Dr. Nancy Perry believes that supporting students’ self-regulated learning in classrooms, requires researchers to work with teachers to understand how to create classroom environments where students have many meaningful opportunities to develop the skills and strategies they need to be self-regulating. Over the years, a main feature of her research design has been bringing teachers and researchers together to engage in the same cycles of planning, acting, and reflecting that we want to promote in students.
“I’ve learned that teachers learn best when they learn from one another, and we need to support teachers’ learning in much the same way we want them to support their students’ learning” – Dr. Perry
Dr. Perry recognizes that much of what she knows about supporting self-regulated learning, she’s learned from working with teachers. Her dissertation research involved observing classrooms where she witnessed highly effective teachers designing tasks and interacting with students to help them know themselves as learners and take control of their learning. She realized the importance of tapping into the well of knowledge that teachers already have when setting out to understand what classroom processes are effective. Since then, her research has involved collaborating with teachers to find ways of supporting students to use self-regulated learning for social, emotional, and academic success. Teachers are at the centre of Dr. Perry’s research, co-constructing SRL-promoting practices to fit their unique teaching and learning contexts. When teachers and researchers come together for cycles of planning, acting, and reflecting, teachers’ practices evolve and classroom environments emerge that provide students with opportunities to develop and engage in self-regulated learning.