The poster at the left shows a continuum of directed learners on the left and self-directed learners who take command of their own learning on the right. The most successful learner is the person who can operate anywhere on the continuum depending on the school they are in, their own interests, and the confidence that in life, we develop our own learning skills to learn what we need to learn whether in or out of school and beyond. See the poster at: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1Kdb1190bTldemK_m8vPHPThVM6S0DZfnJ9rCUC-SJRA/edit

Self-directed learners need to realize and discover what they need to learn and how to learn what they want to learn as they confront problems or opportunities they are exploring. This simple rotating wheel can be used by the learner and their mentors to decide what will help them learn and discover what they need at any given juncture. The challenge here is to start with the model they cut out and put together, but then create their own device to spur ideas of how to learn as they come into command of their own learning. You can download the pattern and instructions at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C4ZsPAoFTWUqt7YrYVIhM5Um4mlSae3g0bMDMvYL_TY/edit

The flexible learner need not be alone in discovering the skills needed to discover, invent, solve, or make progress toward self-directed learners. The I CAN Academy can be a website that is part of the Virtual Learning Commons website where young people share tips and tricks of how to learn. It becomes for each school community a genius bar to consult for help in addition to tutorials and other helps on the Internet. It is created locally to use local technologies or strategies to fit that learning community...a kind of helpful social network. The I CAN academy example is at: https://sites.google.com/view/icamacademy/home

The development of flexible student learners also depends on the teachers to be full time learners themselves. They are flixible in working in a directive mode but can switch to being a mentor as students make progress toward self-directed behaviors. This model is at: https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1EDhQ2ezVCmnibn2hvqY9QFrHcXs2opcdr_i8aHTw8Ro/edit?usp=sharing