自主學習的定義
「自主學習」一詞會造成誤導，我不會以自主學習來形容瑟谷或我自己。
想想看這些字——「自主學習」暗指學習可以被引導，它不是一個有機的過程，而是一個有組織、計畫且被引導的過程。一個園丁無法指引植物生長，植物要嘛就是處在一個有助於它生長的環境，要嘛不是。園丁最多可以做的，就是營造一個讓生長變得比較容易的環境。
基於完全相同的理由，自主學習與由別人引導的學習一樣不可能。沒有任何老師能夠或是有在引導學習，也沒有一個學生能夠或是有在引導自己學習。從來沒有。 學習就是發生在我們生活中的事物，包括思考我們周遭的世界、把不同的想法連接起來、和建構關於這個世界的模型等等。
一個人最接近引導自我學習的狀態，是藉由引導自我行動而達成的間接控制。一個人可以決定做出一些他猜想會影響自己心智的行動，但他永遠無法事先準確地知道，這些行動會如何影響他的心智。例如，你可以選擇聽專家所言或讀他們寫的文章，但你無法引導自己從那些經驗中得到什麼。
你會怎麼引導自己學到一加一等於十五？ 你有辦法指引自己做出這樣的事嗎？
如果你真的想學會一加一等於十五，你能採取的最好方法就是進行一系列練習，以增加你相信它的可能性。表現出一加一是十五的樣子、跟相信它的人一起混、假設一些證明它為真的數學證據⋯⋯即使如此，你更可能從練習中學到的不是一加一等於十五，而是任何人實際上對自己心智的控制力有多小。一個人從來無法引導自己學到什麼，然而一個人可以決定如何生活，學習就在這個情境中自然發生。
所以，不是的，瑟谷並不關於自主學習，而是關於自主生活。也就是說， 瑟谷是關於自由。
瑟谷是關於自己決定什麼值得花時間去追求，並追求它；瑟谷是關於擁有自己的意義；瑟谷是關於智慧。它關於在一個大家都努力實現自我的社區當中，在成功之路上找到好的下一步；它關於為自己決定要成為誰、如何與他人互動，以及如何做自己的主人。
（未完待續）
The phrase “self-directed learning” is misleading. I would not describe Sudbury Valley or myself as involved in self-directed learning.
Think about the words. The phrase "self-directed learning" implicitly claims that learning can be directed; that it is not an organic process, but one organized, planned, and directed. A gardener cannot direct a plant to grow. Either the plant is in an environment conducive to its growth, or it is not. The best that the gardener can do, is to make an environment in which growth is easier.
Self-directed learning is impossible for precisely the same reason that other-directed learning is impossible. No teacher does or can direct learning, no student does or can direct learning. Ever. Learning is simply what happens as we live, thinking about the world around us, forming connections to ideas, and building models of the world.
The closest that one comes to directing one's own learning, is that indirect control which comes from directing one's own actions. One can decide to act or move in ways that one suspects will influence his own mind, but he will never know in advance precisely how those actions will influence his mind. For example, you could choose to listen to people, or to read things written by people, who you believe to be experts in a field; but you cannot direct what you will get out of the experience.
How would you go about directing yourself to learn that one plus one equals fifteen? Could you direct yourself to do such a thing? If you really wanted to learn that one plus one equals fifteen, the best you could do would be a string of exercises that increase the likelihood that you would believe it. Acting as if it was the case, hanging around people who believe it, postulating mathematical proofs that it is true. But even then, what you are more likely to learn from the exercise is not that one plus one equals fifteen, but just how little control any person actually has over his own mind. One never directs what one learns; one, rather, decides how to live, and learning simply happens in that context.
So, no, Sudbury valley is not about self-directed learning. It is about self-directed living. That is, Sudbury Valley is about liberty.
Sudbury Valley is about deciding for oneself what it is worth one's time to pursue, and pursuing it. Sudbury Valley is about what it means to own oneself. Sudbury Valley is about wisdom. It is about finding a good next step on a path to fulfillment, in a community of others struggling to do the same thing. It is about deciding for oneself who he will be, how he will interact with others, and how he will master himself.
(To be continued)
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