Self-Determined Learning Lab (SDLL)

Student passions spark autonomy, agency, and action - empowering children to shape their learning

The Self-Determined Learning Lab is a groundbreaking, student-led initiative that empowers children to direct their own learning, cultivating a deep sense of ownership over their education and sparking motivated joy in the process. Students exercise autonomy to pursue their goals, collaborating to navigate challenges and develop ideas while practicing cooperation, communication, and respect.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated April 2025

Web presence

2024

Established

40 2025

1

Countries

All students

Target group

The SDLL transforms students into architects of their own education. Through interest-driven exploration and goal setting, planning, and attainment, learners cultivate resilience, emotional intelligence, and the capacity to build meaningful relationships. These skills are vital for navigating the challenges of our dynamic world and empowering students to become agents of positive change.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

The Self-Determined Learning Lab (SDLL) was designed using a self-determination theory framework which posits that individuals thrive when their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competency-building, and relatedness are met. SDLL utilizes these tenets to cultivate a student-driven pedagogical approach where children create interest-based goals and engage in their implementation.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

SSDL is a choose-your-own-adventure in learning, where students reflect on goals they want to achieve and strategically plan and carry out a design for goal attainment. Goals generally encompass the areas of advocacy/changemaking, skill mastery, service-learning, community service, and interest exploration. While educators provide support as needed, the students are responsible for obtaining resources, navigating challenges, seeking help, managing their time, monitoring their progress, and adapting new strategies as necessary. Project outcomes have included initiatives for change within the school and in the community, experiential off-campus exploration of fields such as fashion design, sustainable agriculture and herpetology, charitable campaigns to provide relief to hurricane victims and our unhoused population, and innovative game creation and design. As the program is student-led, no two projects looks the same, but all cultivate a deep intrinsic motivation to learn and thrive.

How has it been spreading?

Although the Self-Determined Learning Lab (SDLL) originated within a specific school's context, its core principles are highly adaptable. Schools seeking to foster student agency and personalized learning can extract the fundamental SDLL design and tailor it to their unique pedagogical approaches. The successful implementation of such a model, however, hinges on factors like resource availability, faculty motivation, administrative buy-in, and the existing school structure. The scalability of the program design, however, allows for the widespread potential of SDLL-inspired programs across diverse educational settings.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Documentation outlining the SDLL program design and starter resources is in development and will be available shortly. In the meantime, schools are encouraged to contact the program designer directly for further details.

Implementation steps

Self-Determined Learning Lab (SDLL) Design - Initial Journaling

1. Students spend several sessions journaling about their identities, roles they seek to play on campus, skills they are interested in learning, and goals they hope to achieve during the school year.

Individualized Goal Setting

Upon completion of the journal entries, students meet with the SDLL educator one-on-one to reflect on their goals and complete a 5-page open-ended goal inventory that expresses their interests. The inventory is separated into themes, including changemaking, advocacy, skill building, service learning, community service/charity, student as the teacher, leadership, and interest exploration.

Forming Committees

After reviewing each student's goal inventory, the SDLL educator assigns students to different "committees" or "clubs" based on similar interests and goals. Groups may be as large as up to 20 students when goals are more generalizable or as small as one individual when the interests are specific. The group appoints one or two leaders who are dedicated to driving the learning. These leaders can change at the wishes of the group, and roles within the group can change as the group deems necessary.

Goal Selection and Strategic Planning

Groups convene to establish their primary objective. They then collaborate on strategies and formalize a plan with actionable steps for achieving it. Goals and action plans are recorded through a method chosen by the group (e.g., digital input, handwritten record).

Plan Implementation

When the groups have established their action plans, they are ready for implementation. Action plans will differ widely based on interests, goals, and group size. While this process is student-led, the SDLL educator acts as a support to help navigate obstacles and provide resources (or guidance for acquiring necessary resources). The SDLL educator explicitly encourages and helps develop student help-seeking, environmental structuring, and time management in relation to each project.

Self- and Group-Monitoring of Progress

Periodically throughout the implementation process, groups are asked to fill out a worksheet that asks them to evaluate their progress, identify successful aspects and challenges they are facing, and areas that could be improved.

Strategy Adaptation

The group discusses the self-monitoring worksheet with the SDLL educator, agreeing on what obstacles require support and making decisions regarding new strategies they would like to adapt as they continue plan implementation.

Goal Attainment

Groups carry out their plans until they have reached each goal or subgoal. When a major goal has been reached, groups decide if they want to proceed with a new goal or if the committee has fulfilled all objectives and seek group dissolution (temporary or permanent). If another goal is agreed upon, a new cycle begins. The overall process is intentionally vague due to its student-led nature and varied processes for attaining goals and functioning as interest-based groups.

Self- and Group-Reflection

Upon goal attainment, each student individually reflects on the implementation process, by journaling their thoughts on a reflection form provided by the SDLL instructor. The reflection form comprises a series of open-ended questions regarding overall evaluation and self-satisfaction of the goal outcome, attributions for successful and unsuccessful components of each project (or piece of the project), and key takeaways, including plans to adapt future projects based on what they've learned.

Teacher/Family/Community Involvement

The SDLL program is most successful when working collaboratively with community members who can offer volunteer time, expert knowledge, and provide resources to students. What we have found is that teachers and parents in particular are excited and motivated to participate in the program due to their own task interest and value related to a project as well as their interest in seeing students thrive in autonomous, discovery- and passion-based learning environments.

Example Project: The Movement Initiative

Students developed a campaign advocating for the reinstatement of their movement class. They drafted and circulated a petition among students, securing a meeting with the Head of School to present their case. Identifying potential times for the class to occur, they negotiated with the movement teacher, offering incentives such as better behavior. Ultimately, their dedicated efforts proved successful.

Example Project: Service Committee

A group of compassionate students aimed to support hurricane victims with a bake sale. They researched reputable charities, secured school approval, emailed parents with details, provided baked goods, created advertising signs, announced it in classes, and managed the event – handling transactions, counting funds, cleaning up, and donating proceeds. Subsequent initiatives included making sustainable pet toys and volunteering at pet shelters, and conducting a food drive for unhoused people.

Example Project: Fashion Club

Eager to learn clothing design, students formed the fashion club. A parent expert in the field taught them fundamental design principles, color theory, and fabric knowledge. Supplementing this, a teacher with a love for sewing provided practical classes. Their learning was further enriched through mentorship from a university fashion program. A field trip to a Diane von Furstenberg exhibit and a club-led fashion show featuring their styled and designed clothing culminated the experience.