Self Education — Teach Yourself Anything

Self Study is defined as something studied by oneself without any kind of help or supervision by a teacher or a trainer, though the person studying may take help of some external sources like books, tutorials and encyclopedia etc, hence it would not be wrong to say that it is a form of study in which the student himself is responsible to a large extent for his one’s own instruction and is himself his teacher. There is no one to tell him or to guide him to do something or the other. It may also be defined as “learning on your own” or “by yourself” or being yourself your own teacher.

Be curious. A curious mind seeks to be educated. By asking questions, you can find out a lot of things that many people don’t know and won’t ever know.

• There is no limit to how many questions you can ask, or should ask.
• Be aware that some people are annoyed by questions. In fact, the less a person knows, and the less patient a person, the more a question will bug that person. That in itself tells you a great deal.

Read, watch and see things that you don’t know anything about. Try to expand your mind by learning beyond your comfort zone and seeing how other people think, perceive and understand things.

• If you only ever see rom-coms, go and see a documentary or an action film instexad.
• If you only ever read comics, try a novel instead.
• If you only ever see car rallies, go and see a museum exhibition instead.

“I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.” — Natalie Portman

Interact with others — One of the great things about the internet is that you can use it to help you learn and grow further. There are social media communities dedicated to every profession, art, and branch of studies under the sun, so it’s a good idea to interact with people who are going through the same journey you are.

Listen to the senior citizens. They have lived through it all and have amazing memories of the things that were. You can, and will, learn a lot from them if you just take the time to sit with and listen to them.

• Should you feel that what they tell you is old hat and odd, put aside your biases and really listen. There are authentic human things to learn from older people, regardless of where modern technology sits at any one time.

“I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.” — Winston Churchill

Gather knowledge. One of the most common mistakes is that people concentrate either on the practical or on the theoretical aspects of something. This only leads to stereotypes like the stupid sportsman or the nonathletic nerd. However, it is also very ineffective, because you probably don’t use your whole brain, but only the left side or the motoric part. Having an open mind also helps to see connections to things you already like, thus increasing comprehension and motivation.

Organize your learning. At the end of a session look what you accomplished and prepare the next session with some questions or tasks, so the next time you only need to start working on the topic, which decreases the risk of procrastination.

“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning. “— William Arthur Ward

Keep Learning. Anytime is learning time, there is no restriction for student opting self-learning based on time. You can take full advantage of the Internet, i-tutorials, and various mobile devices, good old-fashioned books and encyclopedias. Learn during “dead time”, convert every possible minute of free time into learning time. Listen in your car, on the train, or while you do some activity not involving your brain. Have your learning with you while waiting, or try to listen to lectures on i-pod while checking out at the walking in park. Anytime is learning time. Remember that you learn through exposure and not by nailing things down. It is more like moisture accumulation in a cloud, rather than building a brick wall.

Go online. Join a multi-online open course or similar online learning courses. Many of these are free and will really push your learning beyond the simple. You can even interact with other peers learning and get and give feedback.

Make effective use of technology. Technology today has touched every domain of human life. Today in the world of modernization where technology is available at very affordable price, everyone is moving towards it and there is hardly any sphere left where technological advancement has not spread its roots. In self-study technology plays an important role. Thousands of tutorials are being uploaded daily which have helped thousands of students in different parts of world. If a person is opting for self study, it is very important for him to keep him updated with the latest technology and latest tutorials, encyclopedias and books.

Clearly set your objectives. Setting clear objectives and goal is one of the first habits of successful people according, and one of the first things learning professionals do when kicking-off the research phase. In many companies, learning objectives are formalized by the golden triangle of learner, manager, and HR. For some independent self-learners with intentional learning needs or students, it is important and beneficial to start by setting well-formulated, smart, results-oriented objectives. Clearly define the topics you need to learn and start collecting the relevant material accordingly. Do not waste time, be sure of what you need or want and proceed accordingly.