Self-directed Learning - practice implications for the `teacher'

According to Candy (1991) those helping self-directed learners need to recognise the following features:

• The success of a self-directed learning project depends largely on the extent and type of assistance obtained by individual learners, and on the quality of the personal relationships established between the learner and his or her helper(s).
• The quality of the relationship is a function of the perceptions and expectations of both partners, within a context of shared interests and mutual liking and respect.
• The learner is likely to pass through certain stages or phases in the learning endeavour, and the need for assistance will vary accordingly. In particular, there are times when direct input and subject matter expertise are called for, and other times when the main requirement is for emotional support and encouragement.
• The relationship needs to be viewed as a transitional one that is likely to have a definite end point once the learning project is complete, or when the learner has attained a degree of autonomy with respect to the subject matter being learned.
• The assistant should ideally be a good listener and an effective communicator, capable of helping the learner to clarify and articulate his or her needs and purposes and able to respond to the changing needs of the learner as the learning progresses.
• The assistant needs to avoid interfering with the learner's sense of `ownership' of the learning project, or forcing his or her own point of view onto the learner. However, the assistant might on occasion have to take the initiative by reaching out to the learner if he or she senses that the learner is confused or uncertain about the next step.
• The assistant should help the leaner to identify and overcome potential blocks to learning, and in particular, based on his or her past experience, to point out areas that are likely to prove difficult or demanding.
• The assistant should provide informed, balanced, and helpful feedback when requested to do so by the learner, while at the same time helping the learner to become `self-correcting' and to internalise the evaluative criteria that distinguish an expert from a novice in the domain of learning.

Above all, assistance must be viewed not as a purely technical or functional relationship, but as an act of sharing, marked by warmth, empathy, and authenticity.

• Source: Candy, P.C. (1991) Self-direction for Lifelong Learning, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, p200-201.

These features provide a useful checklist for the 'facilitator' of any self-directed learning environment, whether this be a purpose-designed facility, a student-centred activity, or a worksite development opportunity for general staff. In supporting the Teaching and Learning Centre, the staff of CSD will be cognisant of these features in our interaction with people using the facility. Please visit the Centre. You will be made welcome and provided with appropriate assistance to best meet your needs.

Owen Hicks
Director
Centre for Staff Development