The fundamentals of self-directed learning and its connection to 21st century skills
Knowles (1975) popularized the term self-directed learning (SDL) as a process that starts with the initiative of a learner who sets his/her own learning goals and proceeds to activities to achieve these goals while constantly evaluating whether these goals are satisfied or not. SDL sprung from Rogers’ notion of an individual striving for self-discovery and thus goes to the direction of learning what is relevant to such discovery – a humanistic idea which was then applied in the field of education through the works of Knowles, Houle, and Tough (Servant-Miklos & Noordegraaf-Eelens, 2019).
As a learning process, SDL is individual, purposeful, and developmental (Brandt, 2020). It is an individual process in a sense that the learner is personally responsible for realizing his/her learning potential. It is purposeful in a sense that the individual engages in learning activities as a response to personal or social challenges. Finally, it is developmental in a sense that the individual continuously learns along the way and by so doing refines his/her ways of learning thereby contributing to the ultimate goal of becoming a fully functioning person. SDL as a developmental process is what struck me the most – it is undeniable that there are goals to satisfy and evaluate at any stages in adult learning, but what matters ultimately is the process of arriving at that goal and such a process may take a lifetime of learning. This, for me, is the epitome of being a lifelong learner. Lifelong learning is associated with skills necessary for self-directed learning (Tekkol & Demirel, 2018).
The 21st century skills are clustered into learning, digital literacy, and life skills (Trilling & Fadel, 2009). With this, education needs to adapt to meet not only the outcomes related to learning skills but also those related to digital literacy and life skills. In this sense, I took interest in self-directed learning because it cuts across developing the 3 clusters of 21st century skills at any stages in life. It is even reflected in one of the life skills namely initiative and self-direction. With self-directed learning, I may be able to enhance my communication skills (learning skill), critique online information (literacy skill), and propose solutions to social challenges (life skill) by being personally accountable to what I choose to learn through the guidance of experienced individuals inside and outside the academic institutions. This, for me, is the essence of self-directed learning. SDL projects may pace fast, stall, or even fail along the way, but the process is what is most important to the learner.
SDL views: Role of the learner and the facilitator
The role of the self-directed learner is exemplified in what Brandt (2020), through integrating findings from the literature, refers to as the 4 dimensions – self-regulation, motivation, personal responsibility, and autonomy. In terms of self-regulation, the learner takes charge of directing, managing, and meeting his/her learning goals. The learner does this by bearing in mind that the opportunity to grow and learn is imminent – an intrinsic motivation that propels continuous learning. The learner sees to it that it is his/her personal responsibility that the goals are not only for personal growth but also in response to specific challenges in the society. Throughout the learning process, the learner is accountable for his/her actions through constant monitoring and evaluation of outputs with respect to a standard.
Rogers (1969) contended that a self-directed learner benefits from a skilled instructor who guides him/her towards self-discovery and not merely a transmitter of knowledge. Hence, the instructor serves as a guide until such time the learner attains full control and accountability of the learning process. A learner grows in a continuum of self-direction starting from being a dependent learner, interested learner, involved learner, self-directed learner, and finally a self-determined learner (Grow, 1991). At the first two stages, the learner takes instructions from the instructor who leads the learning process. Then, the involved learner starts to take control of the learning process through leading several learning tasks as supervised by the instructor. Finally, in the last 2 stages, the learner independently creates his/her own learning project and collaborates with the instructor.
Application of SDL in the classroom
Self-directed learning plays a substantial role in my teaching philosophy. It is important for me as a teacher to let the learners experience the process themselves, realize their mistakes, and discover where they need to improve on. I will be in the background to provide a timely response to their learning needs. The principles of SDL can be actualized in the classroom through the use of Knowles’ learning contract, personalized scaffolding, and collaborative learning project.
In a research class, I can start the orientation by individually asking the students about their research interests. Anchoring on a specific interest a student identifies, we then can create a research plan where we outline the tasks and activities distributed throughout the ten-month time frame. The student is accountable for each milestone in the plan and I, as the instructor, make sure to provide him/her the materials and necessary training to achieve each milestone. Every month and after ten months, we revisit the plan, agree if all goals are satisfied, and then arrive with a reasonable grade based on the output and its rubrics.
As an instructor, I need to guide my research student through scaffolding appropriately targeted to his/her needs (i.e., personalized scaffolding). This is to ensure that he/she is effectively learning through my relevant support (Lazonder & Harmsen 2016). By personalized scaffolding, I need to be a timely facilitator in a sense that I provide each student immediate feedback based on their recent output and explain how such feedback contributes to reaching each milestone of the research plan. In this stage, social support is important at times when achieving the desired outcome seems difficult for them.
Finally, I have the responsibility of leading my students towards optimal self-directed learning. This is reflected in what I call the collaborative learning project. In this project, I and my student will agree that each milestone in his/her research plan also has a specific learning outcome that is regularly monitored and evaluated. Hence, the student does not only strive to come up with an output but also satisfies a learning outcome in each output. Anchoring on Grow’s (1991) continuum of self-direction, the learning outcomes are tailored fit to help the student ultimately attain full control of his/her research activity. Hence, there is the progressive achievement of self-direction every month and at the sixth month onwards the student is expected to own his/her research activities and may consult with me regularly for any challenges along the way.
In the end, self-directed learning is a lifelong process, and it is life itself that we constantly learn.
References
Brandt, W. C. (2020). Measuring student success skills: A review of the literature on self-direction. Dover, NH: National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment. Retrieved August 18, 2020 from https://www.nciea.org/library/measuring-student-success-skills-review-literature-self-directed-learning
Grow, G. O. (1991). Teaching learners to be self-directed. Adult Education Quarterly, 41(3), 125-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001848191041003001
Knowles, M. S. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. New York: Association Press.
Lazonder, A. W., & Harmsen, R. (2016). Meta-analysis of inquiry-based learning: Effects of guidance. Review of Educational Research, 86(3), 681–718. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315627366
Rogers, C. (1969). Freedom to learn. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill.
Servant-Miklos, V., & Noordegraaf-Eelens, L. (2019). Toward social-transformative education: An ontological critique of self-directed learning. Critical Studies in Education, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2019.1577284
Tekkol, İ. A., & Demirel, M. (2018). An investigation of self-directed learning skills of undergraduate students. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02324
Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. John Wiley & Sons.
Citation: Batara, J. B. (2020, October). Self-directed learning: Fundamentals, views of the learner and facilitator, and classroom application. Available at https://flowjame.com/2020/10/15/self-directed-learning-and-classroom-application
flowjame 