A Simple and Free Motivation Tool For Self-Directed Learners
Get a glimpse into my language study plan
Traditional schooling has many extrinsic motivators — letter grades, transcripts…and (sadly) even shame.
But staying motivated to self-learn is a whole different ballgame.
As a self-directed learner, you might already have a good dose of intrinsic motivation. But is that really enough?
Moreover, self-directed learning doesn’t mean freestyling your way to mastery.
You need structure.
You need to be specific: What do you want to achieve and how?
You need something binding (like a contract) that’s hard to ignore.
In this article, I’ll talk about a simple tool that can provide the structure and extra motivation you need for self-directed learning.
The best part is that you only need a few hours to get it done and ready for use.
What do the experts say?
For most things, it’s easier to adopt what generally works than to try and reinvent the wheel.
Whenever I’m trying out a new reaction in the lab, I search for validated experimental protocols in the literature and follow the exact steps.
I decided to do same for my self-directed learning.
So, I found a book by an expert on directing your own learning.
Malcolm Knowles wrote, on self-directed learning:
“A process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes”
Here’s a visual summary that’s hopefully easier on the eyes:
Initially, it seemed too overwhelming for me.
However, I found that with just one exercise, I could cater for all the steps of this process in one fell swoop.
I just needed to create a learning contract.
The learning contract
A learning contract is an agreement written by you and enforceable by you.
It includes your learning goals, the resources and strategies you plan to adopt, and your criteria for evaluation.
As a self-directed learner, you have the responsibility of both creating and enforcing your learning contract.
You can run it by a facilitator, if you have one, but at the end of the day, you’re in charge of its execution.
I find that both exhilarating and scary.
But if you do it right, it’ll serve you really well throughout your learning journey.
Let’s break down the components of a learning contract with examples.
1. Objectives
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” — Yogi Berra
Any form of learning that has no clear goals or objectives leads to a dead-end.
It’s like randomly hopping on a train and hoping you end up someplace nice.
It could be your best decision ever.
Or, more likely, it could be a catastrophic waste of time.
You don’t want to leave things to chance.
This is why the objectives section is the first and, arguably, the most important component of the learning contract.
Let’s look at the essentials for this section.
Target date
A good target date is a self-imposed deadline that serves two purposes:
- Keeps you motivated by providing a sense of urgency.
- Realistic but also compels you to push your limits.
Broad Goals
Here, you spell out the overarching expected outcomes of your learning project.
You’ll have a chance to get into the specifics in later sections, but you want a snapshot of what the endgame should ideally look like.
For context, here’s an example from my self-directed Spanish learning contract.
My major objective at the end of the 1.5-year period is to obtain B2 proficiency in Spanish.
The major areas are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. I tried to reflect all these in my objectives.
2. Resources and Strategies
“In real life, strategy is very straightforward. You pick a general direction and implement it like hell.” — Jack Welch
Section 2 could be difficult because of the endless number of resources available for most learning projects.
You’re going to have to be decisive here.
Avoid trying to use too many resources and strategies.
Choose a few and stick with them to the end.
Do your research and select strategies that are ideal for your specific situation.
For instance, I personally love hardcopy textbooks, and my core resource at the moment is a large paperback textbook by Dr. Gilda Nissenberg.
From my research, I knew it was a good and economical option with lots of practice exercises.
It’s important to choose resources carefully, especially if you have limited time for studying.
My focused 1-hour study sessions are for textbook and video exercises, while my listening practice is reserved for my commute to school.
Ultimately, the resources and strategies must help you meet your objectives in Section 1.
Another tool you can create at this stage is a personalized curriculum.
I used a Gantt chart to create my study curriculum.
I preselected topics I will need to study over the next several months and made a weekly study guide.
In the curriculum, I listed the relevant chapters of my textbook and also inserted links to YouTube videos for each topic.
Predefining topics helps to maximize your focused learning periods.
3. Evidence of Accomplishment
How are you going to convince yourself that your objectives have been met?
That’s what this third section helps you to do.
Examples of evidence include essays, examinations, oral presentations, etc.
You want your evidence to be relevant to your objectives and convincing enough.
Here’s an example:
If I’m able to get these three things done by my target date, I would be over the moon!
4. Criteria and Means of Validation
The final section describes how you’re going to judge the evidence.
For instance, if you specify that you’re going to write an essay, you need to list the rubric by which the essay will be graded.
You can choose to validate your own evidence, but you must ensure that it will be done as objectively as possible.
For my contract, I chose to have other people validate my evidence.
Most self-directed learners may not have access to external graders and that’s also completely fine.
Just ensure that the assessment criteria and rubrics are objective and rigorous enough.
Using a learning contract is transformative.
But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
You need to try it out yourself to fully understand its value.
If you want to create your own learning contract, get a free template here.
