Self direction

What drives a student to remain engaged in a self-directed activity?

What are some elements that you think need to be in place?
What does it look like in your classroom?

First was the novel study of The Hunger Games. The content was so stimulating and relevant to students that class discussions about themes took off. Students challenged each other to further define themes and pull examples from the book.When asked to write a blog reflection about the book, students did so and then went on to find the music and upcoming trailer for the movie which generated discussion about who was casted for what characters.


The second example is when the students were asked to set up their own blogs through Edublogs.  Students ended up helping each other and NOT asking me a single question.  They were so engaged that I ended up watching the class hum. It was a rewarding and thrilling time as an educator.


My observation, from these two experiences, is that students are self-directed when the content is highly relevant and engaging. Students like to talk through ideas to reach conclusions together. Students relish team input and team encouragement.