Unlocking the Secrets of Self-Directed Learning: Insights from The Forest School
By Dr. Caleb Collier, Director of the Institute for Self Directed Learning and co-founder of The Forest School
Research by Dr. Caleb Collier and Trey Lackey, Apprentice Guide at The Forest School
High schoolers at The Forest School work in a mastery-based, self paced environment.
A major shift is underway in education. According to the Purpose of Education Index from Populace, the vast majority of Americans (71%) believe that more things about the educational system should change than stay the same. Another recent national survey indicated that 74% of respondents were interested in pursuing self-directed education environments.
In today's ever-evolving educational landscape, the concept of self-directed learning is gaining traction as an innovative approach to nurturing independent and motivated learners. The Forest School, a learner-centered micro-school in Trilith, Georgia, is at the forefront of this movement, providing an environment where students take the reins of their education. The Forest School serves as a lab school, an environment where we as education designers can tinker and innovate in a learner-centered environment. Our research organization, The Institute for Self-Directed Learning, aims to study and learn from learners at the lab school and to share our findings with the broader community of learner-centered school leaders.
In a previous project, we identified the “pathway” to becoming a self-directed learner. Then, we conducted a survey with our learners to help them reflect deeply on their progress in self-direction. A key finding from the survey was that 50% of students reported that they lacked a routine or strategy for successfully completing their learning projects. This finding prompted us to dive deeper into the dynamics of self-directed learning and understand the routines and structures that learners utilize to complete their learning goals. To get at this deeper understanding, we launched a months-long research project with those learners at The Forest School who had a strategy/routine in place to support them in their learning.
In this report, we'll explore the strategies employed by this subset of learners at The Forest School who have found the keys to navigating self-directed learning successfully. By sharing their insights, we hope to shed light on the various tools, habits, and mindsets that young people can cultivate to help them guide their own learning. Though we are compiling these findings as researchers, we want to emphasize that these “pro tips” for self-directed learning came from the learners themselves!
The Idea in Brief
For those of you that might not have the time to delve into this entire report, we’ve synthesized the highlights. Half of the learners at The Forest School said that they didn’t have strategies or routines to see a project through to completion. We interviewed the 50% that answered yes, they do have routines to discover what their strategies and habits are. From these interviews, we identified 19 “pro tips” from these learners that fit into four categories:
Learning Through Relationships
Pro tip #1: Make your goals known to at least one other person, get their feedback, and ask them to hold you accountable.
Pro tip #2: Learn how to ask for help!
Pro tip #3: Share the wealth!
Pro tip #4: Make your goals known to the caring adults in your life.
Pro tip #5: Intentionally build, maintain, and utilize your social capital.
Pro tip #6: Learn from the authority figures in your life.
Pro tip #7: Your learning is on you.
Pro tip #8: Cultivate a culture of deep learning by holding others accountable to high standards.
Learning Through Experience
Pro tip #9: Build your research skills so that you can find out how to do anything.
Pro tip #10: Learn from natural consequences (especially frustration!).
Pro tip #11: Discover how you like to learn and experiment with productivity strategies to find the ones that work for you!
Learning Through the Environment
Pro tip #12: Know how to win the game.
Pro tip #13: Make wise choices about where, when, and with whom you work.
Pro tip #14: You’re always changing, so your learning strategies will too.
Learning Through Routine
Pro tip #15: Create a routine of goal setting and be consistent.
Pro tip #16: Aim small, miss small.
Pro tip #17: Keep your eyes on the prize (and readjust as needed!).
Pro tip #18: Build routines that take care of your mind, body, and spirit.
Pro tip #19: You need a system to take notes, memorize information, reflect on what you already know, and build onto your existing knowledge.
Read on for more details.
The Full Report
We talked to 33 learners, 21 from our in-person school and 12 from The Forest School Online, ranging from 3rd to 12th grade. These interviews lasted around 15 minutes on average, and were recorded and later transcribed. We analyzed the transcripts using an approach called thematic analysis, in which words and phrases are “coded” (i.e., categorized) and organized into relevant themes. In the next section, we’ll walk through these findings. We’ve included the interview questions in an appendix at the end of this report.
