COVID-19 has created unprecedented and unique challenges for teaching and learning. We recognize the urgent need for students to become more self-directed and we can benefit from the decades of research on this topic. Two key findings continue to provide hope and guidance for how to develop this in our students.
1. Self directed learning must be explicitly taught and requires time for depth of learning and reflection.
2. We need to plan for regular opportunities for students to control their own learning through new experiences, chances to question, to become more autonomous, and to reflect on their own learning.
If you are interested in growing this capacity in your students, we propose there are three separate and interrelated behaviors that can be instructed, modeled, and supported by teachers and parents.
SELF-MANAGING: making organizational choices for learning;
SELF-MONITORING: regularly examining work to deepen thinking about content and process; and
SELF-MODIFYING: reflecting upon the impact of learning.
We would love to offer a sneak peak at this P&P to clarify each of the three selfies and begin to imagine how to capitalize on small instructional moves to invite your students to observe, practice, and reflect.
If you are interested in receiving the Coaching for Self-Directed Learning P&P free, add it to your cart and use the code, selfiefree!