INDEPENDENT LEARNING STRATEGIES

Definition
Independent Learning is often linked with other approaches to learning such as
personalization, student-centered learning and ownership of learning.
Strategies
We must understand learners
Accept differences among students and between students and faculty
Engage students in setting goals and expectations
Be flexible, creative and try not to be surprised by anything that happens in the
classroom!
Dependent Learners
rely heavily on the teacher
cannot make decisions about
their learning
do not know their own
strengths and weaknesses
do not connect classroom
learning with the real world
think that the teacher is wholly
responsible for their learning

do not know the best way to

learn something
do not set learning goals will
only work when extrinsic
motivators such as grades or
rewards are offered

Independent Learners
are self-reliant
can make informed decisions
about their learning
are aware of their strengths
and weaknesses
connect classroom learning
with the real world
take responsibility for their
own learning know about
different strategies for learning
plan their learning and set
goals
are intrinsically motivated by
making progress in learning

Developing Skills
Ownership of their learning
Time for talk and collaborative work
Time to ask questions and seek solutions
Time to find out things for themselves
Time to reflect
Close the gap
Time for children to choose their own next steps
What independent learning looks like in classroom?
Establish what the children already know about a topic, what they want to learn
about and how they are going to learn. This gives them ownership but develops a
relevant starting point for the class- developing self-efficiency, self-motivation and
self-esteem.
Think about the questions the children ask as well as the answers which they give.

Question
for discussion
Refer to the cartoons about teaching students to swim independently
Is the teacher promoting independent learning? Why or why not?
How may the students react to the learning experience?
What conditions are needed to encourage students to learn more independently?
Teaching for independent learning
Promoting independent learning
Is Not
simply abandoning lectures and telling students to learn on their own
placing the responsibility for learning entirely on the students
Is About
a different way of helping students learn
facilitating and supporting students to learn increasingly on their own
Lecturers roles in promoting independent learning
The research found a number of strategies that supported students
independent learning including:
1.
Scaffolding: this refers to the supportive structure provided by skilled others, in this
case teachers, which aids students in their learning. The objective is the gradual transfer
of responsibility from the teacher to the student step by step, the teacher responding
flexibly to students responses rather than following a predetermined teaching path;
2.
Providing students with opportunities to self-monitor: the review suggested selfmonitoring depends on the two processes of establishing goals and receiving feedback
from others and from oneself. Teachers encouraged students to self-monitor by helping
them use internal and external feedback to see whether the strategies they were using
were effective for achieving learning goals;
3.
offering models of behavior: independent learning was promoted by encouraging
students to model the behavior of their teachers, including, for example, teachers showing
students how categorizing information made it easier to remember;
4.
developing communication that included language focused on learning: this helped
students become more aware of the steps involved in learning, understand their own
learning styles and helped students and teachers share their thinking;

5.
Providing feedback on homework: this was found to improve students confidence in
working independently and to help them develop the reflective aspect of independent
learning.
RESOURCES
http://www.curee.co.uk/files/publication/%5Bsite-timestamp
%5D/Whatisindependentlearningandwhatarethebenefits.pdf
http://teaching.polyu.edu.hk/datafiles/P5.ppt
https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=%EF
%81%BD+We+must+understand+learners&oq=%EF
%81%BD+We+must+understand+learners&aqs=chrome..69i57.639j0j7&sourceid=chrom
e&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=independent+learning+strategies.ppt