Findings
As we analyzed the interview transcripts, four major themes emerged. The first could be labeled learning through relationships, and includes strategies of learning from peers, parents, experts, and mentors. The second theme is learning through experience, covering strategies related to trial-and-error, research, exploration of resources, experiencing frustration, encountering productive struggle, and living with learning differences. The third theme is categorized as learning through the environment and incorporates the multiple roles that the setting itself plays in the strategies that learners employ. The fourth theme that emerged from these conversations is learning through routine, and includes regular rhythms and habits learners employ. In this section, we’ll highlight each of these themes in turn, listing in each real, concrete strategies that these learners use to direct their own learning.
Learning Through Relationships
A common misconception of self-directed learning is that it is something that you do alone, on your own, without input, feedback, or collaboration with others. Learning is by nature relational. Humans learn from other humans. As babies and young people, we observe and mimic. As we get older, we inquire and converse. We explore resources created by others—books, videos, and exemplars. We learn in community, from our parents, mentors, peers, and experts we meet along the way.
So, it is not surprising that a prevailing theme from our interviews was learning through relationships. The learners we interviewed had a lot of strategies on tapping their networks in order to see a project through to completion.
Phone a friend. The majority of those interviewed said they regularly turn to peers for support. Peers can be tapped at any point in the process. Most interviewees indicated that they regularly set learning goals with a peer. One commented: “I’ve heavily recommended setting weekly goals to people…Bring one other person in. It helps to have at least one other person you can talk about your goals with.” So, the first pro tip from our learners: make your goals known to at least one other person, get their feedback, and ask them to hold you accountable.
Beyond goal setting and basic accountability, peers are a huge resource for learning how to do anything. When asked what their process is when they feel stuck on a math problem or writing assignment, most said they would take it to a friend. Important, though, is that this is a learned habit. One person said, “I came to this about a year ago. I had a feeling of pride that ‘I should be able to do these things, I’m supposed to be the math person.’ But I’m here to learn so it’s okay to ask for help if that’s what I need in order to learn.” Pro tip number two: learn how to ask for help! Most learners said it took trial and error to learn who to ask for help with what kind of work. Eventually, though, they figured it out.
The flip side of peer relationships is also true: other people can learn from you! This was an interesting finding in the interviews. When asked if they shared their learning strategies with other people, just about every person said no. “I just keep it to myself,” someone said. “It might not work for other people, even if it works for me.” We as researchers learned a valuable lesson from these interviews: there is a wealth of wisdom being hoarded in our school! Which brings us to the next pro tip: share the wealth! Learners need to share what they know, both in their skills and knowledge (are they a math wiz, history buff, or wordsmith?), but also in their learning strategies. If they find a routine or habit that is helping them crush their goals, then they need to be empowered to share that knowledge with others.
In summary, the “phone a friend” strategies include:
Pro tip #1: Make your goals known to at least one other person, get their feedback, and ask them to hold you accountable.
Pro tip #2: Learn how to ask for help!
Pro tip #3: Share the wealth!
With these strategies in mind, here are helpful questions to guide learners: Who are you setting goals with consistently? How are they holding you accountable to meeting your goals? Do you feel comfortable asking for help? Who can you go to if you need support? Who among your peers has a routine/strategy worth trying? What knowledge, skills, and routines do you have that you can share with others?
Seek mentors, guides, and experts. Another key set of relationships for learners are the caring adults in their networks. Like peers, these resources can be tapped at any stage of the learning journey. Many learners interviewed said that they include parents (and sometimes educators) in their weekly goal setting. This added layer of support and accountability helps them stay on track with their learning goals. Pro tip number four: make your goals known to the caring adults in your life.
In addition to helping learners set and assess goals, a robust network of mentors can help a learner learn anything. When asked what strategy they had if they encountered writer’s block or an assignment they didn’t know how to begin, one learner answered, “My first thought is who knows about this? Who’s experienced at this? How can they help me?” This is the strength of social capital, the strength and breadth of a person’s social network. Which leads to the next pro tip: intentionally build, maintain, and utilize your social capital.
In addition to building and utilizing their social networks, another strategy involves being open to learning from authority figures. Many learners indicated discussing strategies and obstacles with parents. One learner said that their strategies and routines were influenced by a coach in their life. Multiple learners mentioned utilizing their educators (“guides”) and maximizing the periodic “check-ins” they had together by coming to those meetings prepared with questions, wonderings, potential road maps, etc. The pro tip? Learn from the authority figures in your life.
