Self-Directed Learning: A Necessity of Our Times

When I delivered a TEDx talk in early 2019 about “Self-Directed Learning”, little did I know what was in store for us in coming year and two.

In times like these, it is not easy to focus on learning. We are anxious about our physical, social and economic well-being. And yet, people who will thrive in these times are the ones who are able to take charge of their own learning. Apart from being a necessity for survival, learning also makes us happier and creative.

This might be the golden era of “self-directed learning” because the traditional structures we relied on for learning seem to be disrupted and we don’t really know if and when they will resume their “normal” mode. Taking charge of our learning is the necessity of our times.

The truth is – while schools provide the structure and a community to enable our learning, the real resources we need to learn anything, including communities we can learn from, are available to all of us online.

What we often lack is not the resources to learn, but an intent to learn. The discipline to pursue learning in a structured way. The openness to look “beyond the syllabus” and identify topics that truly resonate with us. The courage to put ourselves out there to learn with others virtually. The motive force of execution in bringing our learning to the service of others.

You can find more insights from my TEDx talk here, and sharing below the visual summary of the key insights I shared.

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