Journal Entry Number One

 “… [S]elf-directed learning is based on the hypothesis that ‘individuals have within themselves vast resources for self-understanding and for altering their self-concepts, basic attitudes, and self-directed behavior; these resources ca be tapped if a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitude can be provided’” (Rogers, C., 1980).

Objective

Write the Quote. What was the context for the authors?

What have you learned from reflecting on this particular quote?

What has caught your attention?

Self-directed learning is not only an individual process, but it is an experiential journey in that it is not only influenced by each individual’s personalities but varies from one person to another.  Given that each individual brings their own unique sets of past experiences to their learning process, their learning is influenced by their individual motivation, their level of knowledge, and their effort put towards learning the subject matter. Self-regulated learning is a process that differs depending on the degree of the involvement of each person in the process. I believe the context in which this quote is written in has to do with the importance of students’ personalities, their intellectual capacities as well as their socio-cultural background that influences their learning ability extensively. Therefore, as teachers we ought to not only appreciate the learners’ intrinsic capabilities that augment their learning outcome, but to also realize that it can also have great impact on their learning process.

The learner in the self-regulated learning process is defined by Linda B. Nilson to have “… [A] Mindful, intentional, reflective, introspective, self-aware, self-controlled, and self-disciplined character towards their learning process” (Nilson, L.B., 2014). 

According to Nilson it is only through the mastery of these skills that one can become a self-directed

learner.

Reflective
Why did you choose this quote? How do you identify with it?

I have chosen the quote because the context and what it implies resonates with me personally, as I still am a self-directed learner. One of the positive characteristics of the self-regulated learning is its rewarding nature. It not only provides the learner with ownership towards their learning process, but it also brings in a sense of pride in students when they foresee their accomplishments. Moreover, today’s technological advancements have strengthened the learners’ learning process by offering accessibility to a wide range of information at any time. As a result,  a self-directed learner not only has control over what they are learning but also on how much time they invest and from where they get the information they want to learn. It is this way that the learner gains ownership over their learning process.

Interpretive

What does it mean to you? What does it indicate more broadly for educators? What insights do you get from the quote? How has your thinking changed by reflecting on this quote?

Self-regulated learning is truly a reflective process. Nevertheless, I believe being a self-directed learner is an intrinsic characteristic. It is not a skill to master or to build upon one either has it or not. However, as professionals in the field of teaching, when put we put a self-directed learning paradigm in practice, we should recognize and appreciate the teaching philosophies that exist in our field of practice. After all, self-directed learning has its roots in Western cultures, and is much a less-structured framework when it comes to individuals sharing knowledge in a classrooms setting. While reflecting on this quote, I have definitely seen the potential of self-directed learning, but feel that there is further refinement necessary to create a paradigm that can properly regulate teacher-student interactions in such a learning environment.

Decisional

How can this new or enhanced interpretation be applied to your teaching practice?

Recent research literature on the self-directed language learning process in the self-access context has focused on the various kinds of support that can be provided to facilitate learning: language advising, language tools, self-access resources, and learning strategies (Gardner, 2007; Lamb and Reinders, 2006; Karlsson, Kjisik and Nordlund, 2007; Kato and Yamashita, 2008; Noguchi and McCarthy, 2010; Rubin, 2007; Yamaguchi et al., 2012). Metacognition is part of the holistic teaching and has to be incorporated into self-directed learning. To foresee the application of self-directed learning in actual practice, as a future teacher I will design a vigorous curriculum plan wherein individual’s attitudes and feelings are addressed and their strengths and weaknesses are reinforced. This is of utmost priority in the field of practice I will be entering into. It is crucial for the teacher to convey the logic of the matter being taught in order to give framework, meaning and punctuality to their lessons. As such, selecting one’s content in teaching is very important in order to foster the learner’s self-regulated capabilities. In addition, it is important to stand aside once the information has been properly delivered; it is imperative that students use the knowledge on their own and share their perspectives regularly with their peers.

Conclusion

Running a successful self-directed learning course means the educator has to take on a new role in the classroom. Instead of relying on the teacher driven paradigm, the instructor now becomes a mediator or facilitator. Many students, who are interested in a self-directed course, are likely to be already informed or have strong opinions on the content. As such, it is important for the “lecture” to become a forum, so that students are able learn, not just from their teacher, but from each other as well: while drawing upon their previous experiences and studies.

References

Barkley, E, F., (2010). Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook for 
    College Faculty, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, Chapter 2, P.9

Nilson, L.B., (2014). The Secret of Self-regulated Learning, Faculty Focus, Higher ED 
     Teaching Strategies from MAGNA Publications Retrieved from:

     http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/secret-self-regulated-
     learning/

Rogers, C., (1961). On Becoming a Person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Rogers, C., (1962). Towards Becoming a Fully Functioning Person. In Perceiving,
     Behaving, Becoming. (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 
     Yearbook). Washington, DC: National Education Association.

Rogers, C., (1969). Freedom to Learn. Columbus, OH: Charles Merrill.

Rogers, C., (1980). A Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Sze-Yeng, F., & Hussian, R. (2010). Self-directed Learning in Socio-Constructivist 
      Learning Environment. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 1913-1917.