Self-Determined Learning (Heutagogy)

Reading around the topic of heutagogy - self-determined learning has given me a lot of food for thought. Most of my reflections have been around where heutagogy ‘isn’t’ as opposed to where it is in my current practice. In my school, we aim to be collaborative and future-focused. Student agency and student voice are frequently talked about, as are Inquiry and ‘Deep Learning’ tasks. We strive to ‘hero’ our competencies, linking them across the curriculum, and the neuroscience around how we learn informs our practice. Yet, when I consider the description of heutagogy and examples given in the literature, I conclude that, for the most part, we generally move between pedagogy and andragogy in our classrooms. I can think of very good examples of ‘andragogy’ - self-directed learning, happening in the school (often where students are given a ‘menu’ or task-board of follow-up activities to choose from, or teacher-directed inquiry activities), but I would suggest that examples of heutagogy are very much more incidental (perhaps examples of using a ‘teachable moment’ to allow a student to follow their own question or some student-directed inquiry). I also wonder if this isn’t actually the most appropriate model (mostly?) given that I’m in a primary school and the skills of managing self and working independently must surely need to be developed before a heutagogical approach would be successful? This wondering sits well alongside the idea of a P-A-H continuum, indicating that students would need to be self-directed before they can be self-determined. This doesn’t seem to sit quite as nicely though with a learning through play approach where one could argue that learners are already self-determined. This is an open question for me...

This year, as I’m relieving, I have the opportunity to work in many classes across the school. I’ve seen a number of self-directed frameworks working in classes, and, reflecting on the attitudes/comments I’ve heard in the classrooms, I have seen areas where a more self-determined approach may well benefit students. Unsurprisingly, the self-directed models are more or less successful for different learners, depending on their levels of independence. It could be argued that for students who are developing their skills and stamina in self-management, these models are a helpful scaffold and may lead to them becoming more self-determined learners. However, one thing that has struck me with many of the examples I’ve seen is the ‘absence’ of challenge and even engagement, particularly over a sustained period, for others, often those who are very capable and who work through the choices very quickly. For these students, I can see that the option of a self-determined project - maybe a passion project or one where the broad outcomes/skills are shared, yet the context and pathway is determined by the student - could greatly enhance their engagement, their challenge, and provide them with a rich opportunity for developing their capabilities. How this actually looks is something I’m still pondering, but I hope it will be something I can introduce once I’m back in the classroom full-time.