Independent learning: what is it? Independent learning is not just working alone, it’s working with help from others. Everyone’s opinion is important. Learning is all about opinions and perceptions; other people’s views can help you learn more and more. To learn independently you need to go away and work in ways that are best for you and you need to be determined and motivated.
Can you learn to be an independent learner? Well, I hope so because this is why I am taking part in this course: to gain skills and find methods that will help me learn more independently. I think that everyone can learn independently; it’s all about having the right mindset in order to achieve this. I agree with Carol Dweck’s theory that if you believe you can grow, you can grow.
At the moment, I am fairly confident with writing once I am confident with my topic and have prepared effectively. However, I struggle to get to this point. I am unsure how to tell if a source is accurate, how to find information, how to use a variety of different sources, how to question ideas (not just taking them on face value) and how to approach research. Hopefully, by the end of the course I will feel more confident about this.
Independent learning is a skill waiting to be grasped; we just need to be brave enough to reach out and grab it.
24smiley 
Hi Emma, a fab personal post that gets to the heart of your motivations for participating.
I hope that the course achieves it’s purpose… and certainly the many skills that you are seeking to improve upon in paragraph three will be addressed over the next few week. 🙂
I think that your final sentence captured the essence of what this is all about though, and I wonder more and more about the importance of motivation and courage in the journey to become in(ter)dependent. Without those attributes is it achievable? Is it the case that for you (and your #crit101 peers) becoming more in(ter)dependent is simply a matter of time, as you are already motivated. What about learners who lack motivation? Can we help them to become more in(ter)dependent if they are not brave enough to grasp the skills firmly with both hands?
Hello,
In answer to your questions, I think that everyone can be an in(ter)dependent learner. I think that there are a variety of ways you can become motivated and that everyone can become motivated. I believe that motivation is the most important part, and once you have that, everything is possible. Some ways that you can become more motivated is through others which we can help each other do during this course.
Despite this, once you are motivated there are skills that you can gain to help you become a more independent learner. This is why I think this course may help us all become independent learners because we can gain more skills which will help us and it will hopefully further motivate us. 🙂
So are you suggesting that motivation is self-serving? The more motivated you become the more it motivates you? I can see how that happens and understand it’s value in becoming an effective independent learner. I still have questions about what motivates people in the first place. What if you are not at all motivated?
Yes, I think motivation is everything and you get more and more motivated the more progress. Everyone has potential and it is all about sparking a flame and finding a way to connect with them. Everyone is different. Some people will never be motivated at school because no one, maybe including them, has found what they are interested in and what inspires them. Motivation is all about inspiration. Personally, I find that I need constructive criticism and ways to improve. This is because it inspires me to try and achieve these targets and feel a sense of purpose and achievement. I find you need lots of praise and encouragement that what you are doing is correct. It’s all about the balance. If someone says I am already amazing at something then I won’t bother to practice anymore because I am already good, whereas if someone tells me I am rubbish at something I will give up because it seems too hard to reach. Sometimes you need to prove people wrong and show them what you can do. You need a sense of purpose and something to aim for.