Self-Directed Learning as a Threshold Concept
While wrapping up my last post on self-directed learning a thought occurred to me that I’d like to explore here. I’m also hoping to inspire some discussion around the subject since in my mind this could present a key opportunity for higher education moving forward.
I attended a Research Showcase yesterday in which one of the topics covered was Threshold Concepts. This notion is a new one to me, and to be honest I don’t know much about it; however based on the definition I’ve just uncovered online, a threshold concept is defined as having five characteristics:
- First, they should be transformative, in that once acquired they should shift perception of the subject.
- Second, they should be irreversible. Once an individual has begun to perceive the world in terms of a threshold concept it should be inconceivable that they would return to viewing it in a more primitive way.
- Third, a threshold concept is integrative. Meyer and Land describe this as the capacity of a concept to expose the previously hidden interrelatedness of something.
- Fourth a threshold concept is bounded. That is, it helps to define the boundaries of a subject area.
- Fifth, a threshold concept may be counter-intuitive, or lead to knowledge that is inherently counter-intuitive. In grasping a threshold concept a student moves from common sense understanding to an understanding which may conflict with perceptions that have previously seemed self-evidently true.
This has led me to think that perhaps self-directed learning is a Threshold Concept.
Personal Experiences
At least in my own experience, the transformation from a reliance on learning through directed instruction to experiential learning through self-directed exploration took me through all 5 of the above characteristics.
I came to UNSW from a very small, micromanaged private sector company, and had experienced university as a student in a firmly entrenched instructivist model. I studied Economics at a university of 40,000 people and attended mass lectures in which overhead slides were frequently used, the instructor spoke and students listened.
So when I began at UNSW I was accustomed to being told exactly what I was supposed to do, the way I was meant to do it, when it needed to be completed, and assessed on whether my work was adequate. The environment I found when I arrived though was diametrically different to this. There was no instruction, minimal feedback, and an incredible amount of flexibility on what I did, when, and how.
For some time I found this positively excruciating, since I was conditioned to look outside of myself for validation of my work. When I didn’t receive this information I had a tremendous amount of difficulty knowing what to do next. In hindsight it was an incredibly difficult period.
According to the Threshold Concepts 2008 Conference website, my experiences characterised the idea of “liminality”:
“Meyer and Land suggest that difficulty in understanding threshold concepts may leave the learner in a state of ‘liminality’, a suspended state or ’stuck place’…”
In the absence of a management structure I was accustomed to, I was in a state of liminality for a number of years. It was only after making a conscious decision that it was up to me to sort myself out did I start to feel comfortable with what I was doing. In time this led to a sense of empowerment that has only grown over time. Now I can’t imagine doing it differently; but it was a very difficult transition.
The Implications for Higher Education
Assuming for a moment that self-directed learning is indeed a threshold concept, in light of my own experiences it would seem that this represents a critical need that higher education could address.
As mentioned earlier though, given the devolved nature of this learning model it would require a much different approach to education as well as a fundamental shift in role from instructor to that of facilitator or moderator, since the student would be informing the instructor on what they would be learning, and how; rather than the other way around.
Given weeks 4 & 5 of my Facilitating Online Communities course is slated to cover facilitating, moderating or teaching I’m hopeful there will be some insightful conversations that might be applicable to this train of thought.
In the meantime if you have thoughts on this idea please jump in and leave a comment - or elaborate on your own blog and link back here so I know where to go for your input.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:03 am
Yes, I think it is fair enough. A little matra I use when teaching is “teaching people how to learn” (which often doesn’t go down well with people not yet at the threshold and just want me to tell them
Have you seen the little book, Teaching as a subversive activity
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October 14th, 2008 at 9:41 am
learning the threshold.
there’s a seemingly counter intuitive concept there somewhere
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