Doing Your Own Research
Learn to identify reputable sources. If you are going to be teaching yourself, you will need to know how to find good learning resources. There is a lot of information available that is not reliable, so be very careful about where you look. These guidelines apply to all media, including articles and videos. Academic journals are a great source of reliable information. If you don't have access to any other databases, try doing a search on Google Scholar to find articles. Look for websites that are published by reputable organizations, including major new outlets, government agencies, and professional associations. Avoid relying on personal blogs and web forums for information. If you have any doubts about the quality of your source, always verify the information by looking for another source. Look for non-biased sources. A source that appears to be selling a product may not provide objective information.
Read books and other materials about your subject. There is a plethora of information out there for anyone who is willing to read it. No matter what you want to learn about, chances are there is a book or website that can teach you everything you need to know. You can find information about pretty much anything online, so start searching for answers to the questions that interest you. You can access peer-reviewed published work through journal databases like LexisNexis and JSTOR. You need a subscription to access these databases, but they may be free for you if you are a student. Many classic works of literature are available for free on websites like Project Gutenberg. Your local library is a great resource for free reading material, so take advantage of it. While a lot of information is available online, not everything is.
Watch educational videos on your subject. Reading isn't a great way to learn for everyone, but luckily it's not the only way to learn. There are tons of educational videos available online that can teach you how to do all sorts of things. Whether you'd like to listen to someone explain a concept or watch someone perform a task, videos can be very helpful learning resources. YouTube is a great resource for learning new skills. Many of the videos you will find are made by amateurs, but there are also tons of educational channels available. If you want to learn about anything from technology to philosophy, consider watching some TED talks. These are short presentations given by professionals from a variety of different backgrounds on many fascinating subjects. Documentaries are also very informative and can help you learn about many different topics. Some are available on cable or on the internet, while others you may have to purchase.
Learn by observing your surroundings. You can learn a lot from observing the world around you, so don't neglect this vital resource. Look for ways that you can expose yourself to your topic of interest on a regular basis. It may not feel like you are learning, but you are! For example, if you are trying to learn a language, consider watching television shows or movies in that language or with subtitles in that language. If you want to learn more about art, try visiting your local art museum and just observing what there is to see, rather than trying to commit anything to memory.
Get hands-on experience in the field. Reading and watching are both great, but eventually you will need to become more actively involved in your own learning. If you want to take your studies to the next level and gain a deeper understanding of your subject, you will need to start doing. There are some things that it is simply not possible to learn without trying it yourself. For example, you can read every book and watch every video that you can find on knitting, but until you pick up the needles and the yarn and try it, you will never truly understand how to do it. You can benefit from hands-on experience with less concrete skills as well. For example, if you want to teach yourself about Shakespeare, you may be able to gain a very good understanding by reading criticism or listening to others' opinions. However, you will have an even greater understanding when you begin to make observations for yourself.
Taking Advantage of Learning Resources
Look for guided learning programs. There are lots of internet resources out there for people who want to learn new skills, so start searching online for one that is relevant to you. These programs offer you the structure of different levels on learning, but the flexibility to proceed at your own pace. Some are available as software programs that guide you through different lessons, while others provide lecture-style videos that you can watch at your own pace. If you want to learn a language, there are many different resources available to you. Some learning software requires a subscription, but there are also lots of language-learning games and quizzes available online for free. These resources are available for other skills as well, and the offerings are expanding each day. For example, you can now learn how to play an instrument online. It's important to choose quality learning materials, especially if you are paying for them. Look for products sold by reputable companies. If you have never heard of the company or the product, it's a good idea to search online for customer reviews.
Find a mentor. If you want more insight into your field of interest, it helps to spend time with other people who share your passion. If possible, find someone who has the knowledge that you are looking for and ask this person to mentor you. Letting them know that it will not require a huge time commitment may encourage them to accept. If you already know someone who is knowledgeable about the subject you want to learn, ask this person for some guidance. Share what you have already learned and get input on what you still need to know. Just spending a little time with this person may help you learn much more. Consider reaching out to people you admire and asking them questions. This can be someone you know casually or an industry expert to whom you have no connection whatsoever. Not everyone will answer you, but you may find someone who is more than willing to foster your curiosity and help you learn. Make sure you choose a mentor who is willing to tell you what you need to hear and not just what you want to hear.
