Twelve Tips for Effective Self-directed Learning

Khalid Bin Abdulrahman

MD, DPHC, ABFM, AF, MHSc (MEd)

Associate Professor of Family Medicine

Introduction
Continuing process We know how to be taught; we havent learn how to learn Most learning is informal and self-directed in nature

What is learning
A continuing process resulting in some modification, relatively permanent, of the way of thinking, feeling, doing, of the learners

Learning means making use of every resource in or out of educational institutions for our personal growth and development

?What is SDL
Is the process for which the individual learner takes the initiative and the responsibility (with or without help) to assess educational needs, set goals and objectives, plan and identify appropriate educational activities, implement those activities, and evaluate the outcomes.

?Why SDL

Since the establishment of the medicine at King Saud University in . A.H.), the curriculum has always been the.. of investigation and evaluation. The college. to draw on the experience of other colleges of in different countries and several have been reviewed. The annual system was at the time of opening the college in 1969

Proactive vs reactive learner

The initiative learners ( proactive ): * learn more things * learn better * enter into learning more purposefully * with greater motivation * tend to retain & make use of what they learn better & longer

Psychological development
SDL is more in tune with our natural process of psychological development When we are born we are totally dependent As we grow and mature we develop the need for independence

Match the new movement in adult education

Pedagogy VS andragogy PBL Curricula Computer-based education So, prepare learners

Life long learning Skills

We must learn from everything we do We must exploit every experience as a learning experience Every institution in the community becomes a resource for learning

?When SDL becomes more powerful

When we decide:
1. What areas of knowledge and skills we need to gain in order to get something done (our learning needs and goals) 2. How we will gain the areas of knowledge and skills (our learning objectives and activities) 3. How we will know that we've gained the areas of knowledge and skills (learning evaluation)

Twelve Tips for Effective SDL

Identify your learning needs. 1

Your self Your patients Your peers / colleagues Your students Your teachers Others; e.g. family members

Translate learning needs into . 2 learning objectives

Specific Feasible At appropriate level of specificity or generality Personally meaningful Measurable as to accomplishment

Identify educational resources. 3

Be able to identify human & material resources appropriate to different kinds of learning objectives

Organize learning activities. 4

Be able to select effective strategies for making use of learning resources & to perform these strategies skillfully & with initiative

Set a doable and practical plan. 5

Dont be idealistic; try first, with feasible learning activity Time schedule

Set a learning contract. 6

Learning objectives Learning resources & strategies Evidence of accomplishment Criteria & means of validating evidence

Make use of electronic resources. 7

Dont be the last onelearn how to use it effectively Be selective Time management

Maintain high motivation. 8

Internal factors External factors Incentives

Be skillful time manager. 9

First things first Learn & practice

Priority Table
Urgent Important Not important Not urgent

Be skillful critical reader. 10

Select appropriate; 1. reading materials, 2. time & 3. place Scan the contents Scan the summary Be critical reader Highlights &/or take notes Self-assessment

Self-assessment. 11
Written test / practical exam Peer discussion Discussion with tutor or resource person practice

Evaluate educational process. 12

The whole process You may ask for external evaluator

Thank you