Question+and+Answers

If you have a question about this presentation or the application of self directed/self managed learning programs add it below and we will do our best to provide you with an answer.

Hey there - a number of questions arose during our ulearn presentation so I thought I would put the answers up for all (Faye 9 October)...

What happens to you presenting ideas you are passionate about? The great thing about the learning guide system is it allows you to respond to learners needs. This means that if there is some learning that you think is worth doing with the entire class, you can add a compulsory tutorial to a learning guide or take a brief break from the guide. Remember that if you do teach to the entire class you should then look at a way of checking individual understanding of what you have taught to help guide where the learners go next with their learning. Also, even if you don't 'teach' in the tradional way your passion comes across in the one to one and small group discussions that you have with learners.

What else is needed for this to work aside from the learning guide? I assume this is a question that is asking about structure. It is important to have structure around the self managed learning class that allows you to interact with the class as a whole and help connect with the learning and reflect on the learning. This is why the two parts of my contact time with my learners that is compulsory for all is the Do Now at the start of the lesson, and the reflection (which can happen at any stage of the lesson depending on when you feel it is appropriate - ie typically at the end but not always). The Do Now I use to assess learners understanding if they are midway through a guide, or to inspire/capture interest with the learning if at the start. This gives me a chance to show my passion and valuable feedback to me and the learners about what they do and don't understand. Reflecting on the learning is a skill that takes time to develop and is something all learners should be doing for all classes regardless of how the learning is taking place. Our additional resources page has a file that has reflection starters.

Isn't it tiring for learners to have to take responsibility for their learning all the time? Ask yourself this, how often do you feel tired when you are learning about something you have chosen to do rather than being told to do. I bet the answer is alot less often than when it is something you have to do. Ultimately this is why we want the curriculum to free up from content and context (and accompanying assessments) so that learners have even more choice about what learning they do to gain an understanding of a concept. Where you have a curriculum area that is quite content heavy (eg physics) it means that it is important to include choice about how you learn within each learning guide. Also, if the learning doesn't have to be sequential (eg a range of tasks or contexts to help understand a big idea) then learners can have even greater choice so will choose a learning task that suits their needs and emotional state on the day.

This approach seems quite clinical? It may seem contradictory but to allow personalised learning to occur a lot of systems need to be clearly thought out and a lot preparation needs to happen to support the learners and the choices they make. If you were to walk into a classroom that has has learners working with the learning guides your first thought may be that learners were all over the place (seemingly lacking structure) and then looking closer you would see the energy and engagement with the l;earning that is going on and go Wow! Well, that is the general reaction of visitors to the classroom so far have had.