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UNIT

I

Chapter 1: Academic Self-Management

Chapter 2: Understanding Learning and Memory

Chapter 3: Understanding Motivation

The purpose of this unit is to explain how you can become a more

successful learner by taking charge and managing your own learn-

and the factors that determine your motivation to learn. Learning

and motivation are interrelated processes. Simply learning a new skill

does not mean that you will use it unless you are motivated to do

so. Therefore, my objectives are to teach you some new learning

strategies and to convince you that there are payoffs for using them.

These payoffs include the possibility of higher grades, more time to

participate in enjoyable activities, and the confidence to become a

successful learner in any course. The three chapters in this unit pro-

vide a framework for understanding why you need to use different

strategies to manage the factors influencing your academic achieve-

ment. The remaining units teach you how and when to use these

strategies.

Chapter 1 presents a model for academic self-management, identi-

learning, use of time, physical and social environment, and perform-

ance (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997). These components are organ-

Chapters 2 and 3 provide an overview of learning and motivation

from a cognitive perspective. Cognitive psychologists believe that

ing about the situation in which the behavior occurs. As a result, they

believe that learning can be explained by how knowledge is processed

and organized. This means that the way one learns is an important

factor in how much is remembered.

FOUNDATIONS OF LEARNING

AND MOTIVATION

ing. To accomplish this goal, you need to understand how you learn

fying six components that you can control—motivation, methods of

ized by categories—motivational, behavioral, and learning and study

strategies. Finally, a four-step process is described to help you change

aspects of your academic behavior.

behavior is always based on cognition—an act of knowing or think-