So, the “seek mentors, guides, and experts” strategies are:
Pro tip #4: Make your goals known to the caring adults in your life.
Pro tip #5: Intentionally build, maintain, and utilize your social capital.
Pro tip #6: Learn from the authority figures in your life.
Some helpful questions to guide learners: Who is your Dream Team (the most supportive caring adults in your life)? How often do you set goals with your parents? How do you build and keep track of your social capital? How confident are you in finding experts you can ask for advice? What authority figures exist in your life that you can learn from? How open are you to receiving advice? How can you best take advantage of the routines (like check-ins) and the mentors (like Guides) that already exist in your life?
Feel the pressure. Traditional schools can be pressure cookers, with students feeling an anxiety-inducing amount of stress around grades, tests, and social relationships. This, it should be said, is not a healthy learning environment. However, something interesting emerged from these interviews with learners: they needed to feel pressure, from peers, parents, and mentors, in order to fully engage with their learning. They also needed to feel empowered to apply positive pressure to their peers in order to build a strong culture in their Studios.
That leads us to the next pro tip: your learning is on you. That might sound like a given in a learner-led environment. The reason it’s a strategy, though, and the reason why we’ve put it in the category of “learning through relationships” is this: it can be easy to hand off responsibility to others. Many learners found that they were shifting the weight of their learning to peers, tutors, parents, or educators instead of owning it themselves. A strategy for self-direction is to take responsibility, and then make it known to your peers and caring adults that you know that the responsibility is yours.
The flip side: hold others accountable. Especially in collaborative group projects. One learner said: “If my teammates aren’t working in the group then I don’t really have a tolerance for that so I’ll point it out to them.” This type of peer pressure is necessary in building a strong learning culture. This strategy is more of a leadership quality, a way of making your work better by holding others accountable for theirs. Deep learning is contagious. Another learner said: “ I thought that I worked better at home. But that’s not true, I definitely need a space for collaboration. If other people are working towards their goals in the same room, that makes me feel like I need to work too.” So, the pro tip: cultivate a culture of deep learning by holding others accountable to high standards.
To recap, there are two strategies under peer pressure:
Pro tip #7: Your learning is on you.
Pro tip #8: Cultivate a culture of deep learning by holding others accountable to high standards.
Prompts for learners: Who is responsible for setting and meeting your goals? How do you talk about your progress with the caring adults in your life? Are they aware of what you need to do, how you need to do it, and when you need to do it? How do you hold your peers accountable to maintaining a learning culture?
Learning Through Experience
In the last section, we highlighted how young people learn through relationships, utilizing strategies that “tap” their networks of peers, experts, and caring adults. Another theme that emerged from the interviews is that learners learn by doing. They experiment, try things out. They explore and research. They make mistakes and learn from them. We’re calling this bucket of strategies learning through experience and we’ll march through these pro tips below.
Exploration. A key difference between learner-led and teacher-led environments: in one, teachers are seen as the holders of knowledge, content, and resources; in the other, learners are positioned to find and explore resources on their own. When we asked learners how they landed on the particular routines they use, one said, “I read a few books about learning strategies.” That was a young person who took it upon themselves to research learning science and try it out for themselves. When it comes to skills and content, these learners all did similar things. Research. Watch videos. Tap the near-infinite resource that is the internet. One person said, for math in particular: “For Algebra 2, I’d start with the videos on Khan Academy. If I still couldn’t get it, I’d move to YouTube.” The pro tip? Build your research skills so that you can find out how to do anything. Most learners indicated that they have four, five, or more places to look for resources before they decide they are stuck.
Trial and Error. When we asked about how they landed on the particular learning strategy they use, one learner said: “I created some other ideas and tried them and didn’t like them. I would rotate through different things.” This is a tried and true pro tip: try it out and learn from whatever happens. When stuck on math, writing, science, or history, the learners we interviewed echoed over and over again: just try something. Anything. Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn’t. Either way, through trying (and sometimes erring), learning is happening. The inertia is broken. A lot of learners put this as number two in their process. First, they’d research. Then they would try on their own. Then, if they still couldn’t get it, they would turn to tapping their networks using the pro tips highlighted above.
