Learning—in the broadest sense—occurs when a person acquires new behaviors, skills, or knowledge. People are constantly learning – even when they aren’t aware they are learning.
Even sea slugs learn.
But college students aren’t sea slugs. They have the ability to self-direct their learning. They have the ability to exert conscious control over their lives and how they learn.
So, how can we help students self-direct their learning?
I aspire to promote meaningful, self-directed learning.
Below are my three broad teaching goals that align with my overarching purpose of facilitating meaningful, self-directed learning.
Three inter-related goals serve this larger purpose of helping students self-direct their learning experience. Self-directed learning is fueled by intrinsic (internal) motivation, but it also requires self-reflection and a willingness to broaden one’s context.
1. Encourage Intrinsic Motivation
When asked why they’re in college, students will sometimes answer, “to get a job.” This is a perfectly fine answer, but it is important to explore the deeper needs and motivations underlying the need “to get a job.” Careers and jobs can fulfill many needs–a way to make money, a way to feel secure, a way of express ourselves, a way to help people, a way to make a difference in the world, a way to exert influence and power—just to name a few.
In line with the work of self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2001), meaningful self-directed learning means nurturing students’ intrinsic needs such as being connected to others (relatedness), feeling good at things (competence), and feeling free to make decisions about one’s life (autonomy). When I was in fifth grade I would often challenge my teacher (Mrs. Mink) with difficult science questions. Instead of shutting down my curiosity she would tell me, “Why don’t you go to the library, try to find the answer, and tell us what you find?” This ignited my curiosity further. My overarching hope is that my teaching can provide students with an experience of autotelic (enjoyable for its own sake) academic experience, where the projects they work on allow them to ask questions they are curious about.
2. Encourage Self-Reflection
Self-reflection—thinking about one’s values, motivations, and beliefs—helps articulate and guide learning. When students are in the process of knowing themselves they are better able to self-direct their learning. Psychology is unique among academic disciplines because its subject matter—the mind and human behavior—is so well suited to self-reflection.
Students often have a hard time remembering information they do not find personally relevant. Therefore, it is my responsibility to create an academic space where students can make psychology personally relevant. Creating a safe space where self-reflection can enhance learning can occur, and it requires connecting with students individually, promoting interaction in class, and providing assignments and class discussions that allow students to explore their observations and understanding of psychological phenomena. My overarching hope is that my teaching can provide students with an opportunity to better understand themselves, so the material is personally relevant and applicable.
3. Broaden Students’ Context
An essential aspect of self-directed learning is intentionally encountering perspectives that differ from one’s own. Peoples’ contexts are always bounded by their experiences, and being open to diverse perspectives expands a learner’s context. The world becomes “bigger” in a sense. Indeed, self-reflection and implicit motivation without broadening one’s context can lead to stagnation and insularity. Students can reflect all day long about their love and admiration for McDonald’s because they are unaware of the glory of Portillo’s.
I believe that broadening students’ contexts involves two important movements. First, it is important to validate and bolster a student’s sense of who they are before exposing them to information that might threaten their identity. This helpers students be more open to the potential value and perspectives that these diverse aspects bring. Second, broadening students’ context is best done in a dialectic process. Integrating and accommodating new information requires a back-and-forth sort of dialogue. this takes time, and it requires good listening. Students need to be able to dialogue with the new perspective rather than just be expected to automatically accept new ideas.