

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A Look Inside the Classroom

• The classroom is a collaborative community of
  learners.
• The cooperative learning group is engaged in an
  authentic problem, thinking aloud about what they
  know, and trying to connect previous ideas to the
  current topic.
• There is warmth to the interactions between the
  teacher and students and mutual respect.
• She trusts her students, and they trust her.

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A Look Inside the Classroom

• The classroom is a collaborative community of
  learners.
• The cooperative learning group is engaged in an
  authentic problem, thinking aloud about what they
  know, and trying to connect previous ideas to the
  current topic.
• There is warmth to the interactions between the
  teacher and students and mutual respect.
• She trusts her students, and they trust her.
• She grants them autonomy the ability to make
  choices that determine what and how they will
  approach the math problem and she reinforces
  their developing sense of competence.

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A Look Inside the Classroom

• The classroom is a collaborative community of
  learners.
• The cooperative learning group is engaged in an
  authentic problem, thinking aloud about what they
  know, and trying to connect previous ideas to the
  current topic.
• There is warmth to the interactions between the
  teacher and students and mutual respect.
• She trusts her students, and they trust her.
• She grants them autonomy the ability to make
  choices that determine what and how they will
  approach the math problem and she reinforces
  their developing sense of competence.
• The teacher expects persistence, respect, team
  membership and integrity.

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A Look Inside the Classroom

• The classroom is a collaborative community of
  learners.
• The cooperative learning group is engaged in an
  authentic problem, thinking aloud about what they
  know, and trying to connect previous ideas to the
  current topic.
• There is warmth to the interactions between the
  teacher and students and mutual respect.
• She trusts her students, and they trust her.
• She grants them autonomy the ability to make
  choices that determine what and how they will
  approach the math problem and she reinforces
  their developing sense of competence.
• The teacher expects persistence, respect, team
  membership and integrity.
• The students understand their roles and
  responsibilities to the teacher, to themselves
  and to their peers.

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• Question 1
• As a lieutenant you need to get a 40-foot
  telephone pole raised.
• You have 5 privates and 1 sergeant.
• Specifically,
• how do you get the pole raised properly?

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• Question 1
• The correct response is (supposedly)
• Order the sergeant and the privates to get the
  job done, leave, and return later.

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• Question 1
• The correct response is (supposedly)
• Order the sergeant and the privates to get the
  job done, leave, and return later.
• This solution displays an understanding and
  communication of the officers expectations of
  trust, autonomy, initiative, persistence, role
  identification, team membership, respect and
  integrity.

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• Question 1
• The correct response is (supposedly)
• Order the sergeant and the privates to get the
  job done, leave, and return later.
• This solution displays an understanding and
  communication of the officers expectations of
  trust, autonomy, initiative, persistence, role
  identification, team membership, respect and
  integrity.
• It allows the privates and sergeant to become
  self-regulated problem solvers.

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• Question 3
• The correct response is

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• Question 4
• The correct response is
• Be sitting in your chair at SSMA!

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Dr. Alan ZollmanDept. of Mathematical Sciences
Northern Illinois UniversityDeKalb, IL
60115815/753-6750zollman_at_math.niu.eduhttp//ww
w.math.niu.edu/zollman