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What is DIY Learning?

WELCOME to ETEC565M's DIY OER. You can navigate this site sequentially, or in any order, you wish to explore. This page contains an academic discussion (About), three case studies (STEAM, Makers, and Music), a hands-on exercise (DIY), a quiz, discussion and comments space (Forum) and References (Resources).

“My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” – Sir Ken Robinson, Speaker and international advisor on education

A Definition

Have you ever looked at a YouTube video to find out how to change a water pump? Maybe find out how to make a rhubarb-strawberry pie? These are small examples of Do-it-yourself (DIY) learning.

 

If you have ever sought out how to do something, find out information, or search out ways to advance a socially relevant cause, you are among the approximately 90% of adults who have engaged in some form of independent informal learning activity (Livingstone, 1999; 2002).

Digital media that is at our immediate disposal enables informal learning. We can micromanage our learning space, time, and context with a mobile device that is so omnipresent in our daily lives that many of us feel a sense of loss and emptiness when it is out of our immediate grasp.

 

DIY learning has close ties to that age-old concept of self-directed learning. Malcolm Knowles, considered a founding father of andragogy (adult education), stated self-directed learning as: 

 

"a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating their learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes" (as cited in Smith, 2002).

 

The philosophy of DIY learning is embodied within this concept. DIY Lab, a consortium of researchers from several learning institutions and various schooling levels, defines DIY learning as:

 

"DIY, or Do It Yourself, is a philosophy that puts the student at the center of the learning experience, by turning it into the maker of its own learning materials" (DIY Lab, 2016, p.7).

 

This definition is the foundation for this presentation on DIY Learning.

Selected Research

ONE MODEL and THREE LEARNING THEORIES support DIY learning. These are the inquiry-based model and the theories of Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Seymour Papert.

 

The inquiry-based model “places the responsibility for learning on the students and encourages them to arrive at an understanding of concepts by themselves” (“Inquiry-Based Learning,” p. 2017).  There is a definite path this model follows to achieve a successful learning outcome.

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  • Establishing what needs to be learned;

  • Finding resources to support the learner;

  • Mining the required information that helps the specific inquiry topic; and

  • Assessing the learning experience.

 

The individual drives the learning experience in this model. Being at the centre of the process, the learner takes responsibility and ownership. In a school setting, the teacher acts as a facilitator and guide. In DIY learning, one similarly situates oneself as the centre of the experience and searches for meaning-making and knowledge taking just as the inquiry-based model suggests.  

 

Jean Piaget stressed that learning is a constructed process based on prior experience and knowledge. Since all backgrounds are unique, learners will have different learning experiences from any situational context. In a DIY context, with learners having a vested interest in the experience and reflective knowledge of their baseline, they will be the best architect of a customized learning experience.

 

Lev Vygotsky’s social learning theory also has constructivist leanings. His three-pronged approach included the need for social interaction, a more knowledgeable other, and the concept of the ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT. For the DIYer, this supports the use of many different sources to find social groups to support the learning, both in person and through digital means. Vygotsky’s mention of having access to a more knowledgeable self indicates a potentially valuable resource. The DIY learner can seek out those that can provide knowledge, guidance, or mentorship in the learning process. The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a crucial concept for the DIY learner. Using self-reflection, one can assess what they know and what they want to know. The reflective exercise then leads to steps that are attainable for the individual creating more significant opportunities for success.

 

Seymour Papert takes constructivism one step further with his CONSTRUCTIONISM concept. In this Papert states that “the learner is consciously engaged in constructing a public entity, whether it's a sand castle on the beach or a theory of the universe” (Papert & Harel. 1991). For the DIY learner, the physical manifestation of the learning process provides a tangible result for the experience. Whether it is self-improvement that allows one to obtain a better job, or a material artifact like a water pump that doesn’t leak, or a tasty strawberry rhubarb pie, Papert’s constructionist learner must be actively engaged in the process.

 

These learning theories support some fundamental concepts for DIY. These include the learner as an active participant and central in the learning process, interaction with the immediate environment to engage the process, obtaining information as it is needed and at a level that is seen as attainable, and having a tangible outcome as a result of the learning experience.

DIY in Learning Spaces

The concept of DIY learning seems to indicate that the learner is both the guide and the client in the learning process. So what role does a teacher or facilitator play in this space? Gureckis & Markant (2012) state that “a teacher provides helpful or informative examples can correct early misconceptions, help elaborate the space of concepts or stimulus properties that are relevant, and then allow more effective self-directed learning within that space.” (Gureckis & Markant, 2012, p.475). Further, Peter Hutton, the principal of a school in Victoria Australia presents the vision for Templestowe College in a TEDx talk:

 

“To be a supportive community empowering students to manage their individualised learning, and turn ideas into reality” (Hutton, 2014. 6:22).

