The Learner becomes the Teacher (To him/her -self)..

When it comes to learning, all of us have the urge some time or another to take learning into our own hands. In other words, to learn independently, at our own pace and according to our own rules. At the moment this is impossible and the reason for this is that fact that our learning is governed by the predetermined standards of education. These standards place emphasis on the role of the teacher who is the one who guides and controls the process of learning and the role of the learner as the 'becoming human being' whose purpose is to be receptive of what is being taught to them. 

This specific structure, in my opinion is limiting because it is assumed that the teacher already 'knows' everything, meaning that in the context of the classroom it is not expected of them to learn anything. My view is that, even though the teacher has been trained in the subject area, they are still susceptible to learning and that the learners with whom they are in contact from a day-to-day, can be seen as individuals from which they can learn. just as learners learn from teachers, teachers can learn from learners. And because learners can be recognized as knowledgeable, they are more than capable to take their learning into their own hands.

Tech-mediated self-directed distance learning speaks to this view. In this particular type of learning, learners take control of their education and learn through the employment of technology. They decide on a curriculum for themselves, one that is flexible and speaks to their specific interests. They are in charge of the direction that their learning takes and are not confined to physical environments in order to learn. The Independent Project is a practical example of this phenomenon.

The Independent Project is a school within a school which was started by a group of learners. These students saw a need for the project as they saw the traditional school environment to be restricting, a place defined by rules. It was a place in which they couldn't be creative and engage with the knowledge. They were expected to memorize the knowledge for the purposes of assessment. They established the project because they wanted to learn independently to this system. What they learned was decided upon by themselves and according to their choice, they could undertake individual projects in which they actively engaged in the topic. They were not bound by a curriculum and this exposed them to many more learning opportunities. In essence, they were learning through experiences.

Looking at how well the Project was working at that specific school, I feel that the potential of tech-mediated self-directed distance learning is great. It is an effective way of learning that is not restricting and embraces the creativity, interests and independence of the learners. I am all for it!!