Self-learning is anything you learn outside a classroom environment by yourself without a

set curriculum or examinations.

Unlike traditional methods of schooling, your self-learning efforts are not measured by how
well you perform on an exam. Self-learning lets you gauge and improve your knowledge
via practical applications with no matriculated evaluation. This makes it all about pure
learning.

Besides the knowledge factor, self-learning also helps in developing your skill levels and
enriching your experiences through practical applications. Here are some reasons why you
should consider self-learning:

 Self-learning helps you develop your problem solving skills.

 Self-learning is stress free. There are no exams, no deadlines. Only pure satisfaction
and curiosity being answered.
 You gain secondary skills that will help you advance your career.
 Self-learning comes out of your personal desire to learn something new. Thus, you
get a feeling of accomplishment and feel a sense of purpose.
 You get to choose the way you learn. You can find your comfortable medium,
videos, texts, experiments, or webinars, and other diverse mediums can be
efficiently used to learn.

So, how can you start learning by yourself?

1. Be Curious

The first step to learning anything is to be curious about it. The desire to learn is what will
keep you motivated to keep learning.

Allow yourself to ask questions and be naturally curious about what learning experiences
are interested in. Start your learning with a purpose. Ask yourself various questions:

 Why do you need to learn?

 Why is it an important skill?
 How useful will this learning be?

Do you know that when students are not curious enough, they tend to take in or absorb less
information from the curriculum? On the other hand, if you are studying on your own
through self-learning, this is entirely for your own benefit, where you are curious and ask
the relevant questions in the class to get through the course.
2. Set Learning Goals

Setting realistic goals will help you focus and improve your productivity while utilizing
various learning styles. It lets you work towards something achievable and gives purpose to
your learning.

For instance, if you are trying to learn a programming language, try to set a goal to create
an application using that programming language. Or, if you are training yourself in a
foreign language, you should set yourself a goal to invest some time in this language.
This could be writing an article, reading some poetry in that language, or picking up a song
in the foreign language.

3. Assess Your Learning Resources

This is an important step you need to focus on. As self-learners, it is necessary to verify the
authenticity and correctness of the materials you use to educate yourself. You should also
look into what is accessible to you to make your learning progress.

Unlike traditional classroom learning, self-learning can be a sporadic process that does not
follow a set plan or syllabus. Try not to lose focus and absorb the necessary information
from whatever channels you stumble upon.

Here are some pointers to help you assess your resources:

 Verify everything. Be aware of outdated or incorrect information as the internet is

filled with fake information. Cross check references and challenge every bit of
content you go through.
 Make use of peer reviewed academic databases like Google Scholar and scientific
journals that have proper citations.
 Make use of online learning platforms.

4. Engage in a Learning Process

The more you keep putting off your learning process, the more difficult it becomes for you
to start learning.

Set a schedule and engage in your own approach to self-learning. Leaving gaps will make
you procrastinate, so try to stick to a self-made process to your learning efforts.

Decide on how you want to assess your improvements. It could be self-made quizzes,
online tests, or anything that lets you be assured of your progress. Just create an
effective feedback loop to help you learn faster.
5. Apply What You Learn

The best way to retain knowledge is to use it. When you self-learn something, try to find a
real world application to use the knowledge you gained. For instance, if you are trying
to learn a new language, try speaking it with a native or fellow learner or your teacher.
This way you will get more confidence in your learning and will also be able to remember
what you studied better.

6. Collaborate With Other Learners

A great thing about online communities is that it allows you to meet with people from all
over the world with similar interests and learning aspirations. Try your hand
at collaborative learning. Some benefits of sharing with fellow learners are:

 Knowledge transfer and sharing with no set prejudices.

 Clarifying concepts and discussions with your teachers on subject topics will
stimulate more interest and let you see different views of the same problem.
 Getting a new perspective of the same topic or idea could help you refine your
knowledge in the same area. This will actually serve as a classroom environment
where different people come together to learn, discuss, and share ideas among one
another.

7. Share Your Knowledge

The final step would be to give back to the community. The more you teach, the easier it is
for you to keep learning.

Albert Einstein said it well:

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
When you try to explain a concept to someone, you will be focusing and gaining a better
understanding of the subject, along with the ability to retain the information better. It will
also help you look at what you learn through different perspective as in collaborative
learning.

This is a great aspect of self-learning. Anyone can be a teacher, and everyone can be a
learner. There is a common belief that knowledge is one thing that increases on sharing
with others. In order to get yourself closer to the classroom environment, it is highly
recommended that you share your ideas and knowledge in your classes, groups, and
forums.

SELF LEARNING IS THE 21ST CENTURY KEY TO SUCCEED, IF YOU ARE NOT
SELF-LEARNING YOU ARE NOT LEARNING AT ALL!