Review the readings from this week. Then answer the following:
1. Describe the essential aspects of a self-directed, intrinsically motivated, active learner?
2. Identify two areas of personal strength and two areas of personal weakness in being a self-motivated and engaged student.
3. Plan at least 5 strategies for personal growth and explain how you will implement each one.
4. How will you evaluate yourself on the success of your personal growth plan and how will you hold yourself accountable?
5. You should provide a word count.

My Strategy for Active Learning
     Intrinsic motivation indicates that the motive for a learner is purely fun or challenge instead of some external benefits that a learner can have (Cobb J., n.d.). Active learning refers to that leaners will take the initiative of their learning and are capable of working independently (Ryan M. R. & Deci L. E., 2000). Being a self-directed and intrinsically motivated, active learner can help me learn much more effectively.
     In terms of active learning, yearning for new knowledge and setting up a plan help me a lot to be active in learning. I always want to know something more one day after another. At the same time, I want to keep the trace of my learning progress so I always set up several periods and finish them one by one. This plan gives me a sense of satisfaction and makes my learning organized. However, I have some other traits that impede my active learning - procrastination and inclination to work alone.  Sometimes, I will put off the learning and enjoy watching movies or exercises first and worry about the rest at the last minute. Also, I sometimes intend to work alone and forget I should be active in finding resources, too. When I work alone, I will neglect some essential parts of a learning task. It will be always helpful if someone can give me some advice.
     My strategy for personal growth will involve the following tips: taking initiative, taking responsibility, enjoying challenges, enjoying learning, sharing my knowledge. To boost my personal growth, I need to be active in learning. I shouldn’t wait for someone to ask me to do that (Cobb J., n.d.). Additionally, I should be responsible for my learning. For example, when there is an assignment for a course, if I encounter any issue, I should be the one to ask questions or to find resources to solve it. The last thing I should do is to wait for my instructor to find out the issues at the last minute. What’s more, this is something I’ve been doing good. I enjoy taking challenges. I consider challenges as great opportunities for me to learn more. I will even use challenges as my motives to learn something.  Another tip for personal growth is enjoying learning, If I feel great and satisfied every day because I know something more that day, this pattern will create a positive feedback and motivates me to learn more every day. I want my life to be better every time I wake up in the morning, and learning something more can let me achieve that. Finally, sharing is always a big motivation for self-learning. In order to share, I have to hold a firm grasp on a topic. In the process of preparing for sharing, I will know even more that I just learn it for my own use. The best learner also regards sharing very important and think sharing is a way to contribute to the world(Cobb J., n.d.).
    To evaluate my personal growth, I will try to take some standardized exams to see my growth. For example, I’ve been learning English for years. It’s hard to know whether I have made a big progress or not. Therefore, every year I will take one of those standardized exams to track my learning progress. Some of them are TOEFL, GRE, TOEIC and so no. If the progress for that year is not ideal, I will hold responsible for that and require myself to learn one more hour every day. Not until I achieve the expected score for that exam will I stop the extra learning effort.
References
Cobb J. (n.d.). 15 Ways of the Successful Self-Directed Learner. Retrieved from https://www.missiontolearn.com/self-directed-learning/#comments
Cobb J. (n.d.). 10 Ways to Be a Better Learner: No. 10 – Embrace Responsibility. Retrieved https://www.missiontolearn.com/learning-responsibility/
Ryan M. R. & Deci L. E. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Retrieved from http://mmrg.pbworks.com/f/Ryan,+Deci+00.pdf
words: 606