Self-Directed Learning and Acquiring Intelligence - Research Paper Example

? Literature Search: Self-Directed Learning Most scholars spend significant time seeking learning skills and acquiring intelligence. The rapid nature of change, the continuous invention of knowledge, and an ever-augmenting access to intelligence make those acquisitions necessary. This learning occurs at the scholar’s interest, even if available formally. Researchers in this area call this initiative self-directed learning. Essentially, this mode of learning is a study form where individuals hold the basic responsibility for planning, initiating, and assessing the effort. Most learners proclaim a profound preference for assuming this responsibility whenever probable. Scholarship, interest and ardent research in self-directed learning (SDL) have exploded around the globe in the past and contemporary epoch. Meager topics have demanded more attention from adult educators than SDL, articles, books and conferences inclusive. Additionally, numerous programs, resources and activities for facilitating SDL have come up. Such include support groups, open programs in universities, computer-aided learning and learning contracts in the package. This explication examines previous researchers’ viewpoints regarding this field of learning. Numerous scholars have defined SDL in a number of ways. In SDL individual scholars have the initiative to take augmenting responsibility for decisions relating to their learning endeavors. It is a continuum that is existent in every person at varying degrees. SDL does not mean that all learning occurs in isolation from other learners. Learners in this fashion are apt to transfer learning in form of skill and knowledge, from a situation to another (Hiemstra, 2000). This study may inculcate resources and activities, such as studying in groups, self-guided study, internships and reflective writing. Teachers have a paramount role in SDL because they evaluate outcomes, secure resources, talk with learners and promote critical reading for students. Numerous learning institutions are initiating ways to support SDL through promotion of open-studying programs, availing individual study, and offering non-traditional courses. Most societies highly value schooling and formal education. Numerous policy-makers, employers, citizens and employers find it intricate to place value on SDL approaches that are outside the formal fashion. Adult educators have explained how SDL efforts, non-traditional learning and distance studying can conquer challenges related to keeping current on rapidly changing knowledge (Ruvinsky, 2003). SDL researchers have defied the assumption that adult learning can only occur in the availability of accredited tutors. Various researchers have demonstrated that offering some learning responsibilities to learners in numerous instances is beneficial to other approaches. In any workplace, employees with tight schedules can acquire necessary skills at their comfort via self-study. Some technical workers in organizations who ought to rapidly upgrade their intelligence can procure new information via an individualized resource entity. SDL works because most adults succeed as self-controlled learners where they would not, given personal responsibility for learning decisions were impossible (Knowles, 2001). Some thrive in ways thought impossible when they discover how to take individual responsibility. Future learners will have to become self-controlled throughout their lives for them to cope with the huge amount of information available. Meager contemporary study in the field of SDL is available. Traditionally, the benefits of permitting learners to discover the world and acquire lessons on what they have to know are honorable. Tribal societies educated their offspring via permitting them to participate in the events with other learners of their age and adults. They would not isolate and teach them the required skills (Hiemstra, 2000). Presently, there exists a developing tally of USA citizens opting to trail the same track through un-schooling approaches. Un-schooling is consenting learners as much autonomy in the learning world as probable. This method is advantageous in that it does not dictate that the parent must be a professional instructor who shares knowledge into learners on a schedule. Instead, the learners live with their guardian and they learn together, pursue queries and concerns as they come up and manipulating conservative instruction on a demand fashion. Most schools embrace such concepts such as offering free education, operating as democratic schools, all of whom apply SDL as their learning method. (Ruvinsky, 2003)While it may be intricate comparing learners who control their individual scholarship with those who study in organized institutions and prospectus-run schooling settings, there exists various studies that depict the numerous advantages of SDL (Knowles, 2001). Learners who direct all their scholarship appear to perform well educationally, are imaginative, and possess good communal skills and constructive esteem regarding school. SDL and un-schooling have presently captured the mainstream media’s attention. The