Self-directed learning is essentially about being curious about the world around you and then utilising all the resources at your disposal to discover more (experimenting\playing, reading books, watching you tube, making notes/sketches, finding people who enjoy the same thing as you or who know more, asking questions, taking online or RL classes etc).
Children might need help figuring out how they learn most effectively or locating and accessing particular resources. Some will enjoy learning in their own company at home, others might enjoy the increased motivation of working in a group with people who have similar interests or goals.
Covid-19 has definitely brought with it some unique challenges for SDL because only some of the things which stimulate our motivation have been available to us.
What I love most about SDL is that it organically feeds into our innate drive to learn. There is no *right* way to do it because everyone is different and learns in their own way and in their own time. It embraces and celebrates difference. .
Here are 2 of my favourite resources to discover more: Freed to Learn by Peter Gray and The Art of Self-Directed Learning by Blake Boles. I love Blake’s work because it is so accessible and doesn’t pose school as the enemy (it’s not, the system is).
Unschool Sketchbook 