Balancing Structure and Self-Direction
Helen Murray
As we approach the end of our pilot year, I’ve been taking some time to reflect on what we’ve learned so far - one theme that has been in our minds from the very beginning is the balance between self-direction and structure across the whole Waymakers model.
At Waymakers, self-directed learning sits at the heart of what we offer. Whether in Tinker Lab, Curiosity Hub, or Deep Dive sessions, the intention is the same: to create space for young people to explore their interests, follow their curiosity, and shape their own learning journeys in ways that feel meaningful to them. That said, self-direction doesn’t always look the same in each context.
In Tinker Lab and Curiosity Hub, this tends to take the form of a looser, consent-based, interest-led space where learners can explore ideas with a high degree of autonomy - supported by their parents/facilitator, but not directed by them. In Deep Dive sessions, by contrast, the delivery is more structured and facilitator-led. However, they remain self-directed in a different sense: learners actively choose to opt in, commit to a shared focus, and decide to engage in a more guided, sustained learning experience.
Alongside this in-person offer, Waymakers also signposts to tried and trusted associates offering online and 1:1 learning. Emma’s online offer for example, offers a very flexible, interest-led, responsive approach to learning that can move between structured academic support and more open, interest-led exploration depending on the needs of the learner.
In this sense, across the whole Waymakers ecosystem and indeed home education more broadly, self-direction is not a single fixed mode, but something that can be held in different ways depending on context, relationship, and level of support. But as with most things, the reality is nuanced. Over the past year, I’ve been noticing how self-direction plays out differently depending on the context - particularly in social learning environments.
At home, self-directed learning often unfolds alongside flexibility, downtime, and responsive support. There’s space to pause, to drift, and to regulate energy naturally. In contrast, self-direction in intentional group settings can ask much more of a young person. It involves ongoing decision-making, social navigation, and self-regulation. Even when the experience is enjoyable and engaging, it can also be cognitively and emotionally demanding.
What I’ve been observing is that this demand can impact a young person’s overall capacity across their week. It’s not about motivation or enjoyment - far from it. Rather, it seems connected to the load that comes with directing oneself in a shared, social space. This brings me to the language that gets used around this. Terms like “building capacity” or “developing coping skills” are often used with good intentions. They can point to a desire to support young people to engage more fully, to feel more confident, or to navigate complexity. But they can also carry unintended weight - especially for neurodivergent learners. These phrases can feel like a subtle shifting of responsibility onto the child: an implication that they need to stretch, adapt, or tolerate more, rather than us asking how the environment might better support them. In that sense, “capacity” and “coping” can sometimes edge into language of endurance rather than flourishing. At Waymakers, we want to tread carefully here.
Yes, young people do grow in their ability to navigate social spaces, make decisions, and sustain engagement over time. But we don’t see that as something to be pushed or extracted. Instead, we see it as something that emerges when the conditions are right - when environments feel safe, responsive, and appropriately held. Which brings me back to structure - and how it shows up differently across our offer. There can sometimes be an assumption that structure and self-direction sit at opposite ends of a spectrum. But in practice, they often intertwine in more interesting ways.
For example:
In Tinker Lab, gentle rhythms and thoughtfully prepared environments support open-ended exploration in a low-pressure, self-directed way.
In Curiosity Hub, light scaffolding such as prompts, shared starting points, and facilitated reflection helps hold a consent-based space for emerging interests and collaboration.
In Deep Dive, structured, facilitator-led sessions are balanced by the fact they are intended to be fully self-chosen with young people supported by their parents to choose what they want more depth, focus, and sustained engagement on.
In Emma’s online work, learning is carefully responsive and adaptable, shifting between structure and openness depending on what best supports the learner at any given time.
In each case, structure doesn’t replace autonomy - it holds it, and sometimes even makes it possible.
When structure is thoughtfully applied, it can:
reduce the cognitive load of decision-making
ease the demands of social negotiation
create a sense of safety and predictability
free up energy for creativity, exploration, and collaboration
Seen this way, structure isn’t about making young people cope better with demanding environments. It’s about shaping environments that are more humane, more accessible, and more attuned—so that young people don’t have to overextend themselves just to take part.
And interestingly, when that happens, what some might call “capacity” often grows anyway—but as a byproduct of feeling supported, not as a target to be pursued.
So perhaps the question isn’t structure or self-direction, or even capacity versus support, but how we intentionally weave these elements together across the Waymakers ecosystem, so that each strengthens the other.