Consider taking a class. Even if you don't want to take a tradition classroom course, there are still lots of learning opportunities available to you. There are many different free online courses to choose from that can teach you about nearly anything. Many major universities, including Yale, now offer people the opportunity to download video and audio recordings of their lectures. This gives you the advantage of learning from some of the best and brightest minds without the expense of attending a traditional class or the homework. A lot of industry experts also offer webinars and online classes. If a university class isn't for you, that doesn't mean there isn't a free course out there that you would enjoy. You can also consider attending professional conferences to hear live lectures on your subject. This will also give you the opportunity to network with other people who are interested in this field.
Follow a syllabus. Even if you are not taking a traditional course with a teacher, you can still use traditional lesson plans to help you learn on your own. Many teachers post their syllabi and even their course notes online, and they may be available to you even if you are not a student at that school. You can use these materials to help guide yourself through your independent learning, so you will be sure that you learn all of the same material that you would have if you had taken the course. Syllabi are very helpful because they will give you a good idea of what order you should tackle different subtopics in. They will also give you a good idea of how much time you should be spending on each topic. Syllabi can also help by providing additional resources. They often include a mandatory and/or suggested reading list, so be sure to take a look at these materials. If there are notes available, you can use them to double check that you have covered all of the material. If you see something in the notes that does not look familiar to you, chances are you still have some more research to do on that topic.
Planning for Success
List your goals. Before you begin devising your learning strategy, it helps to have a clear understanding of exactly what you want to learn and why. If you have a specific goal in mind, such as passing an exam, be sure that you understand what you are required to know. If you are just learning for your own enjoyment, think about things you would like to know. When you take a traditional class, teachers outline your goals for you. If you want to go at it on your own without losing the structure that you need to succeed, it's a good idea to emulate this. Consider brainstorming a list of questions you want to know the answers to, if this applies to your subject. For example, if you want to be an expert on trains, you may want to know what kinds of trains there are, what is the fastest kind of train, what is the most energy efficient train, etc. If you can't break your goals down into answerable questions, find another way of quantifying them. For example, if you want to learn to speak Spanish, write down some topics that you would like to be able to converse about.
Create a timeline. Once you know what you want to learn, you must decide when you want to learn it. Depending on whether you are studying for a specific reason or just for your own enjoyment, you may have different time restraints. It will help you tackle the monumental task of learning about a new subject if you break it down into small sections. Try setting a goal for yourself to learn each subsection of material by a specific date. If you need some help planning out your timeline for studying different topics, consider consulting a text book on your subject. These are typically broken up into logical sections, which can give you a good idea of what the main topics are, how much time you should spend on each, and what order you should attempt to learn them in, even if you don't end up reading the whole book.
Set aside time. The only way to learn something new is to spend some time studying it. If you can't commit the time, you will not learn, no matter what methods you use. Try to come up with a schedule for studying. Doing it at the same time each day can help you stay committed. Consider how much you need to learn in what period of time. If you are in no rush, you may want to commit only a small amount of time to start with. Committing too much time can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated.
Understand your learning style. Everyone is different when it comes to which techniques work the best to help them learn. If you want to successfully teach yourself something, you will need to understand how your brain learns. Keep in mind that for many people, a combination of several techniques is ideal. Visual learners learn best by reading information and writing it down. They may also find tools like flashcards and checklists very helpful. Auditory learners learn best by listening to information and repeating it out loud. They may also benefit from recording themselves and replaying it. Kinesthetic learners learn best by trying things for themselves. They often find hands-on experiments to be the most helpful learning tool.
Keep seeking out learning opportunities. As you learn, keep your initial goals in mind and congratulate yourself for meeting them. Don't feel, however, that you need to stop learning just because you meet your goals. If you find that you become interested in something tangential, don't be afraid to explore it. You have the power to decide what you will learn next. Consider setting new goals for yourself when you have accomplished the original ones. This will help keep you motivated to continue learning.
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