SDL and Its Impact in the Secondary School Environment Robert C. Donaghy Bradley County Schools, Cleveland, TN and Peter L. Zsiga St. Lucie Schools, St. Lucie, FL

Who should be interested in SDL in Secondary Education? current secondary educators administrators those who are preparing students to enter the field those who are planning to enter the teaching profession.

the applicability for SDL for adolescent learners, how the adolescent can be self-directed in learning becoming self-directed in adult life what tools and techniques promote and advance the self-directed learning in students, and how the secondary school teacher uses SDL in teaching strategies and professional development Stimulate Interest in

5/ / educational reform Race to the Top model schools student-centered learning……. challenging times ever increasing standardized testing

SDL in a secondary school must help accomplish these goals and work most of the time for all learners Moving students along a progression of increasing independence and self-direction in learning. High stakes standardized tests designed to measure critical thinking and other key components of the self-directed learner. SDL is also a helpful paradigm in the professional development of secondary teachers and for academically strong students in this same context

Bridging the gap between research and the practice of teaching Ambrose et al. (2010) suggest learning is not something teachers do to students, it is something students do themselves. Learners must be self-directed. (Garrison, 1997; Kicken Brand-Gruwel and van Merrienboer, 2009; Kuan, 2007).

The connection is made through metacognition, (Garrison, 1997; Kostons, 2010; Sungar and Tekkaya, 2006) wherein the same skill set is necessary for SDL. Ambrose et al. (2010) Brockett (2009): study SDL through “many lenses” Gibbons (2002): the adolescent’s teacher must move slowly from a teacher-directed setting to an environment of SDL… also Brookfield, in Donaghy’s (2005) (Kicken, 2009, Knowles, 1975; Kuan, 207).

Pant (2010) provides us with contemporary examples, which consider smart phone Apps, Androids, and iPhones. Deci and Ryan (2000) Motivation and self directedness are frequently linked, particularly in the goal setting and execution processes (Garrison, 1997; Kicken, 2009; Sungar and Tekkaya, 2006).

Scaffolding Self-management of learning in an educational context is primarily a collaborative experience” (Garrison, 1997) Learners increase in skills, knowledge,comp etency, and confidence until they are able to grasp the concept at high levels of comprehension in the context presented (Dabbagh and Kitsantas, 2005; Lajoie, 2005; Young, 1993 Brookfield, in an interview by Donaghy (2005),

Scaffolding tools Portfolios record and demonstrate learning milestones and activities useful to scaffold both academic achievement and SDL skills Problem-based learning approach to real world situations from an inquiry perspective Scenarios may involve the entire school in a full day learning exercise Self-assessment a key element in self-direction difficulty for novices may explain why self-regulated learning is often ineffective for novice learners (Kostons, 2010 )

S student self-assessment forms adapted from Wavra can facilitate teacher or student produced learning targets.

SDL plays a critical role in the learning process of the teacher and administrator Professional development activities require a self-directed approach continuing education teacher licensing examinations planning new strategies learning a new skill learning a new skill requiring technology