 

Finally,  quoting Gureckis and Markant (2012) “if the learner has no way to represent a particular concept, then there is no way that self-directed learning will lead them to “discover” it, and their information gathering decisions will appear consistently suboptimal.” (Gureckis & Markant. 2012. pp.474-5). A teacher-coach-facilitator will still be a valued component in the DIY learning environment.

 

In keeping with current educational thought, the traditional concept of the teacher delivering content to passive learners requires transformation. In DIY, the student evolves from the role of consumer to an active producer of their own learning experience and resultant relational artifacts. As a pedagogical imperative, DIY Lab (2014) lists a requirement for “reflection spaces between students and teachers to enhance a pedagogical relationship build on mutual trust and responsibility.” (DIY Lab, 2014). As a facilitator, “a teacher provides helpful or informative examples can correct early misconceptions, help elaborate the space of concepts or stimulus properties that are relevant, and then allow more effective self-directed learning within that space” (Gureckis & Markant, 2012, p.475).

Types of DIY Learner

FOUR TYPES OF LEARNERS in a self-directed context:

 

INDUCED: These would be those that a traditional educational experience assumes. The learner is mandated to cover specific objectives. They may have zero knowledge in this area before starting and no mastery of the subject.

 

SYNERGISTIC: This learning takes advantage of a situational context that may be unintended, but taken advantage of due to its presence; this is not a mandated context. The learner is considered to understand what they do not know in the area and is a willing participant.

 

VOLUNTARY: Learning is undertaken to achieve a personal goal. It is not mandated, motivation is intrinsic, and seen as a means of reaching the desired goal. The learner knows what they need to do to gain the desired knowledge.

 

SCANNING: This learning type is akin to sampling. One is in a continuing process of seeking out new learning opportunities. The various scans may produce very diverse information.

 

(Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L.L., 2013, pp.63-64)

 

These learning types are not necessarily discrete as elements of each may be present to varying degrees within the context. Since each has their context, as Piaget supports, the opportunity for the learner to design their learning objectives creates the highest relevance and chances for a successful experience.

Highlights; Challenges

The choice whether to DIY or not will have as many factors as there are people considering it. To help with the decision, here are some arguments for and against the concept of DIY.

Validating DIY Sources

There are ways to ensure a learning path follows reliable and verified information.

 

The most logical starting point is to check resources that have been peer-reviewed, or the author has cited references to support the information given. What happens when we want to use the vast resource base that is in the digital sphere? Many sites use these traditional methods of verification, but others do not lend themselves to an academic system of checks and balances. For these, one has to dig a little deeper to ensure they are not misguided in their resource hunt.

 

Seek credentialing: One of the significant concerns with DIY learning is the lack of credentialing. In Shah’s (2017) post, he quotes Rick Levin, the former CEO of Coursera. He states “the real audience is not the traditional university student but what he calls the “lifelong career learner,” someone who might be well beyond their college years and takes these online courses with the goal of achieving professional and career growth.” (Shah, 2017).  To serve this demographic, MOOC providers have started to create courses targeting specializations leading to micro-credentials, giving a form of validation of the course. The lifelong learner can then put several of these together to satisfy their specific DIY needs.

 

The DIY learner has to be able to identify verified sources. Wiki spaces use open peer review and citing references to provide a product that has a form of validation. YouTube videos and topic-specific forums can also have a kind of validation through feedback that others leave. This type of community-based support and verification allows free and open resources to be shared and provide one with a level of confidence in the reliability of the information.

 

So how can one ensure sources are reliable? When mining for sources, The Library of Congress has produced a list of sites to find guides that will help to assure that resources found online are verifiable. Their page, Evaluating Internet Resources An Annotated Guide to Selected Resources, has many links where one can find information to assist with the resource selection process.

How do we proceed?

While opening our digital mobile device is probably the easiest way to undertake DIY, what if we want to dig deeper than a video or article? How do we set ourselves up to successfully complete this experience? Gail Matthews (2015) identified THREE MAIN STRATEGIES for a successful DIY experience:

 

  1. Be ACCOUNTABLE. Send weekly progress reports to a friend, peer or mentor.

  2. Have a PUBLIC COMMITMENT. Send your intentions to a friend to formalize your plan.

  3. Create a LEARNING PLAN for the DIY experience. Complete a detailed plan that states your goals and the resources that you intend on using.

 

Your social circle can provide you with the first two strategies on this list. Your mobile device gives you the means to communicate your intentions and report your progress. The last item, creating a DIY plan is a bit more involved. Complex DIY learning experiences require a plan to orient a project in the correct direction.

 

On the following pages, there are THREE CASE STUDIES. You will also find a DIY LEARNING PLAN FORM to use as an exercise to design your own DIY experience. In the end, we have provided activities to synthesize your trip through the DIY learning process.

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