How do we become self-directed learners ?

The most important attitude that can be formed’, wrote John Dewey, ‘is that of the desire to go on learning’

As an adult online learner, who is being taught to become the teacher herself , I have been reminded in recent weeks of the importance of self-directed learning , of understanding ourselves and the steps which will assist us to achieve our own personal learning journey . As humans , I do believe we can be guilty of assuming that the steps we need to take to reach a goal and what motivates us as individuals may be the same as it is for others ( particularly if we apply this to the reward strategies often adopted in the classroom ) .On one level I have understood this very well for many years .It's kind of obvious when we observe the different paths we choose to take as humans which are often so vastly different from another person or there are the moments we avoid like the plague when others embrace them with overflowing levels of enthusiasm . I also know I have often decided my role is to motivate others and in turn ignored that I am depleting my own energy for self- reflection and my own personal goals ( these have often remained neglected and undiscovered beneath a pile of dusty books ! ) .To top this off as an essentially bad practice, trying to motivate the other person hasn’t really worked too well, if ever really? When it comes to children or adults in a workplace we often assume that everyone wants lunch with their team leader as a reward or the early mark to recess will encourage a child who has shown some early signs of self-application. I do agree with the model of Andragogy which reminds us that learning should be pursued for its intrinsic value. How do we achieve this in the classroom ? If my teacher was to spend all his time trying to motivate me and the many others in our online learning unit and I was to also do that in the classroom one day , not only would he and I have limited time to actually teach but what motivates each other will almost inevitably fail to motivate someone else in the long term . Let’s remember that when we make decisions about how to develop a child or adult's desire to learn ? Just as we are all individual beings, I believe so are the steps which will ultimately help us become self-directed learners . I will candidly admit that the steps I have outlined below are a very early, somewhat tentative interpretation of my intended journey but I look forward to understanding in time how they worked for me and what I have learned that will allow me to create a classroom one day of other self-directed learners.

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