Moving Through Frustration. Related to trial and error, but different in important ways, many interviewees identified experiencing frustration as a key “lightbulb moment” in their learning journey. One learner said they used to try multi-tasking, but ended up with lots of unfinished tasks. Now they work to knock out their goals one at a time. Another said: “Don’t put things off for another time if you can do them right now. If you keep doing that it’ll just pile up and you’ll get behind and frustrated. Don’t play around.” Another said, “working on my own didn’t turn out well.” They needed other people. Many said that they had to experience the frustration of not being able figure it out on their own before they realized how to ask for help (see the pro tips in the “learning through relationships” section). Also, the frustration of being behind, not moving as quickly as they wanted, was a massive motivator to learners to rethink their strategies. The pro tip: learn from natural consequences. If you’re feeling pressure from constantly putting off your work: stop doing that! If you get critical feedback from peers or work partners: listen and learn. Experiencing frustration can be a key for taking stock of where you are, making necessary adjustments, and pivoting in your work. If you don’t let yourself feel and learn from the frustration, you’re bound to keep repeating the pattern.
Know Thyself. Another key part of learning through experience is discovering who you are and how you learn best. One learner said they looked at various pacing recommendations for one of their AP courses and they didn’t seem adaptable. “So I found resources online,” they said, “and adapted them to my own needs.” Many learners said that if they’re interested in a topic, then it’s much easier to learn (which connects to our previous research on the pathways of self-directed learning). When asked about their strategies, many learners had to think about when, how, and why they developed their pro tips. “I wouldn’t call it a strategy,” one said. “It’s just something that works for me.” They went on to say: “I feel like it’s kind of natural.” Over and over again, the sentiment was repeated in the interviews: everyone’s different; what works for you might not work for someone else. So, the pro tip is: discover how you like to learn and experiment with productivity strategies to find the ones that work for you!
To summarize, here are the pro tips for “learning through experience”:
Pro tip #9: Build your research skills so that you can find out how to do anything.
Pro tip #10: Learn from natural consequences (especially frustration!).
Pro tip #11: Discover how you like to learn and experiment with productivity strategies to find the ones that work for you!
Questions for learners: What resources do you turn to when you’re stumped? Do you have resources for each subject? Do you currently feel frustrated in any of your work? What do you do when you’re so frustrated that you feel like giving up? What can you change in the way you work to make it less stressful? What supports might you need from parents, educators, or peers? Have you found a work rhythm that works for you? What productivity strategies or hacks have you tried? Are you open to experimenting with different learning strategies?
Learning Through the Environment
The next bucket of strategies address environmental factors in learning. When discussing environment, three key categories emerged from the interviews: the setting of learning (meaning the school environment), the setting within the setting (meaning the direct learning environment), and the stage of life (meaning developmentally appropriate strategies over time). We’ll unpack these one at a time.
The Setting. Many learners identified school setting as a key learning moment in building their strategies. One learner said: “When I was younger and in public school, I was pretty much okay with my learning strategies the majority of the time because I was in elementary school and the material wasn’t very difficult. But public school is different than here.” A change in environment caused them to confront their strategies and they discovered that they needed new ones. Many learners pointed to changing school environments as a watershed moment in creating their learning strategies. This is especially true for learners that were excelling in traditional school. One said, “I was in a different school in earlier grades, but I was getting decent grades. I got an A in most classes and Bs in other classes.” Going from getting As and Bs to a school that doesn’t have grades but instead public displays of mastery was a huge turning point. The pro tip: know how to win the game. Each school has its own rules and metrics of success. Navigating a learner-led environment meant that learners coming from traditional environments needed to recalibrate their strategies around a different set of expectations.
The Setting Within the Setting. So, school setting plays a role. Also important, though, is the setting within the setting. Learner-led spaces differ from traditional schools in that learners are given higher degrees of freedom around what they learn, when they learn it, and where they learn it. Seating, often, is a choice given to learners. So, a pro tip from the learners: make wise choices about where, when, and with whom you work. One learner put it succinctly: “Put your phone away. Try to eliminate distractions. Find out what helps you get into flow.” Many learners said that they intentionally chose to not sit next to their closest friends. One interesting finding, though, is that this doesn’t mean that all learners want to work in isolated silos to focus. Many said the same thing: they need to work with others. “One thing I thought was that I work better at home,” one learner said. “But that’s not true, I definitely need a space for collaboration.”
Other factors that impact the setting within the setting: furniture and headphones. Many learners said they needed a comfortable, clean space to focus in. Others said they chose to sit in a space where the Guides could see them, for an added layer of accountability. Most learners interviewed said they needed headphones to cancel outside noise. These strategies sound simple, but they were a clear undercurrent throughout all of the interviews. If you want to successfully stay on task, then be intentional about where you work and who you work with.
The Stage. Also, the stage of life plays a role in the strategies that learners use. One learner said that they played around in middle school and fell behind. “Now that I am in high school, I feel like I’m prepared to handle the work that is expected of me,” they said. Another learner echoed the sentiment: “When I was in middle school and procrastinated a lot. I didn’t really feel like there was much of a problem because it ‘worked’ every time. But when I got to high school it wasn’t sufficient anymore and that’s when I realized I needed to change things.”
When asked how long it had taken to create their strategy, one learner poignantly responded: “Pretty much it’s taken my whole life…I’m always learning how to learn.” The pro tip from these learners: you’re always changing, so your learning strategies will too.
To summarize the pro tips:
Pro tip #12: Know how to win the game.
Pro tip #13: Make wise choices about where, when, and with whom you work.
Pro tip #14: You’re always changing, so your learning strategies will too.
Questions for learners: What things are celebrated in the learning environment? Do you know what success looks like? Do you know how to measure your progress and performance? Where do you get into “flow” when you’re working? Where do you sit? What’s in your line of sight? How do you utilize headphones? Which peers are helpful to work near? Which peers are distracting? What recent tweaks have you made to your learning strategies?
Learning Through Routines
The final category of strategies can be categorized as learning through routines. These are practiced habits that learners build over time to support them in starting, persisting, and finishing a learning goal. Three major routines bubbled to the surface via the interviews: goal setting, movement/exercise, and memory strategies.
Goal Setting. We already mentioned goal setting in our look at relationship-centered strategies. To repeat the finding here: it is important to set goals with other people! The strategy of goal setting itself, though, is a practiced habit that learners build over time. One learner said: “It’s more of a routine than a system–I set goals at the beginning of the week, month, etc. by myself, and with my parents, and sometimes with guides if they’re available. I set a small goal and I do whatever I need to do to achieve it. I set the small goals so that in a set time frame (like by the end of the year) then I’ll have everything done.” Many learners mentioned goal setting. Some used the term “planning.” One said: “You basically think about what you want to do and plan when you want to have it done.” Some used physical calendars and planners. Others used digital tools and time trackers. Some peppered their learning environment with sticky note reminders. Many learners intentionally scheduled planning time into their days: time to take stock of their long-term goals and assess their progress. This was in addition to time that already lived in their schedules (The Forest School builds in time for learners to set goals). So, the first goal setting pro tip: create a routine of goal setting and be consistent. If it helps to put in due dates on your calendar app, do that. If you need a physical planner, get one. If you need to post reminders in your space, go for it.
Another pro tip: aim small, miss small. Keep your goals manageable. One learner said they learned a lot about setting goals from playing basketball. They focused on the fundamentals. “Every day I practice a certain skill,” they said. “I’m really into repetition and consistency with something I try to learn.” Another is mastering the skill of dirt bike racing. They said that they focus on one skill everyday, like keeping their feet on the pegs. “Small goals everyday…in school, my strategy is similar.” So, set your goals. Be consistent. Along the way, though, make sure the goals you're setting are precise, intentional, and related to your long-term plans.
Beyond setting the goals, though, learners found that they needed constant re-motivation. Why does meeting the goal matter? What happens if they fail to meet the goal or miss a deadline? A big motivator: Studio advancement. One middle school learner said: “I just started writing everything down and taking notes of what all I needed to graduate and go to high school. And I thought of things I could do after that too…I came up with what I needed to do.” A clear view of the finish line was a sure way to boost motivation. If learners could clearly see what was ahead of them and knew how to chunk up the work in manageable deadlines, then they felt confident they could meet their goals. The pro tip: keep your eye on the prize (and readjust as needed!).
