The #1 Skill Generation Alpha Needs to Thrive: Self Direction

Without self-direction, generation alpha won’t have a chance. In the age of rapid technological advancement with tools fueled by Artificial Intelligence, young people need to know who they are, what they value, and how to shape their lives with intention. 

What are the skills and dispositions those in Generation Alpha - the first generation to be born entirely in the 21st century, need to thrive? This is the question we all need to be asking. At The Village School, we’ve created a Humentic learning framework that prioritizes the human over the artificial.  And one of the most important human skills on which our school model is built upon is that of self-direction. Self-directed learning has been around for a millenia, and many researchers over those years have worked to refine an official definition. Regardless, in typical TVS fashion, we are most interested in what the young people have to say about the word and what it means to them. 

We asked them, and here’s what they said: 

What does it mean to be a self-directed learner? 

Being independent and a leader. 

For me it means to stay focused on one task. 

To be kind, respectful, and make good decisions. 

Making our own decisions and choices. 

What is the best part about being a self-directed learner? 

Getting to have freedoms. 

You know how to work hard, but have fun. 

Being trusted

You get to make your own decisions.

You’re independent, but you still collaborate. 

To be free.

What is most challenging about being a self-directed learner? 

Standing up for what’s right and staying focused. 

Being afraid to fail. 

Managing your own time. 

Doing the right thing. 

Being responsible. 

These responses aren’t abstract ideals from an adult-created curriculum framework or benchmark standards. These responses are the lived experiences of young people navigating what it means to be responsible for their own learning and self-directed in their actions. These responses reflect TVS learners’ attunement to the relationship between freedom and responsibility, and the impressive level of self-awareness they have in their learning experience. 

As we always say, we believe young people are capable of so much more than the world gives them credit for. Generation Alpha is inheriting a world that none of us can fully predict. When AI can do more and more of the doing, the irreplaceable skill becomes knowing who you are and what you want to build. The best action we can take is to make sure they can confidently lead themselves through it.