ADULT DEV CASE2 - Research Paper Example

Self-Directed Learning Self Directed Learning The process of self-directed learning refers to and individuals ability to take a stand on his own or with the help of other in order to identify his learning needs, create goals for learning, determine resources needed to learn, and choose and implement from different strategies of learning (Brockett, 1991, p.10). Several activities are regarded as activities and outcomes of self directed learning, these activities include: individuals who are involved in the process of leaning and acquiring knowledge gain the ability to make decisions related to their learning aspect, self-direction is a characteristic that is present in almost every individual but the degree of its existence in individuals varies tremendously, those who are involved in self-directed form of learning are not necessarily going to learn on their own all the time, and self directed learners have a higher capability to transfer apply the learned information into practice.

Other activities that are said to be part of self-directed learning include: reading without guidance, becoming a part of a study and pursuing internships (Grow, 2012). Teachers can even influence and aid self-directed learners by being in continuous communication with these learners, providing them with the required resources, encouraging them to think critically and analyzing the outcome of the process. Educational institutes on their own can be of great aid to self directed learners if they create programs that are not conventional in nature, allowing students to study individually and offering new and novel learning programs.

As stated in the definition of self-directed learning that an individual gains the ability to learn on his own, similarly when an individual becomes mature and is recognized as an adult, he/she becomes independent, he/she himself chooses what to learn from and where to learn from, they even identify resources that will help them in performing their jobs in a better way, they even obtain knowledge with the aim of immediate application of information they have gained and as their maturity level increases, their inner drive to obtain aims and objectives even increases which motivates them to gain knowledge (Pata, 2009).

The message obtained through these resources is that individuals at different age levels gain education for different reasons, and their way of obtaining knowledge is even different. Thus, it is the task of the educators to treat individuals of different ages in a different way. If the audience or the pupils are children, educators should realize that the pupils are dependent on them for education and require full devotion of the teachers, while on the other hand if learners are adults, they should be allowed to identify their own learning goals, resources and outcomes.

The background study even informs that when if the learner is a child, his own experience will be of less help to him and the teacher’s experience is of higher value and if the learner is adult, his own experience is of higher value and this experience should be manipulated by teachers to teach adult learners. ReferencesGrow, G., & Ph.D.. (n.d.). Grow The Staged Self-Directed Learning Model. Gerald Grow Splash Page. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow/SSDL/Model.htmlBrockett, R. G., & Hiemstra, R. (1991). Self-direction in adult learning: Perspectives on theory, research, and practice.

London: Routledge.Pata, K. (2009). Modeling spaces for self-directed learning at university courses. Educational Technology & Society, 12 (3), 23–43.