Guidlines for Best Practice

TeachThought Self-Directed Learning Framework Draft 1.1

1. Begin With ~Self-Knowledge

• What's worth understanding?
• What problems or opportunities are within my reach?
• What important problems & solutions have before others me created?
• What legacies am I a part of & what does that suggest that I understand?
  

2. Analyze Context

• What is the modern and historical context of this topic, issue, etc.?
• What do I need to understand about this issue to grasp its significance and scale?
• How do pathos/ethos/logos factor? What patterns are apparent?
• What do experts & non-experts know/believe they know about it?
  

3. Activate Existing Knowledge

• Roughly brainstorm what you already know: Make true/false statements; give examples & non-examples, or otherwise organize your existing knowledge in some useful or elegant way
• Concept map your knowledge in a given context
• Interact with relevant media, resources, & networks
• Analyze for both the obvious & the nuance; the implicit and explicit
  

4. Design Learning Pathway

• How can I learn what I need to know?
• Of what I need to know, what can I gain quickly, & what will require more in-depth study?
• What technology resources can offer me access to relevant content, resources, & communities?
• What learning forms or models makes the most sense for me to use?
  

5. Clarify Knowledge

• Analyze need for creativity, innovation, & information
• Form new questions based on learning
• Establish what is or isn't within your present reach of understanding
• Revise future learning pathway based on your learning experience, and/or the interaction with mentors & community members
  

6. Apply Understanding

• What are my standards for quality?
• What scale does it make the most sense for me to work & study?
• What change in myself should I expect as a result of my work & study?
• What related actions do the citizenships of which I am a part suggest or demand?
  

Source:A Self-Directed Learning Model For 21st Century Learners