Thread by @naomicfisher

In 2021 I discovered that very few people know much about self-directed education.Mostly what people 'know' is that it doesn't work & so they don't need to learn any more about it. I venture to disagree, but some myths just keep coming back. Here are some of my favourites.1/

SDE is the same as 'minimal guidance' and has been shown not to be effective. False. Minimal guidance is the control condition for studies on direct instruction. It has nothing at all to do with SDE which often involves a lot of adult involvement and guidance.2/

SDE can't work for complex skills such as reading and mathematics.These skills are 'biologically secondary' and require formal schooling. False. Research by Pattison&Thomas demonstrated how children learn skills such as reading informally when outside school.3/

Young people make bad choices sometimes, so SDE can't work. False. Giving schooled YP choices for an hour or two is not the same as SDE and the process of learning to make choices is one where doing it matters.We get better at making choices, through making choices. 4/

Children dislike and resist homework, so SDE can't work. False. Homework is not SDE. It's more like remote controlled education. Teachers set the goals and tasks and expect kids to do what they are told. No space for real self-direction here. 5/

Young people will never choose to do difficult subjects, so SDE can't work. Force is required. False. I know SD young people studying multiple languages, advanced mathematics and musical instruments .Adults take on challenges, why don't we trust young people to do the same? 6/

SDE doesn't work for neurodivergent young people. They need structure. False. Many, perhaps most, SD young people are neurodivergent. They thrive in many ways when they are no longer expected to conform to school norms and are away from the pressure. 7/

SDE only works for those who would have been successful anyway, the most privileged. False. Most SD young people are those who were struggling or extremely unhappy at school. It provides another chance for many who were excluded or unable to attend school. 8/

SDE means giving up on ideas of university and qualifications. False. It means young people can choose what is important to them and pursue that. If that involves getting qualifications and going to university, there's no reason why they can't do that. 9/

The question for me is, what is it about the idea that young people can have autonomy over their learning which is so threatening for many adults that they dismiss it without even understanding what they are dismissing? 10/

Maybe in 2022 I'll work out how to explain it better. Either way, I'm not giving up. Happy New Year. 11/