MARCEL D'Eon (deonm@duke.usask.ca)
Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:47:52 -0600 (CST)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:47:52 -0600 (CST) From: deonm@duke.usask.ca (MARCEL D'Eon) Subject: Re: IFETS-DISCUSS Digest - 24 Feb 1999 to 25 Feb 1999
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I have been observing the discussion with great curiosity. Perhaps I have
an observation to make that might be useful for this topic.
David Merrill wrote:
>Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 12:35:49 -0700
>From: "M. David Merrill" <merrill@cc.usu.edu>
>Subject: Re: "Learning Strategies Then and Now: Same or Different?"
>
>List address to send message to everyone: ifets-discuss@LISTSERV.READADP.COM
>Details of current discussion: http://zeus.gmd.de/ifets/discuss.html
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>
>A very late after the discussion is over.
>Peter Arashiro's distinction between who is responsible here? the student
>or the instruction? inspires me to make the following comment which is at
>the heart of my argument.
>
>1. The great goal of education is self-directed learners. I assume that
>we all want the learner to ultimately be in charge of their learning.
>However, there is ample evidence that many learners don't know how to
>learn. If they did we could dispense with this very expensive enterprise
>called education and training. However, since they don't then the
>collective wisdom of many generations is that some sort of formal education
>is required to help them.
I believe that there is a fundamental error in this argument. The
assumption seems to be - and it is prevalent - that once learners become
self-directed they will not need assistance with another learning task.
Once our learners can be trained to learn, they will never need another
teacher. I do not believe this. My take on the self-directed learning
(SDL) reserach is that SDL is quite task specific. A person can be
self-directed in one area and not in another. The neglected factor here is
familiarity with area to be learned, and the resulting confidence that it
brings.
This mistaking a generalized SDL readiness is akin to the once proud notion
that problem solving was a trait that could easily transfer to many domains
and situations. We have found that this is not quite true.
Problem-solving too seems to be domain or area specific.
The overlooked phenomenon here is that as learners progress with a task
they move from wanting and needing dependence to requiring only occasional
coaching to independent practice where 'help' is an irritation (see
Vygotsky's zone of proximal development). Many competent adult learners
will gladly submit to a lecture or teaching/learning situation when first
confronted with a new area or learning task. They may quickkly catch on
and become more independent, but initially they demand and need some
direction.
One more thing, whatever the teaching methods might be, however
well-prepared students might be to learn, no matter their previous
performance, most students are keyed to the exam. They will not be
self-directed if it is not going to help them pass or get high marks on the
exam. They have limited time and important goals to achieve and if SDL
does not lead to the goals, motivation will drop; the 'system' may have
conspired to make self-directed learning unattractive.
Cheers,
Marcel D'Eon
Marcel F. D'Eon, MEd, PhD
Educational Support and Development
College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
Room A204, Health Sciences Building
107 Wiggins Road
Saskatoon, SK
S7N 5E5
(306) 966-2756 (w)
(306) 966-2601 (fax)
deonm@duke.usask.ca
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