[11 January 2011]
Independent learning: some ideas from the literature
Independent study is a process, a method and a philosophy of education whereby a learner acquires knowledge by his or her own efforts and develops the ability for enquiry and critical evaluation
Terms:- Independent learning
- Self-directed learning
- Autonomous learning
A goal and a process
- Independent learning can be both a goal and a process: a method of learning and a characteristic of learners (present in varying degrees)
- Educators can adapt strategies to different levels of independence or self-directedness
- Includes freedom of choice in determining objectives within the limits of a given project
Gains for the learner
- Ability to respond to change
- Transferrable skills
- Allows for different learning styles - learner can use own judgment about how best to learn
- Self-direction is motivating and leads to higher order thinking
- The excitement and pleasure of independent learning will carry over to the subject itself
- Mirrors ‘natural’ learning in the rest of life
Losses for the learner
- The educational system might not be designed for independent learning
- Carl Rogers said that only 1/3 or 1/4 of students are self-directing; the rest do just what they are supposed to do
- Too little (as well as too much) direction can cause frustrations for the learner
- Students can lack the necessary knowledge in the subject matter to make a beginning
- Students might have very specific expectations about the degree of direction that should be provided by the teacher
Challenge for the educator
It is a challenge to provide the correct amount of guidance without providing too much direction. Direction is needed to help learners identify areas of difficulty but too much direction detracts from their sense of ownership of the learning project.Success at university is associated with:
- Personal confidence and feelings of competence as a learner
- Hopeful, realistic view of future occupational and social roles
- Emotional stability
- Tendency to introversion
- Relative independence from teachers
- Tacit acceptance of extra-curricular work demands
Failure can be associated with:
- Learning anxiety
- Overdependence on teachers and significant others
Differences in learning styles
The idea that people learn in different ways has been explored over the last few decades. Kolb found that individuals begin with their preferred style in the experiential learning cycle.Honey and Mumford (1992), building on Kolb’s work, identified four learning styles:
- Activist (enjoys the experience itself),
- Reflector (spends a great deal of time and effort reflecting)
- Theorist (good at making connections and abstracting ideas from experience)
Students and autonomous learning:
- Set their own learning aims
- Make choices over learning modes
- Plan and organise work
- Decide when best to work alone, work collaboratively and when to seek advice
- Learn through experience
- Identify and solve problems
- Think creatively
- Communicate effectively orally and in writing
- Assess their own progress in respect of their aims
Teachers and autonomous learning:
- Life-cycle theory of leadership applied to teaching (encouraging the development of independence)
- Teacher gradually reduces direction and support as the learner increases in maturity and confidence.
- Learn effective information retrieval (especially use of libraries)
- Plan a balanced life (study, fun, other pressures)
- Discover own learning purposes and learning style
- Learn ways to smooth the adjustment from school (dependent learning) to university (independent learning) - from knowing and remembering to analysing and researching
- Learn how to ask complex questions
- Learn how to pursue own questions in formal education
