Learning Autonomy Explained to Students

Use Your Brain!

Your dad got home one day with two tickets to watch the All Blacks play live. It has been your dream to see your team so close, especially when they have been on the path to being in the semi-finals this year. You have always wanted to become a professional rugby player and this game is a great chance to taste what it is.

You could barely sleep the night before the game day. You dressed in your team’s jersey and off you went. You had goosebumps when the players walked into the field, performed the Haka and the fireworks illuminated the whole stadium. You were so excited as you watched your favorite players win this defining game! You left the stadium inspired and ready to realise your dream: To make the fans roar in excitement for the balls you will steal in play and the goals you will score…but where to start from? What kind of training do you need? What food do you have to eat? What school do you have to go to?

Most children are caught in this daydream, thinking their aspirations will be realised by themselves when they grow up, that someone will pay attention to what they want and help them navigate in the right direction. It doesn’t often happen that way. As best-selling author, Jack Canfield, shared in his book, The Success Principles, “One of the most important principles for success is taking 100% responsibility for your life and your results.” In other words, if you want something, you must work for it yourself. Learning autonomy is what will help you achieve your aspirations. It gives you the skills to realise your dreams. You learn to plan, set goals, explore possibilities, research, practice, relate everything to your end goal and self-assess your progress. Whether you are learning a subject at school or rugby skills, learning autonomy helps you to get the job done. Learning autonomy is like when you learned to ride a bike: pedal, balance and move forward. Once you have learned it, you can go from point A to B without even thinking about the process of riding the bike. The same process applies to learning. Once you master the process, you can learn anything you want without thinking about where to start.

My nephew, Danny, used to watch his older brother play football with his friends when they were young. As he grew up, so did his passion for football. At 8 years old, I took him to a one-week Barcelona FC camp. He played so well that the coach upgraded him to play with the 10-year-olds by mid-morning of the first day. He eventually joined the club he wanted and was winning youth championships one after the other. During the 2020 pandemic, Danny set the goal to become the best midfielder in the country and trained for it. Because of that, he debuted on Ireland’s U-16 National Football Team at the age of 15, and now, at 16, he is the captain of that team. There is no doubt that Danny will realise his dream of becoming a professional football player. He is a living example that learning autonomy works for the ones who embrace it.

The point is that every child can reach their highest potential; all they need is a process to get there. We call it learning autonomy: the ability to function with minimal external guidance. It is what one-year-olds do naturally by walking, eating, talking and putting their little finger in the electrical outlet all by themselves, driven by pure, innate, intrinsic motivation for discovery. Learning autonomy doesn’t require you to be a genius, go to a specific school, use certain textbooks or have the coolest app because it starts from something you already have: A brain! education.

You may think you must have certain superpowers, levels of intelligence or physical capabilities to achieve your dream. Let me reaffirm that all you need is a laser-focused dream! Sir Richard Branson, who has dyslexia, founded the Virgin Group and became a multibillionaire. Thomas Edison, one of the world’s greatest inventors, was deaf. A college dropout, Lady Gaga has won over 200 music awards.

Now, you may think that learning autonomy develops only cognitive skills, but the continuous self-reflection and selfimprovement throughout the learning process also develop socio-emotional skills, such as self-esteem, perseverance and self-awareness. Research done by Columbia University concluded that, “The need for control is a biological imperative. When people believe they are in control, they work harder, are more resilient and push themselves more.” When students are in the driver’s seat, they learn to take control of the outcomes.

In summary, the reason why you must become an autonomous learner is that it is a biological imperative and because it is THE process to realise your dreams. You can do it because you already have what it takes: Your brain!

She can be contacted at et@erikatwani.com