{"id":60328,"date":"2020-10-16T19:53:02","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T19:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/?p=60328"},"modified":"2020-10-16T19:53:04","modified_gmt":"2020-10-16T19:53:04","slug":"the-importance-of-self-directed-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/preparing\/the-importance-of-self-directed-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Self-Directed Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many successful, high-achieving students share one quality: the capacity to learn on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether they’re independent research scientists, self-taught artists, or simply curious young minds, these students are proficient in self-directed learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We encourage all of our students, wherever they are at in the college admissions process, to reflect on the importance of independent learning–and to think of ways they can incorporate it into their schedules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Self-Directed Learning?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The term can mean different things to different people, but, generally speaking, self-directed learning is a pedagogic approach in which students largely steer their own education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might say that they follow their curiosity by deciding what they want to learn and determining how to best acquire that knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA self-directed learner is a person who takes responsibility for their education, for their attainment of knowledge, and their development of mastery,\u201d writes David Handel<\/a>, a retired physician and creator of flashcard software company IDoRecall, who frequently discusses learning topics on Medium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are capable of determining not only what they want to learn; they can determine what they need to learn. They can recognize gaps in their knowledge and then develop plans to narrow the gaps. Finally, they execute on those plans and acquire the missing knowledge.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a Self-Directed Learner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But how does one become a self-directed learner? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handel, who describes himself as having been a \u201cmediocre student\u201d throughout grade and high school, argues that the most important skills for self-directed learners to develop are \u201clearning how to learn,\u201d and from there, the ability to exercise metacognition, or \u201cthinking about your thinking.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-directed learners are able to think critically about their own learning: They can recognize the gaps in their own knowledge, or as the expression goes, \u201cknow what they don\u2019t know.\u201d And, in filling in these gaps, they\u2019re also able to periodically step back and assess the approach they\u2019ve been taking, identify any shortcomings, and adjust or revamp it accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metacognition, writes Handel, is \u201ca supervisory kind of thinking and not at all passive. It is the act of observing your cognition and interrogating your thinking. This prevents your everyday cognition from accepting and filing away to memory inputs from the external world that may be misinformed or outright bogus.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are the skills that help student distinguish credible sources from bogus ones \u2014 a crucial life skill these days, when the internet is awash with misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, like anything, self-directed learning still benefits from a certain amount of structure. Creating a learning plan with a schedule, concrete goals and deadlines, and perhaps even a budget, will help learners push themselves toward a deeper level of knowledge than, say, that of a mere hobbyist. It will also help learners know when they\u2019re making progress, which in turn will deliver a sense of satisfaction that encourages them to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One method that might help with planning is to find existing lesson plans around a topic you\u2019re interested in studying. Many professors share their course syllabi online, so browse around \u2014 chances are high someone has already done the work of structuring out a learning plan for you, though obviously, you can tailor their timelines to better match your own preferred pace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another useful resource is the the Cutting Edge Course Design Tutorial <\/a>by Barbara J. Tewksburg and R. Heather Macdonald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-Directed Learning Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Happily, there are a great deal of free ebooks, academic journals, online courses, etc. available online that may help in your educational journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are just a few:<\/p>\n\n\n\n