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What Is Self-Directed Learning?
The most commonly accepted definition of self-directed learning (SDL) is that outlined by Malcolm Knowles, back in 1975: "In its broadest meaning, self-directed learning describes 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."[1]
With this in mind, here are our seven top tips to help you make the most of your own self-directed learning.
1. Set Time Aside to Do It
"Learning in the flow of work is a new idea: it recognizes that for learning to really happen, it must fit around and align itself to working days and working lives." [2] It’s said that today's busy knowledge worker sets aside just five minutes of formal learning each day. [3] And often many of us won't even manage that. When you're busy, ‘learning’ can feel like a bit of a luxury, right? But it's important to try to create pockets of self-development time when you can. Some people find it best to ringfence the same time and day per week in their calendar to learn. For flexible workers, working from home days may mean opportunities for self-development activities with minimum distractions. For others, the commute to or from work can be a good time to read research papers or industry blogs, or to listen to a work-related podcast. The main thing is to find what works best for you.
2. Establish Some Learning Goals
What gets measured gets done, as the saying goes. Setting yourself learning goals and objectives will help you commit to SDL. And they can keep you motivated by tracking your progress along the way. It can be particularly effective if you share your learning goals and commitments with others. Remember to set yourself SMART objectives – in other words, they should be: [4]
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time-Bound
The bigger the goal, the more detailed you will need to be about the specific steps you need to take in order to achieve it.
3. Think Beyond the Obvious
You will want to develop skills applicable to your current role. But also think about your longer-term aspirations. Where do you see yourself going in the medium to long term? Look around at people in the organization who inspire and motivate you. What have they done that has helped to get them where they are today? It doesn’t have to be all work, work, work, either. You can also develop practically and socially, by casting your net wider. The main thing is to have a growth mindset and to be curious about new learning experiences. Mass Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free and cover a diverse range of topics, some work-related, some not. Interested in crime dramas? Why not take an online course in forensics? Honing your analytical and problem-solving skills is something that you can take back into the workplace. Got an aptitude for languages? Why not give coding a shot? When the robots eventually take over, you'll have bagged yourself a role in the new world order!
4. Keep a 'To-Learn' List
Many of us keep a to-do list for our daily, weekly or monthly tasks. If you come across learning opportunities that you can't take immediate advantage of, then add them to a running 'to-learn' list. [5] This will help you to manage your learning over time. It's good to look over this list regularly, and schedule some of the learning activities in your calendar, or discuss them at one-on-one catch-ups with your manager. It may be that certain learning activities can be batched too, helping to make your learning as productive as possible.
5. Don't Be Too Self-ish
While the notion of SDL is about taking responsibility for your own learning, that doesn't mean it should be some kind of covert activity. It’s great to share your development activities and learning journey with others, whether that's with your team, colleagues across the wider business, or via online groups, or forums. By striking up these kinds of conversations, you can share ideas with others, develop new perspectives, and build on your own experiences. It's a great way to grow your personal learning network too.
6. Reflect as You Go
It's important to make time to assess what you've learned to help you track your progress. You may find it useful to keep a reflective journal where you note down your observations, thoughts and feelings about your learning. If you find yourself getting a bit stuck, try asking yourself some of these questions:
- What have I learned this week?
- What has gone well?
- What has gone less well?
- What could I do differently next time?
- Who could I ask for feedback or support to help me progress?
7. Make Learning a Lifelong Habit
And finally, learning is for life, not just something we should focus on at particular points in our careers. Indeed, we find ourselves at a time when AI and automation are rapidly transforming work as we know it. So much so that 80 percent of CEOs see the need to develop new skills as their biggest business challenge. [6]
So being able to flex and adapt to the new reality has never been so important. Beyond that, it seems, lifelong learning is good for our health as well as our careers. Some studies have linked learning activities with the delay of the symptoms of Alzheimer's, and even to improving longevity itself. [7] Besides all of which, regularly pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone to develop our talents or acquire a new skill can give us a great buzz.
As business author John Coleman puts it: "We live in an age of abundant opportunity for learning and development. Capturing that opportunity – maintaining our interest and intellectual humility – can be one of life’s most rewarding pursuits." [8]
References[3] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