Brain Breaks. This finding was pretty universal for our online students: the need for physical movement. They go on walks. They take a break from work, especially if they’re feeling stumped. Come back to it with fresh eyes. One online learner keeps a pull up bar in their room. When they’re stuck, they said that they “do a few pull ups to get out of my head.” Another goes outside and runs laps. “When my blood’s pumping,” they said, “it’s easier to think.” One learner found it especially helpful when they were getting ready to write. They look at the prompt and then take a walk to mull over ideas as they moved. By the time they sat back in front of the computer, they were ready to write.
Though not as prevalent in the interviews from the in-person learners, brain breaks still stand out as a helpful routine. One in-person learner said they used to work over breaks, to try to stay ahead. Over time, they burned out. “Don’t deprive yourself of fun at school…if you work over breaks and you’re not happy, then you won’t work as well.” One said that when they’re feeling stuck in math or experiencing writer’s block that they would “take a deep breath and focus on something else for a bit.” Another said that when they get frustrated on their e-learning platforms, that they close their computer for a bit and just breathe. There’s a connection here, between movement, recreation, and breathing. These learners, whether cognizant of them or not, are employing mindfulness routines to re-energize themselves. So, here’s the pro tip: build routines that take care of your mind, body, and spirit. Find ways to move, exercise, and have fun in your learning routines! Learn and utilize mindfulness strategies like meditation and breathing exercises. The headline: take care of yourself, deep learning is a holistic endeavor.
Memory Strategies. Another routine revolved around how learners employed techniques and strategies for filing away key information. The first step for learners is cataloging what knowledge they already have on a topic. One learner said that before they start researching, they list out what they already know (they said they’ve since modified this strategy, after thinking they knew something and putting false information in their work; now they check what they think they know through research). When it comes to learning math on Khan, one learner said they start by clicking on the hints and memorizing the steps to the problem. Then they try it on their own. Another said that when they see a new math problem, they “try to reach into [their] memory and find something similar.” Many learners said taking notes helps them remember information. One said: “Now I have three notebooks, one for each topic. So I’ll put an assignment or a question in each notebook and if I get confused I’ll go look back in my notebook to remember what I’m supposed to do.” Another said they used to take notes on their computer, but kept losing track of their documents. So now they also use a physical notebook. Another said they would routinely review their work from past years to keep their memory fresh.
One learner said this on the importance of note-taking: “So, my family has always been big on writing, so I’ve been journaling from an early age. But I really started getting into this when I joined the Forest School. I started taking notes a lot more and noticed that I could remember things a lot better. So I just honed in on those skills, and I created [my learning routine].” This sentiment was repeated time and again: write things down. Take notes. Review past work. List out your strategies so that you can come back to them later. The pro tip: you need a system to take notes, memorize information, reflect on what you already know, and build onto your existing knowledge. These learners talk about learning in construction terms: laying a foundation, building upon it, strengthening their own structures and strategies. We’ll end this section with this encouragement: towers don’t just come into being on their own, they are intentionally designed and built one block at a time. Your learning routine should equip you to build skyscrapers.
To summarize, here are the pro tips we’ve labeled “learning through routine:”
Pro tip #15: Create a routine of goal setting and be consistent.
Pro tip #16: Aim small, miss small.
Pro tip #17: Keep your eyes on the prize (and readjust as needed!).
Pro tip #18: Build routines that take care of your mind, body, and spirit.
Pro tip #19: You need a system to take notes, memorize information, reflect on what you already know, and build onto your existing knowledge.
Questions for learners: How do you currently set goals? How do you take advantage of the already scheduled goal setting time at school? Do you use a calendar or planner to set goals and track deadlines? How do you break a large goal into smaller pieces? How do you know when you need to adjust a goal or set different goals? Do you have scheduled brain breaks? Is exercise and physical activity a part of your schedule? What sort of mindfulness techniques have you tried? Do you have a note-taking routine you use?
Conclusion
So, here it is, our list of pro tips from the lips of learners who have built successful strategies in directing their own education:
Learning Through Relationships
Pro tip #1: Make your goals known to at least one other person, get their feedback, and ask them to hold you accountable.
Pro tip #2: Learn how to ask for help!
Pro tip #3: Share the wealth!
Pro tip #4: Make your goals known to the caring adults in your life.
Pro tip #5: Intentionally build, maintain, and utilize your social capital.
Pro tip #6: Learn from the authority figures in your life.
Pro tip #7: Your learning is on you.
Pro tip #8: Cultivate a culture of deep learning by holding others accountable to high standards.
