![\"Essential](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CIE_ESDcover1-232x300.png\")
<\/a>Authors: Sarah Collins Lench, Erin Fukuda, and Ross Anderson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
This framework targets four skills: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Self-Direction, and goes into great depth into the components, development, and interpersonal and intrapersonal nature of the skill in action.<\/p>\n
Here are the components of Self-Direction:<\/p>\n It’s a complicated framework that takes some time to fully understand and actualize. And while these are not meant to be linear, self-awareness is a great entry point.<\/p>\n While self-direction seems like something students would have to do alone, Heidi began with the whole group in order to scaffold the learning: reflecting as a group on elements of self-direction before moving to individual reflections.\u00a0 And she wanted to make this process visible, so she made a class game board to monitor their progress.<\/p>\n Students chose an image to represent themselves and they chose a collective image to represent the class. As they developed self-awareness they moved their pieces up the path.<\/p>\n The class began with a strengths-based approach, asking the group to reflect on their work and identify their strengths as a class. At the end of a learning activity she would ask them:<\/p>\n These students are great at hands-on learning. Opportunities to move their bodies help them do their best learning.\u00a0 And they learn well when the expectations are clear.<\/p>\n Strengths go hand in hand with limitations, and she allowed the class opportunities to reflect on these as well:<\/p>\n When students have side conversations or talk over each other, they lose focus and don’t learn as well. A little silliness is okay, but a lot of silliness makes it hard for the group to learn together. And if they aren’t interested in the work at hand, it is hard to stay engaged.<\/p>\n After many opportunities to debrief their learning in this way, the class had a pretty thoughtful list of strengths and limitations AND they were familiar with how to reflect in this way.\u00a0 Their new skills in group-awareness could be applied to themselves – they were ready to reflect on their own personal strengths and challenges.<\/p>\n I’m ready to reflect on mine too! My limitations: I struggle with writing a first draft. Getting words on the page is the first step for me, but I agonize over choosing the right ones. My inner critic won’t let me be!\u00a0 And my strengths: I compose best when I’m moving: walking, running, cross country skiing.\u00a0 As I move my body my thoughts flow. And I benefit from a thought partner, someone to think aloud with.<\/p>\n After Heidi’s students reflected on their personal strengths and challenges, Heidi asked them to evaluate themselves on specific skills self-directed learners practice:<\/p>\n This focused their attention on the specific areas they can leverage in their learning and on those they might seek to improve.<\/p>\n Remember how the Essential Skills and Dispositions framework focuses on the intrapersonal as well as the interpersonal?\u00a0 Heidi asked her students to do this too by sharing their strengths and limitations within the learning community. They each hold a piece of the classroom puzzle, learning from each others’ strengths and offering support for growth.\u00a0 Students shared their self-reflections in the form of puzzle pieces.<\/p>\n Another lesson for me from these 6th graders: when you face your own limitations, reach out to someone with strengths in those areas. I asked a friend with a strong blog writing voice (looking at you Emily Hoyler) to talk through my ideas for this post and get some feedback. And it worked!<\/p>\n Now that her students were aware of their strengths and limitations, Heidi moved them to reflect on what drives them to learn.\u00a0 Again, starting as a class before moving to individual work, they brainstormed the things that motivate them.\u00a0 Curiosity, recess, grades, a sense of accomplishment, getting to go outside… they were motivated by a wide range of things.<\/p>\n As a class, they sorted these into different categories, and they did the same for their personal motivations. One student found that he could group his motivations into two categories: inside motivators and outside motivators.\u00a0 Another student sorted hers by whether they are things she experiences alone or with others.<\/p>\n This sorting process was another step on the scaffold to deeper understanding.<\/p>\n After Heidi introduced the class to the concepts of intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation<\/a>, they sorted their motivators into these categories as well.<\/p>\n What motivates me to write this blog post? Several things!\u00a0 I’m excited to share the interesting work Heidi and the 6th graders at Ludlow Elementary School are doing.\u00a0 And I find it satisfying to organize my thinking in a way that others can understand.\u00a0 Perhaps someone will give me a prize, too?\u00a0 Just kidding, I’m all about the intrinsic motivation of doing my best to show off the important work of Vermont teachers!<\/p>\n Ludlow Elementary 6th graders had done a ton of reflecting.\u00a0 Now they were ready to aspire!\u00a0 (Don’t you just love to aspire? I do!) Again Heidi began with some group work: brainstorming aspirations and thinking out loud about whether or not these aspirations were achievable.<\/p>\n Personally, I aspire to be as awesome as Lizzo.\u00a0 Winning a Grammy for a singing performance seems highly unachievable given my fear of singing in public.\u00a0 On the other hand, being an outspoken LGBTQ+ ally is achievable if I educate myself and speak up in the face of homophobia and transphobia.\u00a0 But, back to our 6th grade mentors…<\/p>\n Students used their self-awareness to dream big! They evaluated their aspirations and created a rationale<\/a> to explain why they were or were not achievable. Here is an example:<\/p>\n And what do I aspire to, besides being more like Lizzo?\u00a0 I aspire to helping teachers develop educatoinal practices that help ALL students learn and grow.\u00a0 And also to be better about meeting my deadlines…<\/p>\n All of this reflection on self-direction has led to some pretty self-aware students.\u00a0 And self-aware students are primed for goal setting.\u00a0 Heidi’s students are using WOOP goals<\/a> to identify their Wishes, Outcomes, Obstacles, and Plans.<\/p>\n![\"Five](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-25-at-11.41.08-AM-1024x955.png\")
Starting with self-awareness (and then self-direction)<\/h2>\n
![\"Self-directed](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/gameboard1-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nReflecting on strengths and limitations<\/h2>\n
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When it comes to self-directed learning, what are your strengths and limitations?<\/h6>\n
Moving from self-awareness to evaluation<\/h2>\n
![\"Reflecting](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-25-at-1.09.06-PM-1024x509.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIntrapersonal AND interpersonal<\/h2>\n
![\"Self-direction](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-1-1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWho do you look to for support when you face a limitation?<\/h6>\n
Identifying motivations<\/h2>\n
What motivates you?<\/h6>\n
Aspirations for the win!<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-27-at-9.22.59-PM-1024x866.png\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-27-at-9.23.25-PM-1024x756.png\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nWhat do you aspire to?<\/h6>\n
WOOP there it is!<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-2-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-6-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-5-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-4-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-3-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-7-768x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/self-direction-7-1-225x300.jpg\")
![\"Self-Direction](\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Initiative-and-Ownership-225x300.jpg\")
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