Introduction to SDL
See how you relate to this topic
Answer with yes or no
If you answer YES to most of the questions, you are already a self-directed learner. Welcome to the club!
Think about the times in your life when you wanted to know or learn something without having to take a formal lesson or course. Perhaps you wanted to learn how to play guitar or another musical instrument just for fun. Or maybe you wanted to be a different kind of “rock star”. Consider the moments you pursued knowledge entirely on your own because the topic interested you or you just wanted to learn how to do it yourself.
Think about the times you pursued a special topic because it fascinated you but wasn’t connected in any way to your formal education.
According to the renowned adult educator Malcolm S. Knowles:
"Self-directed learning is a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes." (1975, p. 18).
It is all about choosing what to learn and how to do it yourself!
The evolution of self-directed learning
Self-directed learning has existed even from classical antiquity. It is safe to say that SDL has always been around in various forms and different tools. However, it is during the last three decades that self-directed learning has become a major research area. Here is how this learning approach evolved over the centuries:
