Self-Directed Learning

We often think about self-directed learning as appropriate for adults or older children, but a report in the Manchester Evening News describes a nursery school where the entire program is rooted in providing the young […]

One of the questions that arises in discussions of self-directed learning is how such an approach might be used with younger students who may benefit from guidance. Teachers in traditional schools do provide direction, but […]

To engage fully in self-directed learning activities learners must have access to vast quantities of high quality learning resources and opportunities. The digital revolution has contributed to enormous advances in making learning resources available to […]

In an essay available in the the Informal Education Archives (INFED), Stephen Brookfield examines two important characteristics of self-directed learning: authentic control for the learner and access to social conditions that make learning resources truly […]

A global survey of learners sponsored by Pearson and conducted by The Harris Poll has identified a number of key trends regarding attitudes toward education. While learners world wide believe that education will continue to […]

It is always helpful to see examples of individuals who have pursued their own learning to achieve a particular goal. Rahul Agarwal has presented such an example as he details the various activities that led […]

In a nice series of posts on Softchalk Dennis Sale offers guidance on how teachers might operate to lead students to become self-directed learners. Each of the five posts highlights important steps along the way […]

While proponents of self-directed learning understand that learning is taking place literally everywhere under all sorts of circumstances, they also know that the quality of self-directed learning can be enhanced with appropriate scaffolding. Such scaffolding […]