Research findings, as well as newly adopted curriculum standards, continues to send a message to educators that the work of learning must be shifted from teachers to the ones doing the learning. That's because research and anecdotal evidence suggest that when students manage their own learning, they become more invested in their own academic success. Self-directed students also deploy critical-thinking skills more readily when confronted with challenging schoolwork. Research shows that children are naturally active learners who, from infancy, make choices and set goals to solve problems. In addition, Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts adopted last year by 43 states and the District of Columbia encourage student-directed learning (SDL). The standards set learning outcomes beyond simple knowledge of content by emphasizing active inquiry and analysis on the part of students. In response, teachers and schools are experimenting strategies to foster SDL. This can include choice of content, assignments, and pacing; project-based learning, group work, and progress management; and self-assessment. Providing chances for students to make decisions is a characteristic of SDL strategy. At its core, this orientation helps students focus on what is discoverable on their own about the subject matter in order to foster critical and creative cognition. The strategies are less about the prescribed body of knowledge that educators are required to teach than about "the how and the methodology, where students are given lots of opportunities to make connections and connect the dots."