Self-directed learning

Draft

Definition

• “A process in which students take the initiative to diagnose their learning needs, formulate learning goals, identify resources for learning, select and implement learning strategies, and evaluate learning outcomes.The role of the instructor shifts from being the 'sage on the stage' to the 'guide on the side' in a self-directed learning environment.” ([1])

• “Several things are known about self-directed learning: (a) individual learners can become empowered to take increasingly more responsibility for various decisions associated with the learning endeavor; (b) self-direction is best viewed as a continuum or characteristic that exists to some degree in every person and learning situation; (c) self-direction does not necessarily mean all learning will take place in isolation from others; (d) self-directed learners appear able to transfer learning, in terms of both knowledge and study skill, from one situation to another; (e) self-directed study can involve various activities and resources, such as self-guided reading, participation in study groups, internships, electronic dialogues, and reflective writing activities; (f) effective roles for teachers in self-directed learning are possible, such as dialogue with learners, securing resources, evaluating outcomes, and promoting critical thinking; (g) some educational institutions are finding ways to support self-directed study through open-learning programs, individualized study options, non-traditional course offerings, and other innovative programs.” (Hiemstra, 1994).

Technologies for self-directed learning

“Self-directed learning is a continuous engagement in acquiring, applying and creating knowledge and skills in the context of an individual learner's unique problems. Effectively supporting self-directed learning is one of the critical challenges in supporting lifelong learning. Self-directed learning creates new challenging requirements for learning technologies. Domain-oriented design environments address these challenges by allowing learners to engage in their own problems, by providing contextualized support, and by exploiting breakdowns as opportunities for learning.” (Fischer and Scharff, 1998: Abstract)

The same authors formulate the following requirements for computational envionments [2]. Such systems must:

• be simultaneously user-directed and supportive, i.e., the choice of tasks and goals (including the learning opportunities offered) must be under the control of the user/learner, and the support provided by the system must be contextualized to the user\u2019s task;
• be sufficiently open-ended and complex that users will encounter breakdowns. The system must provide means for allowing users to understand, extricate themselves from, and learn from these breakdowns;
• provide means for significant modification, extension, and evolution by users;
• support a range of expertise, because such systems will be employed over long periods of time by their users and must be able to accommodate users at progressively different levels of expertise;
• must promote collaboration by supporting people to overcome the symmetry of ignorance and allow stakeholders to learn from each other and create mutual understanding.

References

• Fischer, G. and Scharff, E. (1998). Learning Technologies in Support of Self-Directed Learning. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 98 (4) [www-jime.open.ac.uk/98/4 HTML Hypertext] - HTML - PDF.

• Hiemstra, R. (1994). Self-directed learning. In T. Husen & T. N. Postlethwaite (Eds.), The International Encyclopedia of Education (second edition), Oxford: Pergamon Press. Reprint