NYT magazine lately featured an article that depicted home schoolers’ preference. The article describes a normal un-schooling scenario, where a household of several kids observes its welfare and plans its schedule accordingly. The article postulates that those people without experience of such a model respond for the initial time in an interview. Some confess how it is unclear for them on how they can transition to a structured education and fulfill their fundamental requirements for math, reading and writing. Parents may strongly shield their decision to school their families as they deem good, and the advantages of allowing their children to control their learning. Some critical comments conclude that such parents are not minding their children’s’ future and that such children may not be apt to hold their future jobs. Regardless of public viewpoints, the scanty research available depicts that positive rewards emanate from allowing learners the mandate to control their learning. According to a research by a school in Massachusetts concerning their graduates, graduates with the SDL approach were not only able to stick to their jobs, but sought jobs that were both rewarding and challenging. According to Greenberg et al (2005), the magnanimous percentage of interviewees who do entrepreneurial work, and those holding management ranks, attests to the degree to which challenges, inventiveness and perpetual motivation are a core parcel of their lives. Students’ experiences in school are relevant to this explication. Lilliard et al (2006) compared both social, attitude and academic scores of learners in a public program in Montessori with those scores of learners who entered the program via a lottery system, but did not qualify. Lilliard et al (2006) discovered that the learners in the Montessori program outscored their counterparts on math, word decoding and word identification. They were also able to reason well in tests about the solving of social quandaries. Such children also shared their experiences about school as being positive. Wolk (2001) espouses other benefits of SDL that are less tangible. He explores the advantages of exploratory time that refers to an additional hour in an entire day when learners can explore other projects and topics of their own choice. Such an advantage confers a love for studying and inspires meaningful learning via intrinsic motivation. It creates a diverse community of scholars, promotes creativity, upgrades self-esteem and appreciates uniqueness. Wolk advises that instructors offer approximately twenty percent of the entire study time to learners for them to realize those advantages. He declares that giving trust to a learner is vital. He recommends teachers to avail enough time in which SDL can successfully blend with traditional class practices. Student motivation is yet another element of SDL in any school environment. Linda (1999) states that failure to offer learners the responsibility and decision kills their enthusiasm and decreases their degree of obligation to each other and the learning surroundings. While this book does not tacitly focus on SDL, Linda lists various factors that instill an effect on student motivation, which include autonomy and task meaningfulness. Like other human beings, learners ought to possess control over activities that they pursue and the time they should participate in them. Rathunde et al (2005) held an extensive study regarding Montessori students that proved motivation and autonomy as pertinent factors to consider when encouraging SDL. Montessori learners reported ardent support from teachers and had a positive view of the learning environment than their peers. John Holt (1967) has written extensively regarding the pertinence of self-directed learning. Both have written various books regarding the topic. His work encompasses the conflict between the innate learning processes and the traditional school setting. His books depict views that coincide with other researchers’ views explicated in this work. They both press for the encouragement of self-directed learning in the traditional school environment to promote the culture of excellence, responsibility, uniqueness and knowledge of social virtues and advantage in the job market. References Farenga, P. (2005). Teach Your Own: The John Holt Book of Unschooling. New York, NY: Perseus Publishing. Greenberg, D., Sadofsky, M., &Lempka, J. (2005).Pursuit of Hapiness: The lives of Sudbury Valley Alumni. Sudbury Valley, MA: Sudbury Valley School Press. Hiemstra, R. (2000). Individualizing Instruction: Making Learning Personal, Empowering, and Knowles, M. (2001).Self-directed Learning: A Guide for Learners and Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge Book Co. Lillard, A., & Else-Quest, N. (2006). Evaluating Montessori Education. Science, 313, 1893-1894. Linda, L. (1999). Student Motivation: Cultivating a Love of Learning. Eugene, OR: Eric Clearinghouse on Education Management. Ruvinsky, L. (2003). Activeness and self-education. Moscow: Progress Publishers. Successful. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Wolk, S. (2001).The Benefit of Explatory Time. Educational Leadership, 59, 56-59. Read More