Independent learning

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a self-directed learning in the literature (also self-directed , self-determined , autonomous or self-directed learning called) is the process in which the learner has the opportunity to control their own learning process independently and responsibly.

This approach is based on the view that learning cannot be reduced to the mere acquisition of content. Here learning is seen as an opportunity to give the learners the space to educate themselves.

In the literature, the concept of independent learning is defined inconsistently. In many approaches, however, the objective of promoting self-determination, independence and personal responsibility can be found.

Justification for independent learning

Over the years, the discussion about the concept of independent learning has found increasing support in the educational world. The results of the PISA 2000 study can be seen as an impetus for the intensive examination of the optimization of the German school system . The performance of German students in reading, mathematics and natural sciences is below average in an international comparison. The study also shows a high degree of educational inequality in the German school system. In connection with the entry into force of the UN Disability Rights Convention , the debate about how to deal with heterogeneity in the school system grew. It was recognized that a major challenge is to design lessons that support and challenge all students. The lessons should be adapted to the individual requirements (e.g. previous knowledge, learning pace) of the learners within a learning group. The teacher-centered frontal teaching can no longer meet these requirements. In this type of teaching, 20 to 30 students of different levels of ability should learn synchronously. The learning pace is based on an assumed average. Individual learning processes are largely not possible. Responsible, self-directed learning opens up the possibility of designing learning as an individual process.

Through teaching methods and procedures (an overview of these methods can be found in the article Self-directed learning ), the students are given the opportunity to shape their learning process completely or partially. Thus, the individual demands of the students can be met.

Consequences of the form of learning for the participants

The restructuring of everyday teaching in the direction of more self-determination and personal responsibility on the part of the students means that both the role of the teacher and the student must be considered and changed accordingly to meet the new requirements.

Role of the learner

In order for self-responsible learning to be successfully initiated in the classroom, it must be considered which cognitive challenges this form of learning entails for the students. In order to be able to examine this more closely, the learning situation as such must be dealt with.

Independent learning is accompanied by successive decision-making processes. A distinction is made between five phases in which self-directed and self-responsible learning can take place; Motivate, plan, monitor, evaluate and regulate. However, this phase sequence must not be interpreted as linear or strictly hierarchical. The students regulate their learning process themselves and decide independently about the sequence of phases.

Independent learning presents the students with new tasks and challenges. You have to be able to recognize your own learning goals and to start your learning process on the basis of these. During the learning process, the learner has to constantly compare the actual and the target state and possibly adapt his learning action to the goal he set himself beforehand. He has to regulate his learning himself by comparing his learning progress and learning goals and constantly checking the effectiveness of the learning activity.

The students also have to determine their own pace of work and decide for themselves at which point they want to use the support provided by the work materials or the teacher. This requires a high degree of self-reflection.

Role of the teacher

In conventional lessons, the teachers act as knowledge mediators and instructors. The teachers have to give up this role as far as possible. Rather, they should see themselves in a supporting and promoting role. The teacher has to forego the strong control of the lesson and take himself out of the focus. The students must be given the space to take initiative. The teacher has an advisory, guiding, stimulating and supporting role.

The new form of learning demands a high degree of personal responsibility from learners. To adopt this, the students must first learn step by step. Independent learning requires careful guidance and support from the teacher. One of the main tasks of the teachers is to promote the necessary skills for self-directed learning.

With increasing independence on the part of the students, the teacher takes on the role of learning companion, moderator and consultant, planning assistant, motivator and coordinator. A challenge here is to find the balance, to lead the students on the one hand and to give them room for maneuver on the other. While some students can work largely independently, other learners need more intensive support and guidance. But children with a higher need for support should also have the opportunity to learn to work independently. The task of the teacher is to observe the individual development of the students and to give them assistance accordingly. The teacher must be aware that they are taking a back seat and are not allowed to intervene immediately. She has to trust the students to solve their problem on their own.

In self-responsible learning, the "self" stands d. H. focus on the individual. Teachers must note that all students have different requirements, learning speeds, absorption abilities, learning habits, techniques and strategies.

The tasks of the teachers include:

  • to guide the students to independent learning
  • Provide material for different levels of ability
  • to take a passive role so that the learner can become active
  • to register and monitor the learning progress of the learners
  • to help with difficulties
  • to motivate learners.

Criticism, dangers, challenges

The concept of self-responsible or self-directed learning is very popular in educational theory and practice. Both scientists and practitioners are concerned with the newer form of learning, especially in the school sector. But in addition to the positive feedback that this form of learning receives, there is the criticism that self-directed learning is often uncritically praised.

One point that is critically examined in the literature is the problem of definition. It has been criticized that the term is misleading as such. If one speaks of self-dependent, self-directed, self-determined, self-regulated learning, this implies the self-determination of the learning process on the part of the learner. However, since the learning situation is brought about by the teachers, the learning is thus subject to a certain degree of outside influence. The distinction between “self” and “foreign” becomes difficult with the learning concept.

