Summary: A few months ago (12/2004) NWREL (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory) published an informative article on enhancing students self-directedness, written because that issue was on the top category of regional school leaders' concerns. Besides the link to the article (near bottom of entry) there are (a) links within the report for the metacognitive (aka deuterolearning and learning to learn) aspects of the findings, and (b) to weblog entries I've made on the subject.

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Metacognition* is listed as one of several issues influencing self-directedness (also involved: also self-efficacy, motivation, self-advocacy).

In Table I classroom implications and research references for all pieces of self-directedness are provided.

Check out this reference* to Ngeow & Kong's approach to learning to learn.

[ via Developing Self-Directed Learners: "TOPICAL SUMMARY DECEMBER 2004 NORTHWEST REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY, Office of Planning and Service Coordination]
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See the University of Delaware's own compilation of references on problem-based learning.

Finally, you might want to look at my weblog entries

1. "Learning to Learn (aka metalearning, deuterolearning) Knowledge About Self and Learning--High Proven Payoff" and
2. a comparison of group learning approaches, including deuterolearning and "communitarian", in the entry Learning in Groups: Maybe schools should be more businesslike??!!

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*[links take you within the NWREL report, thanks to granular addressing via purpleslurple. Read about it and get your own bookmarklet here]