Competency 20

Use meta-cognitive skills to direct learning and growth.

Educational leaders must have the ability to:

• Examine their own mental models.
• Self-assess based on key competencies.
• Know the limits of learning.
• Reflect in action.
• Keep current with new developments and research in field
• Plan for continuous professional improvement.
• Be adaptable and flexible and open to influence.
• Demonstrate the ability to lead and manage themselves.
• Reflect on personal values and behaviors to improve professional practice.

Being a self-directed learner and being able to direct your own learning is a critically important skill in the information age in which we live. It is imperative that we are not only aware of knowledge but also of how to acquire and update this knowledge. No longer can individuals rely on professors, books, or classes as the primary source of information. Individuals must use meta-cognitive skills to survive and thrive today's world.

Several things are known about meta-cognition and self-directed learning:

• Individual learners can become empowered to take increasingly more responsibility for various decisions associated with the learning endeavor.
• Self-direction is best viewed as a continuum or characteristic that exists to some degree in every person and learning situation.
• Self-direction does not necessarily mean all learning will take place in isolation from others.
• Self-directed learners appear able to transfer learning, in terms of both knowledge and study skill, from one situation to another.
• Self-directed study can involve various activities and resources, such as self-guided reading, participation in study groups, internships, electronic dialogues, and reflective writing activities.
• Effective roles for teachers in self-directed learning are possible, such as dialogue with learners, securing resources, evaluating outcomes, and promoting critical thinking.
• Some educational institutions are finding ways to support self-directed study through open-learning programs, individualized study options, non-traditional course offerings, and other innovative programs.
• Students should plan, monitor, and evaluate their thinking processes; students should engage in inquiry- and problem-based learning that includes problem framing, data gathering, divergent thinking, idea generation, and evaluating alternatives. (Blakely and Spence, 1990; Brockett & Hiemstra, 1991; Brookfield, 1989; Candy, 1991; Merriam & Caffarella, 1991;Ngeow & Kong, 2001; Piskurich, 1993).

According to Abdullah (2001), self-directed learners are "responsible owners and managers of their own learning process" (p. 1). Such learners have the skills to access and process the information they need for a specific purpose. Self-directed learning integrates self-management (management of the context, including social setting, resources, and actions) with self-monitoring (the process whereby learners monitor, evaluate, and regulate their cognitive learning strategies). It is important to note that being a self-directed learner is a trait or disposition we want learners to develop, rather than a laundry list of observable behaviors we wish learners to exhibit.

Various disciplines within education have long promoted self-directed learning as desirable. Research within the fields of adult education (Garrison, 1997), gifted education (Schillereff, 2001), and Web-based and distance learning (Scheidet, 2003) has shown the effectiveness of this strategy.

Our future may not be entirely within our control, but most of what we become is within our power to create. Hopefully, employing meta-cognitive skills to enhance self-directed learning can provide learners with a way to not only increase their knowledge but also to guide learners in the process of changing their learning patterns. As a concluding thought, perhaps the words from the 1835 John Anster translation of Goethe's Faustus: A Dramatic Mystery might be appropriate. In the Prologue to the Theater, he says:

References

Abdullah, M. H. (2001). Self-directed learning [ERIC digest No. 169]. Bloomington, IN: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED459458).

Blakey, E., & Spence, S. (1990). Developing metacognition [ERIC digest]. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED327218).

Brookfield, S. D. (1989). Developing critical thinkers: Challenging adults to explore alternative ways of thinking and acting. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Brockett, R. G., & Hiemstra, R. (1991). Self-direction in learning: Perspectives in theory, research, and practice. London, UK: Routledge.

Candy, P. L. (1991). Self-direction in lifelong learning: A comprehensive guide to theory and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Candy, P. C. (2004). Linking thinking - self-directed learning in the digital age. Canberra City, Australia: Department of Education, Science, and Training. Retrieved January 3, 2008, from http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/5CBAC2EE-D568-4829-8332-
0739057BBE1B/2205/report.pdf

Garrison, D.R. (1997). Self-directed learning: Toward a comprehensive model. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(1), 18-33.

Merriam, S. B., & Caffarella, R. S. (1991). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult: Core concepts of transformation theory: Core concepts. In J.Mezirow & Associates, Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on theory in progress (pp. 3-33). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ngeow, K., & Kong, Y. (2001). Learning to learn: Preparing teachers and students for problem-based learning [ERIC digest]. Bloomington, IN: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED457524).

Piskurich, G. M. (1993). Self-directed learning: A practical guide to design, development and implementation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schillereff, M. (2001). Using inquiry-based science to help gifted students become more self-directed. Primary Voices K-6, 10(1), 28-32.

Scheidet, R.A. (2003). Improving student achievement by infusing a web-based curriculum into global history. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(1), 77-94.