Mentorship Minutes: A Journey of Self-Directed Learning
A Journey of Self-Directed Learning
Malcolm Knowles said in his book Self-Directed Learning:
In its broadest meaning, “self-directed learning” describes a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes.” (1975, p.18).
This definition of the self-directed learner from Knowles resonates with me deeply. Driven by my core value of curiosity, I took the initiative to learn about mentorship. This journey began as a weekly email to the Huachuca ROCKS non-profit group I was part of at the time and evolved into a LinkedIn newsletter or blog - the Mentorship Minute Monday (Slininger, 2023).
When integrating technology into adult learning, you have to ask two questions:
To effectively integrate blogging as a technology, you need to understand if your students are motivated enough to blog, or it can fall flat with the class and wind up as another discussion board. However, as an individual goal, blogging is a powerful tool for the motivated, self-directed learner. Yet, not having a framework to build on can lead to frustration - this is where goal setting comes to the rescue.
When most people hear goal setting, they think SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound. To be honest, these are helpful when developing micro-goals in an area where you are already familiar with the subject material - they are not helpful when you are new to a field. For a new, unfamiliar area, you will need DUMB goals - Discover, Understand, Master, Blend.
Let's look at the Mentorship Minute Monday newsletter as a case study:
If I had tried to use a SMART goal framework, I would have been lost. In 2023, I was new to this concept of mentorship literature and thought it was something that happened when the mentee was the chosen one of the mentor. So I set out to discover everything I could about mentorship. I began reading books and articles and participated in a fellowship focused on developing a mentorship toolkit (eMMissary Program).
However, having all this information in my head was starting to make it hurt as I thought I understood it, but for me, I need to write ideas out to fully understand the tangle of thoughts in my brain - so I started writing the Mentorship Minute Monday, which allowed me to understand what I was reading and how it worked.
As I continued writing - 1 blog a week since April of 2023 - I began to master the subject of mentorship and form my beliefs and ideas. This happens when you write around 100 blogs on a specific topic, conducting literature research to ensure accuracy.
Now, I continue to write on mentorship, but most of my posts come from where I see mentorship happen in my life, which is often because thinking about mentorship has blended into everything I do. For instance, just this past weekend, my wife and I watched KPop Demon Hunters - do you think there's a mentorship lesson in that film? You bet there is, but no spoilers here!
To recap, blogging is an effective tool for self-directed learners who are motivated to take the initiative. As adult educators, we can empower our students to harness the benefits of this route by providing them with a framework for discovery that allows them to grow and learn without setting them up for failure by using SMART goals in a field of knowledge they don't know enough about.
Reflection Questions:
- Have you used blogging to discover new understanding in a field of knowledge?
- Have you used SMART goals before? How did that framework help (or not)?
- Try implementing DUMB goals, see how using that framework can help (or not) and let me know!
References:
Kang, H. (2025). Adult learning and meaningful technology integration (2nd ed.). New Prairie Press.
Knowles, M. S. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. Association Press.
Slininger, C. (2023–present). Mentorship Minute Monday [Newsletter]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/mentorship-minute-monday-7132205659961364481/
Your example of Mentorship Minute Monday illustrates beautifully how blogging can serve as both a reflective tool and a vehicle for self-directed learning. The way you connected Knowles’s (1975) definition of SDL to your own journey highlights how curiosity and initiative can transform writing from a task into a powerful learning process. I also found your distinction between SMART and DUMB goals insightful. SMART goals are often effective for learners who already have some grounding in a subject, but as you pointed out, they can feel limiting when exploring new territory. Your DUMB framework (discover, understand, master, blend) provides a more flexible progression that mirrors the way many adults naturally learn in unfamiliar areas.
ReplyDeleteKang (2025) emphasized the importance of aligning technology with both learner needs and motivation. Your case study demonstrates that blogging works best when it is not just assigned but embraced as part of a learner’s personal growth. It seems that the success of your blog lies in both the structure you created and the intrinsic motivation you brought to it.
Your post made me consider how we might help students who are less motivated or less confident approach blogging in a way that still feels meaningful. Do you think the DUMB framework could also help those learners build momentum and begin to see themselves as self-directed?
References
Kang, H. (2025). Adult learning and meaningful technology integration (2nd ed.). New Prairie Press.
Knowles, M. S. (1975). Self-directed learning: A guide for learners and teachers. Association Press.
As someone who uses SMART goals on a daily basis in creating and monitoring treatment plans for my clients I want to defend their usefulness and would argue they are in applicable in more than developing “micro-goals” of known content, but I hear your perspective and am glad you found an approach that worked for you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you shared about blogging being most effective for SDLers who are motivated to take the initiative but also see the challenge here when blogging is an assignment that must be completed. Knowles’s (1975) definition of an SDLer suggests the freedom of that process allows that motivation to be a driving force for learning. Your experience with learning through blogging seems a good example of this. Grow (1991) suggested an SDLer requires more independence but assignments like a blog or discussion board is more indicative of an an “Involved Learner (p. 17)” as defined by Grow. I think that is the primary challenge with blogs for adult learning. Some freedom is necessary to support an adult learner but context must be provided in order to assess learning.
Grow, G. (1991). Teaching learners to be self-directed. Adult Education Quarterly, 41(3), 125-149. https://doi10.1177/0001848191041003001.
Knowles, M. S. (1975) Self-Directed Learning. New York, NY: Association Press.
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteIt’s clear this is not your first blog, but I want to applaud you on your concise writing style and the visual appeal of your blog. It looks great, it’s easy to read, and your typographical choices help make your points clear and easy to follow.
I’ve never heard of DUMB goals, but that is both interesting and hilarious. I’ve been a continuing education sponsor off and on for years, and the organization I work under requires SMART goals to approve continuing education activities. I have seen that a lot of people don’t understand how to write SMART goals or learning objectives and it ends up causing a lot of chaos and ineffective learning activities.
One thing that stood out to me from the reading that I didn’t see you mention in your post is that this type of assignment falls into Grow’s described State 3 of The Self-Directed Learning Model, putting us at the level of “Involved”, just before “Self-directed (2024).” I suspect one of my challenges as a person who has already completed a graduate degree, and an extensive amount of professional development, I may be feeling unmotivated in part because I am used to being a Stage 4 learner under Grow’s model. I agree that ineffective use of blogging can result in what can be an activity that supports autonomy to function as another discussion board. I am certainly not motivated to blog, so the next few weeks will be a struggle. But after this I am done with my certificate, so that external motivation is my driving force right now (Shank et al,. 2024).
I’m curious where you feel this blogging assignment falls on Grow’s model.
Grow, G. (2024, June 2). Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed (SSDL) - Gerald Grow’s Home Page. Gerald Grow’s Home Page. https://longleaf.net/wp/articles-teaching/teaching-learners-text/
Shank, E., Tang, H., & Morris, W. (2024). Motivation in online course design using self-determination theory: an action research study in a secondary mathematics course. Educational Technology Research and Development, 73, 415–441. Springer Nature Link. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-024-10410-9
Hi Vanessa!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that blogging could turn into the next discussion board and get lost or no longer be appealing. This could pose the question of ‘What do we do next?’ or ‘ Where do we go from here?’. This could make it harder for teachers of all ages adult or children to be at a fork in the road. Do you go back to discussion boards or find a new way to integrate technology that is inviting, creative, and appealing.
I have always heard of and used SMART when making goals but I think I might need to use DUMB for some goals. I have never heard of DUMB goals before and it seems to be a way to still create an achievable goal along with not as many steps creating more interaction when it comes to making goals.