Learning Through Experience
Pro tip #9: Build your research skills so that you can find out how to do anything.
Pro tip #10: Learn from natural consequences (especially frustration!).
Pro tip #11: Discover how you like to learn and experiment with productivity strategies to find the ones that work for you!
Learning Through the Environment
Pro tip #12: Know how to win the game.
Pro tip #13: Make wise choices about where, when, and with whom you work.
Pro tip #14: You’re always changing, so your learning strategies will too.
Learning Through Routine
Pro tip #15: Create a routine of goal setting and be consistent.
Pro tip #16: Aim small, miss small.
Pro tip #17: Keep your eyes on the prize (and readjust as needed!).
Pro tip #18: Build routines that take care of your mind, body, and spirit.
Pro tip #19: You need a system to take notes, memorize information, reflect on what you already know, and build onto your existing knowledge.
Recommendations for Learners
Look over this list of strategies. Which have you experimented with in your own learning? Are there strategies on the list that you haven’t tried that seem promising? What will you do now that you’ve seen this list of strategies that your peers are using? How will you continue to take responsibility for leading your own education?
Navigating a learner-led environment is tricky. It is vastly different from other schools, where teachers and systems are responsible for your education. To be successful in a learner-led space means that you will have to have your own strategies and routines. If you’re feeling lost in the dark, these pro tips are little flashes of light. Follow them. Try them on. Use them to create something that works for you. Then, when you find a system that works for you, tell us about it! Tell your friends. Share the wealth. You are not just a learner, but a teacher and a collaborator. You get to co-create a learning environment. That’s a big responsibility.
Recommendations for Educators
These pro tips are probably nothing new to you. They align with what we know about deep learning and strategies of self-regulation, metacognition, and executive functioning. What we found fascinating as researchers is that these strategies were created and implemented by the learners themselves, and go beyond the typical ways educators build these skills in the classroom by anchoring, first and foremost, in the agency of the learner. So, how does this research impact your practice? We have a few recommendations.
First, how are you modeling self-direction? Are you using any of these strategies? Are you sharing your strategies with learners? Are they posted in your classroom? Are you curating different productivity hacks, goal setting strategies, and note-taking routines that learners can utilize? As a Guide, not a teacher, you have a role in shepherding learners towards building routines that work for them.
Next, when you look at this list, how can you highlight these strategies? How can you share them with your learners? How can you celebrate learners that are using these strategies to successfully navigate their workload? A key finding for us in this research was that there is a wealth of techniques and strategies within our school, but few learners are sharing what works for them with others. How can you create an environment where this is encouraged and celebrated?
Recommendations for Parents/Caregivers
How often do you talk about habits, routines, and learning strategies with your children? How much do you know about your child’s current system for tackling their work? Use these pro tips as conversation starters. From the research, there is a strong connection between a learner’s ability to successfully navigate a learner-led environment and the communication they have with the caring adults in their lives. How do you “fit in” to your child’s toolbox of techniques? Do they set goals with you? Do they ask for help connecting with experts or finding resources? We have a firm point of view that self-directed learning is really relationship-centered. If a learner, their parents, and their educators are aligned and rowing in the same direction, then there is an increase in the ability for a learner to successfully create and implement their own strategies and routines.
APPENDIX
Interview Questions
You answered an earlier survey, “Yes, I do have a routine or system that helps me learn new things”. Do you still feel that this is true?
[Invite narration of routine]
Imagine you’re stuck on a math idea specifically. How would you deal with that? What about if you had writer’s block? What if you were in some group work and not sure what to do?
How long did it take you to find or create this strategy?
How did you discover your strategy? Through experimentation only? Asking peers? Researching for advice online or somewhere else? Something even different from these?
Before you had this strategy or routine, did you feel like you had a lot of problems with your workflow or did you think that you generally handled things okay?
Did you ever experience a crucial moment where you felt like “I have to change this!” and came up with your routine that way, or did you develop your routine gradually?
What did you try that didn’t work very well, or didn’t work as well as what you do now?
Have you ever given advice to other learners on this topic?
Why not? What obstacles are keeping you from sharing your strategies/routines with others?
If you did, imagine you had to give them only one single tip that was the most important thing for keeping a reliable work routine. What would you say for the #1 most important thing?