The challenges and dangers that this learning entails must also be highlighted. On the one hand, there is the greater preparation effort for the teachers. The quality of the teaching materials is very important in individualized and differentiated teaching. A bigger one than in a traditional lesson. The materials provided by the teacher must suit students of different levels of ability. In addition, they must have a certain degree of openness, which enables the learners to control their learning process themselves. The form of learning also includes challenges for the students. High expectations are placed on them. You have to control your learning process independently. This demands a high degree of discipline and self-reflection from them. One danger here is that the learners are overwhelmed. In particular, low-performing students work less purposefully in open and self-directed learning situations and have difficulties monitoring and effectively controlling their own learning process. Accordingly, they learn less than in teacher-controlled lessons.

implementation

The concept of independent and self-directed learning is implemented in practice by teachers. Over the years, new teaching procedures and methods have been developed which promote the independence of students in the process of working and learning. Some schools go a step further and open up their teaching to such an extent that the students are given the opportunity to determine their learning even more.

At the Walddörfer-Gymnasium in Hamburg, for example, the "study period" was introduced. During this time, classes are not taught. Instead, the students have the opportunity to work independently and on their own responsibility during this lesson and to develop the content themselves as far as possible. At the beginning of a unit, the students receive an overview of the tasks in each subject that they must have completed by the end of the unit. You decide yourself in which subject you work, on which tasks and at what speed. You can work alone, in pairs or in small groups according to your individual preferences. Teachers are available for questions and advice. In an evaluation week, the results of this free working time are viewed, presented and discussed in the respective specialist course. The students are introduced to this independent learning at the beginning of the fifth grade. Methods and rules for this type of work are discussed with the class teachers.

The Walddörfer-Gymnasium is one of the schools that saw the idea of ​​independent learning as a reason to reorganize teaching. Several schools have similar concepts and give the students the opportunity to work independently during largely free working hours. In this way, students should develop responsibility for their own learning.

literature

  • Stephan Dietrich, Elisabeth Fuchs-Brüninghoff u. a .: Self-directed learning. On the way to a new learning culture. Frankfurt 1999.
  • Klaus Konrad, Silke Traub: Self-directed learning. 2nd Edition. Schneider Verlag Hohengehren, Baltmannsweiler 2010.
  • Susanne Kraft: Self-directed learning. Problem areas in theory and practice. In: Journal for Pedagogy. Volume 45, No. 6, 1999, pp. 833-845.
  • Perikles Simons, Jan Robert: Learning to learn independently - a framework model. In: Heinz Mandl, Helmut F. Friedrich (Ed.): Learning and thinking strategies. Analysis and intervention. Hogrefe Publishing House for Psychology, Göttingen / Toronto a. a. 1992, pp. 251-264.
  • Helmut Stauche, Ingeburg Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? - shown using the example of the course “Working with SPSS” with special consideration of the virtual form of learning. University of Jena, 2014.
  • Miriam Vock, Anna Gronostaj: Dealing with heterogeneity in school and teaching. Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Bonn 2017.

Web links

  • Lisa Fröhling: Where students learn time management and independence. 2014. (wdg.hamburg.de accessed on November 18, 2018)
  • Study time. (wdg.hamburg.de accessed on November 18, 2018)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 1 f .
  2. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 2 ff .
  3. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 8 .
  4. ↑ a b M. Vock, A. Gronostaj: Dealing with heterogeneity in school and teaching . 2017, p. 14 .
  5. ↑ a b K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 19 .
  6. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 40 .
  7. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 36 .
  8. ↑ P. Simons, J. Robert: Learning to learn independently - a framework model . 1992, p. 254 .
  9. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 37 .
  10. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 21 .
  11. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 21 .
  12. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 22 .
  13. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 45 .
  14. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 22 .
  15. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 23 .
  16. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 22 .
  17. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 40 .
  18. ↑ H. Stauche, I. Sachse: Self-directed learning as a possible alternative to traditional educational paths? 2014, p. 23 .
  19. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 19 .
  20. ↑ S. Kraft: Self-directed learning. Problem areas in theory and practice . 1999, p. 833 .
  21. ↑ S. Kraft: Self-directed learning. Problem areas in theory and practice . 1999, p. 833 .
  22. ↑ S. Dietrich et al.: Self-directed learning. On the way to a new learning culture . 1999, p. 42 .
  23. ↑ M. Vock, A. Gronostaj: Dealing with heterogeneity in school and teaching . 2017, p. 69 .
  24. ↑ M. Vock, A. Gronostaj: Dealing with heterogeneity in school and teaching . 2017, p. 69 .
  25. ↑ M. Vock, A. Gronostaj: Dealing with heterogeneity in school and teaching . 2017, p. 71 .
  26. ↑ M. Vock, A. Gronostaj: Dealing with heterogeneity in school and teaching . 2017, p. 70 f .
  27. ↑ K. Konrad, S. Traub: Self-directed learning . 2010, p. 99 .
  28. ↑ L. Fröhling: Where students learn time management and independence. 2014, accessed November 18, 2018 .
  29. ↑ study time. Retrieved November 18, 2018 .
  30. ↑ M. Vock, A. Gronostaj: Dealing with heterogeneity in school and teaching . 2017, p. 73 .