Self-Directed Learning

Empowerment is not primarily focused on documented results, but rather a process of self-directed learning. The most positive results of an adult’s educational experience often do not come from schools, or from books. Autodidactic learning from life, defining priorities, and finding intuitive ways to succeed are as well crucial for gaining competences and knowledge. Progressive education experts realized, that these elements need to complete and complement the courses they offer. As well youth organizations or other institutions in the field of non-formal education emphasize on the importance of autodicactical approaches. Together all teaches, facilitators and structures involved in learning and education should collaborate in establishing good frameworks for self-directed learning.

Learning is affected by the amount of autonomy granted to the learners. Learning arrangements take place on a spectrum ranging from autodidactic to externally controlled learning. Due to the fact that empowerment should help teams to increase autonomy, we have to take into account, that autodidactic learning is supporting this goal better than external control.

Therefore facilitators have to find strategies to balance their desire for expected outcome and for control with the higher goal of the learner's responsibility and autonomy. Second, they should take care to address self-responsibility and to combine opportunities for active experimentation with opportunities for knwoledge acceleration and for reflection. ^[1]

Learning Arrangements

	Autodidactic	Externally Controlled
Learning Orientation	Focuses on the person learning	Focuses on the person teaching
What the person learning does	Learning by acting	Consuming learning person
Time and space restrictions for the person learning	Flexible	Fixed times and learning places
Defining objectives and content	Freely determined by the person learning	Defined for the person learning

^[2]

References

↑ N. Zimmermann: Mentoring Handbook - Providing Systemic Support for Mentees and Their Projects; Berlin 2012; MitOst; ISBN 978-3-944012-00-1
↑ H. Siebert: Selbstgesteuertes Lernen und Lernbegleitung - Konstruktivistische Perspektiven; Augsburg 2006

"Shifting learning to empowerment requires an alternative and cooperative understanding of learning and teaching."