Identifying Self-Directed Behavior

Independence is the capability of functioning in a given area without relying upon another 's help. When one think of self-directedness, independence should come into mind. As educator’s we are to challenge students to be independent learners within our classroom.
To begin with, teaching is more than just transferring information from teacher to student, but also preparation for the success of their students. Frank (1999) also believes that teachers help students to be a success. He states, “For our society to prosper, we must become the best teachers we can be and provide the best education for all students” (pg. 2). In order for society to prosper, teachers must work at their best and provide the most productive education for our students. This means teachers should prepare students for the future, so they could build our society and be successful. Teachers can help students become successful by helping them to become self-directed learners. In one of my colleague’s classroom I observed her students monitoring their grades by recording them on a chart. The categories include homework, in class assignments, quizzes and tests. This allows students to monitor their progress without her having to inform them of that information. Self-Monitoring involves learning to pay careful and systematic attention to your problem behaviors and habits, and to the stimuli that trigger them into action. (Dombeck, M and Wells-Moran, Jolyn, 2009).It makes them independent and academic status.
In Program One, "What Is Self-Directed Learning?", Ms. Marian Leibowitz told a story about her grandson that described self-directedness. She indicated her grandson Benji was coming down the stairs holding Mr. Potato head and its parts, attempting to walk down the stairs without thinking of his safety. His mother directed him to hold on to the banister, however he knew in order to play with Mr. Potato head he needed its parts. Therefore, he thought about it and decided to throw the parts down the stairs and gather them once he had reached the bottom. This behavior indicated he was aware of self-managing. I would like to become more self-directed within self-management. I noticed the lack of use of my planning time. Although I do make sure my lesson plans are updated frequently, and I communicate with my students’ parents, I could still make better use of my planning time. I understand that as an educator I must maintain some type of professionalism, and abusing my planning time for personal reasons is unprofessional. I have to manage my time more professionally. When pertaining to my students I would like them to monitor their progress within my class. I would like for them to record their grades and monitor their academic success. This will allow them to be responsible for their academic success and keep them informed of their developments. For members of my school community I would like for them to be committed to offering well-rounded academic programs that will meet the variety of needs of all sectors of the community that it serves. This will allow teachers to self-monitor and manage what they are doing within their classrooms.
To conclude, self-directed behaviors allow individuals to monitor, manage, and modify their own learning activities. Students can take advantage of these behaviors any time, in any place, through any means, at any age. In today’s society, a teacher has to consider self-directed learning within their instruction. Teachers prepare students for this changing society so they are able to be successful.

References
Dombeck, M and Wells-Moran, Jolyn. Techniques for Unlearning Old Behaviors: Self- Monitoring Retrieved September 13, 2009, from http://www.mentalhelp.net
Frank, P. (1999). Becoming a reflective teacher: Define your teaching goals and continue to reevaluate them. ASCD Catalyst. Retrieved May 24, 2007, from http://www.nea.org
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (1996). Helping students become self-directed learners. [Video recording]. Los Angeles: Author.

References: Dombeck, M and Wells-Moran, Jolyn. Techniques for Unlearning Old Behaviors: Self- Monitoring Retrieved September 13, 2009, from http://www.mentalhelp.net Frank, P. (1999). Becoming a reflective teacher: Define your teaching goals and continue to reevaluate them. ASCD Catalyst. Retrieved May 24, 2007, from http://www.nea.org Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (1996). Helping students become self-directed learners. [Video recording]. Los Angeles: Author.