Announcing the creation of Self Managed Learning College.

Thanks to Professor Ian Cunningham for updating us on exciting developments in self managed learning. We wish Ian and his colleagues every continuing success

Self Managed Learning College is a virtual college that was launched in July 2009. It has been established as a co-ordinating organisation within the Centre for Self Managed Learning, an educational charity. The Centre for Self Managed Learning was established in 1994 initially to develop Self Managed Learning (SML) in organisations. The SML approach had been developed in a number of educational and organisational contexts since 1978 but, up until 1999, the focus had been on work with adults.

The work that has grown up since 1999 in education for young people includes:

• THE SOUTH DOWNS LEARNING CENTRE – has provided a programme operating Monday to Friday each morning for young people aged 11-16 not in school.
• PROGRAMMES IN SCHOOLS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 7-18. This has included work in England in East Sussex, Portsmouth, Brighton and Hove and the London Borough of Haringey. Work outside England has been in Jersey, Israel, Finland, Sweden and Canada.
• PROGRAMMES FOR HOME EDUCATED YOUNG PEOPLE – mostly in the south of England.
• MENTORING approaches have been used to provide one-to-one support for young people for whom attending an organised programme with others is inappropriate.
• COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS – for instance working with three universities on joint programmes, research and film making (about SML).
• RESEARCH. Initially the evaluation of Summerhill School in England (published in 2000) – now research on Self Managed Learning (SML) in schools and on related educational issues.
• PUBLICATIONS – articles have been produced on educational issues and a regular free newsletter is distributed to anyone interested in the Self Managed Learning approach.
• SEMINARS AND OTHER EVENTS. Since 2000 there have been a variety of events on educational issues.
• CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS – in Canada, Sweden, Israel and the UK on SML for young people.

All these activities are now based within Self Managed Learning College. The College runs alongside the organisational work of the Centre for Self Managed Learning.

http://www.college.selfmanagedlearning.org/