Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner state that “Self-directed learning as a process of learning, in which people take the primary initiative for planning, carrying out, and evaluating their own learning experiences, has received a great deal of attention in literature” (2007, p.110). Being self-directed in learning is a part of our adult life. Self-directed learning is a learner-centered approach to involve students in the learning process. The article that I chose is “Using Study Plans to Develop Self-Directed Learning Skills: Implications From a Pilot Project” by Fengning Du. This article discusses a pilot project using a study plan as a vehicle to promote self-directing learning in a teacher dominant language program (Du, 2012, p.223). This article uses data sources and student feedback to study the implications on future research and practices.
Fengning Du is an Associate Professor at the Defense Language Institute. Du earned an Ed.D in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia in 2005. Du looks to effective student learning strategies, teacher professional development models and work team dynamics to conduct his research projects. Du’s work has appeared in the Journal of Educational Administration, the Teacher Educator and the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership (Du, 2013).
Review of the Literature
Self-directed learning is primarily used in postsecondary and adult education programs. To be successful in the self-directing process a student should possess skills, competencies and maturity to be successful. Du states six competencies as essential in the process: 1) assessment of learning gaps, 2) evaluation of self and others, 3) reflection, 4) information management, 5) critical thinking, an...
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...ogram supported Knowles six assumptions in learning. The one thing we are all assured of change is imminent and difficult. The changes in the way teachers teach is catching up to the way adults are ready to learn.
Works Cited
Du, Fengning (2013) “Student perspective of Self-directed Language Learning: Implications
For Teaching and Research,” International Journal for the Scholarship of teaching and
Learning: Vol.7: No. 2, Article 24.
Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.gerogiasouthern.edu/ij-sotl/vol7/iss2/24college
Du, F. (2012). Using Study Plans To Develop Self-Directed Learning Skills: Implications From
A Pilot Project. College Student Journal, 46(1), 223-232. Retrieved from Kaplan Library
Merriam, S., Caffarella, R., & Baumgartner, L. (2006). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive
guide (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Leadership training programs allow for teachers to use their professional experience as an educator and combine it with the academic and hands on experience of being a leader by providing a comprehensive program. Leadership “…is learnable by providing real world leadership training” (Ramsey, 2006, p.xx). The training program prepares educators to be leaders and equips them with the tools necessary to be an effective leader. There is a need for an “,,,infusion ...
Tomlinson, C. & Jarvis, J. (2006). Teaching beyond the book. Educational Leadership, ASCD Publication. p 16-21.
Analyze the various processes within each of these three learning theories from a self-regulation perspective and recommend a strategy to use each theory in a professional situation in your specialization of psychology to enhance self-regulated learning.
Learners actively participate in the environment to construct meaning and to reorganize existing knowledge with new knowledge (Perkins, 1992). In this analysis, self-regulation provides a self-initiated action that enables learners to do the following: set goals, regulate one's own effort, to monitor and evaluate existing performance and engage in time management. It is an important feat, as reflected by the various writings in self-regulation (e.g., Corno, 1993, 2001; Graham, Harris, & Troia, 1998; Ley & Young, 2001; Schunk & Zimmerman, 1998), that educators encourage the teaching of self-regulatory skills (see Montalvo & Torres (2004) for detailed analysis; Martínez & De la Fuente, 2004; Villach & Llanos,
David T. Conley, Ph.D. a. The. Education - Leadership -. Vol. 66 No.
Self-directed learning does improve as a person matures. There is a lot of debate on how self-directed learning really affects adult learning. “Self-directed learning appears to be at a juncture in terms of which direction research and theory building should take in order to advance our understanding of this important dimension of adult learning.” (Merriam, 2001, p. 10) Adults going back to college might struggle at first to get back into the habits of studying, writing papers, and etc. At this point in their lives they want to be successful. These adults will be more independent, take control of their learning and be self-directed so they can succeed.
“In its broadest meaning, ’self-directed learning’ describes a process by which individuals take the initiative, with our without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identify human and material resources for learning, choosing and implement appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes.” (Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2011, p. 18)
Learner’s self-concept: The second principle self-concept of the learner relates to autonomy and self-directedness of the
Self-concept of the learner- Adult learners are naturally self- directed which means they will take ownership of what and how to learn and how to manage their time and learning.
Self-directed, or self-planning is the principle means of adult learning because of a variety of reasons (Tough, 1971). The learner knows what the best course of action is, or they would feel losing time by consulting someone else, or they may be more highly skilled than others. The learner decides everything from specific activities of learning to location, time, as well as make the payment. Tough found that most learning projects include four or five other human resources; most of this insight is from friends, neighbors, or acquaintances. The most important resources in this process are television, books, pamphlets, and newspapers. Tough also continues his defining of self-directed learning by discussing how to promote SLD and all of its
York-Barr, J. & K. Duke (2004) what do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two decades of scholarship. Review of educational research 74(3), 255-316.
Another factor considered in this study is the professional development of teachers. Professional development of teachers is a strong factor that enhances teachers’ knowledge and learning. A number of studies have reflected that the said factor is imperative to a positive change of every individual that seeks development professionally.
This report aims at exploring the conception of self-managed learning in the background of a higher education as well as the various benefits it yields to higher education students. The report has incorporated relevant and reliable investigation with the aim of creating a comprehensive image of the various aspects of self-managed learning and its benefits to higher education students. Whereas the various benefits of self-managed learning to higher education students have been acknowledged, the manner in which they can be affectively acquired are poorly understood.
...xplore self-knowledge, self-identity and the developing of our full potential with the view to assisting us to realize our dreams, aspirations and enhancing our quality of life. These self-development programs will help us to become more effective and successful, effectively improve individual and group performance.
Individuals are assumed to learn better when they discover things by themselves and when they control the pace of learning (Leidner & Jarvenpaa, 1995). Therefore, it is natural to expect that self-directed, interactive learning would improve learning outcome.