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Teaching Multi-Grade Classes: Topic 13. Self-Directed Learning Strategy

Self-directed learning is a strategy that encourages students to take initiative in their education by setting goals and following personalized learning plans at their own pace. This motivates students to become more engaged and take responsibility for their learning, while also developing skills like self-monitoring that will help them succeed. Implementing self-directed learning requires teachers to be flexible and pass more responsibilities to students. Teachers should observe students' cognitive and behavioral traits to determine who is ready for self-directed learning. While self-directed students free up teacher time, all students benefit as weaker students receive more guidance. Careful planning and monitoring helps teachers avoid issues while still providing support to students.

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2K views

Teaching Multi-Grade Classes: Topic 13. Self-Directed Learning Strategy

Self-directed learning is a strategy that encourages students to take initiative in their education by setting goals and following personalized learning plans at their own pace. This motivates students to become more engaged and take responsibility for their learning, while also developing skills like self-monitoring that will help them succeed. Implementing self-directed learning requires teachers to be flexible and pass more responsibilities to students. Teachers should observe students' cognitive and behavioral traits to determine who is ready for self-directed learning. While self-directed students free up teacher time, all students benefit as weaker students receive more guidance. Careful planning and monitoring helps teachers avoid issues while still providing support to students.

Uploaded by

Maricel Viloria
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TEACHING MULTI-GRADE CLASSES

Topic 13. Self-Directed Learning Strategy

Self-directed learning refers to establishing teaching and learning conditions targeting to meet the
needs of the individual. In self-directed learning students are in a degree in charge of their own learning. They
have the chance to follow the curriculum adjusted to their own needs, evolve in their own pace and take
initiatives for learning.

Benefits of the method

Self-directed learning is strategy that encourages children to take initiatives, set their own goals for
learning and follow personal instructional and planning strategies. The above characteristics motivate
students to get more engaged with the learning procedure and become more efficient in the class. Students
becoming more responsible on their educational tasks and feel commitment to reach the goals they have
set. In addition, they are willing to explore and try new things. They are becoming more open-minded
students and more oriented on achieving goals and prove that they are trustworthy to take in charge of their
own learning. In general, good practice of self-directed learning allows students to develop skills and
strategies that will help them to become more efficient and responsible and improve their school
performance and social behavior.

Implementing self-directed learning

Self-directed learning requires changing a lot of the stereotype views teachers process about their
students the class and how the lesson should be conducted. Teachers have to be open minded, flexible on
planning and implementing teaching activities and they have to be ready to pass responsibilities and trust
their students. Although research on implementing self-directed learning in primary education is not
extensive and is focusing on single graded classes there are results that can be generalized and be successful
in multigrade practice as well.

For example, for a teacher who would like to use the method in his class, either single grade or
multigrade, the starting point should be always the same; to observe the behavioral characteristics of his
students.

You can observe behavioral characteristics of your students focusing on two main aspects, on
cognitive and general behavior of the student in the class. Cognitive behavior refers mainly to characteristics
like comprehension, self-monitoring, self-questioning and testing mechanisms, spotting essential
information and ability to elaborate and integrate knowledge. In the sense of general behavioral
characteristics, you can focus on spotting how students managing their time and resources in class, how they
organize their work and proceed with tasks and subject assignments.

It becomes apparent that the students who have developed the above characteristics in a sufficient
level are your candidates to be self-directed. In other words, a self-directed student is usually a good student
as well. By creating appropriate conditions in your class, you can motivate students that do not have the
characteristics to be self-directed initially to develop similar such skills with the time.

Self-directed learning is beneficial for all the students irrespective to they are self-directed or not.
The existence of self-directed students in a class gives the opportunity to teachers to save time for weaker
students that need additional guidance and better supervising. This redistribution of learning time is
beneficial for the class at the end.

As always on the implementation of a teaching method there are implications but careful planning
and continuous monitoring can help teacher to avoid problematic situations. After all self-directed learning
doesn’t mean that children take one hundred percent in charge of their learning. The teacher is still there to
guide students, monitor their progress and make any necessary adjustments to safeguard positive results.
Academic goals that are set for students should be structured and challenging but achievable. Students
should feel that are self-directed but supported when necessary by their teachers and are engaged in
activities that they can finally manage. Students should follow a self-directed programmed that is not very
easy so they do not get bored, while in parallel it is not so difficult to frustrate them.

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