Skills and Habits You Need to be an Self-Guided Learner

Being an self-guided learner means that you can approach a topic of study in a way that you can learn the information you need to and complete any associated tasks successfully with minimal outside intervention. These skills are not innate but must be learned. More importantly, they must be practiced so that they become a habit. The good news is that you probably have some of these skills already. Need proof? Take a second and think about an extracurricular activity, hobby, or pastime that you are passionate about. Sometimes these activities are done with others, but at some point they all require your individual effort. This applies to team sports, playing an instrument, singing in a choir, being part of Academic Decathlon, and so much more. Other times, activities are more solitary. This applies to sports in which athletes compete more as individuals (although often there is a team component to these sports), most forms of art, and a huge number of hobbies.

When you look at these activities, what matters most and is largely responsible for how successful you are, is your passion and your perseverance (also known as grit). Check out the short video below:

Learning is the same way. As you saw in the video, students who want to do well and keep trying (even when they get frustrated or encounter setbacks) are far more likely to be successful. Studies show they are even likely to do better than students with "natural" talent/aptitude. Your effort and desire to do well will be key to your success, or lack thereof, in my class.

With that in mind, here are some more habits that are proven to help you be an self-guided learner. Mastering these will help you be successful in a class like World History.

Believe in Yourself

Take a second and consider, what do you think you are good at and bad at. Chances are, you do better in the things you think you are good at, and worse at the things you think you are bad at. At the end of the day the power of belief is the single most important factor in determining your success. If you think you are bad at World History you are less likely to try. After all, what's the point? If you are bad at it you are bad at it. That's it. There's no point in trying because it's not like it's going to make a difference. This type of thinking is absolutely wrong, and what's worse: it's poison. It poisons our self-image and makes any effort exponentially harder.

The first step to becoming an independent learner is to believe you can successfully be an independent learner. It's a choice that you make for every activity you partake in. Choose to believe you can be successful in World History and see it happen.

Set Goals

Setting goals is really an extension of how much you believe in yourself. If you believe you can be successful, you are more likely to want to do well. That "wanting to do well" part is a goal you set for yourself. Start simple: just how well do you want to do? Do you want to get an A? Are you just trying to pass the class? Be honest with yourself but don't be afraid to shoot high. Let that goal really sink in: make it a mission!

As you go through the year then, set smaller goals to help you achieve your larger one. These might be similar to your original goal but they don't have to be. For example, you might want to do an exceptional job on a project so you can get an A in the class. On the other hand, you might set a goal to use a new website to demonstrate your learning for your summative task. These smaller goals are typically more practical and easier to obtain than your larger goal.

Plan Ahead

The next step in this process is to make a plan ahead. At this point you should have a goal that you believe you can obtain. Now you need to make a plan so you can get there. Unfortunately, life has a habit of making things complicated. We all have obligations outside of World History that require our time and attention. Because of that, we have to plan ahead to get things done so we don't have to make a choice between our obligations. If you know you are going to have a game on Thursday and you know you won't get home until late, you probably shouldn't plan on having to do too much homework that night. If you are going to be out of town for a family vacation you should try to get ahead on your work so you don't have to worry about school stuff while you are gone. If you have a big project due date coming up you should plan to do a little of it every night so you don't have to do it all the night before.

This habit is also known as DON'T PROCRASTINATE! Easier said than done right? Here is the bottom line: you may think you work better when you are under pressure because you waited to the last minute but you aren't.

And if you want to get scientific: Procrastination May Harm Heart Health.

Study

Part of your planning, should include studying. After all, for each unit in World History you will have an assessment that shows if you have learned the basic information required. But how should you prepare? The reality is that most of you probably don't prepare at all. That may seem negative but its an observation based on years of teaching at Cole and in other schools. For those of you who do study, many of you study ineffectively. In other words, you do something but it doesn't actually help you prepare in any meaningful way. Let's just get this out of the way: studying while playing a game or watching Netflix doesn't work. It just doesn't and that won't change no matter how much you think you're an exception. So again, how should you prepare? There is no one right answer because so much of it varies based on what type of learner you are, but here are some suggestions:

Teach someone else (or just give yourself a speech out loud) the material you will be tested on. The key here is you need to say the words out loud. "Teaching" someone in your head will not help.
Create mnemonic devices to help you remember key concepts. The first part of this should help. This generator might also.
Create flashcards. Quizlet has a feature you can use to do this but 3x5 flashcards also work well.
Find a quiet place and review your notes and previous work. This won't work if you zone out or are distracted. It can help to write out helpful information and key concepts in your own words. That last part is key.
Don't do it the night before. In fact, you should space it out over several days (at least) before the test.

Here is another resource that was defined for college students. If you don't like reading you might also try this short video:

Communicate

Self-guided learning isn't always independent. Sometimes you may indeed be learning on your own, but other times you might be working with other students and/or getting direction from your teacher (me). Communication is key in these situations. You need to divide up jobs when you are working in groups and coordinate with each other. You need to then to check in and make sure the tasks each student is given are actually getting done. You also need to communicate with me! If you are having problems in a group I need to know about it. If you aren't understanding a topic or you need help you have to tell me so I can help you be successful! This communication can be verbal or it can be done via email ([email protected]).

Don't Give Up

At some point, even the very best students with best independent learning habits will struggle to understand a concept or complete a task. Why? Because learning is hard. Your brain is a muscle. Strengthening that muscle requires time discipline, and struggle. In this way its like any other muscle. Want to be a better football player? You have to be strong enough to compete which means lifting weights. Even those who are naturally strong will eventually find their max. If they ever want to exceed that max they will have to work out, push themselves, and experience the pain that comes with sore muscles. Why would they do this to themselves? Simply put: the payoff is worth it to them. They go through hardship because they want to be better. Even when they are tired and sore they keep training. That is grit. That is the resolve to do what it takes. You must have that level of grit if you want to truly master being a self-guided , independent learner.

Sources:

While the ideas above are almost entirely my own, I was loosely inspired by many of these other sources:

I was also inspired by the ever famous (and frequently given) book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. A teen version is also available.