How To-79: "How to Become an Adult Self Learner"

How to Become an Adult Self Learner

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People who are truly effective generally did not get that way by sitting still, and learning doesn't stop just because school does. Make a commitment to yourself to learn something new every day. Then, keep at it and enjoy what you discover.

Steps

1. Learn how you learn. Determine your own preferred learning style or styles. Notice what learning techniques are most effective for you and use them as much as is practical.
   
• Most people learn through multiple methods but favor one or two. Use your preferences to your advantage.
  
2. Learn where your talents and interests lie. Try many different things.
   
3. Look at learning as an exploration and opportunity, not a chore. Don't force yourself to learn things just because they're important. Instead, learn things that you need to learn alongside things you love to learn. Follow your heart, as well as your sense of duty.
   
4. Read, read, read. Make friends with your local library and new and used book sellers.
   
• Read all sorts of books. Just because you're usually a mystery fan doesn't mean you shouldn't try nonfiction now and then. Don't limit yourself.
  
• Recognize the educational value in whatever you read. Nonfiction, of course, teaches about its subject. Fiction teaches writing, storytelling, vocabulary, and various things about human nature.
  
• Newspapers, magazines, manuals, and comic books are all reading.
  
5. Broaden your definition of learning. Take a look at the theory of multiple intelligences if you don't know it yet. Consider how you might fit in, and where you can improve.
   
• Refine your existing skills. Are you already good at fly fishing? Computers? Teaching? Playing saxophone? Hone these skills and take them to the next level.
  
• Try new things, both inside and outside your preferred skill areas.
  
6. Do things. As an adult, your experience may be your best teacher. Whether you work for pay or volunteer your time, focus on a project or tinker with whatever grabs your attention, try lots of things and notice the results.
   
7. Create. Not all learning comes from outside you. In fact, some of the most powerful learning happens when you are creating or formulating something for yourself. Try different media and methods and refine the ones you like. Creation, like intelligence, can be artistic or scientific; physical or intellectual; social or solitary.
   
8. Observe. Look more closely at your world, and examine both the usual and the unusual. Also, look at the world from different levels. Chances are you already respond differently to the news of a friend than to the news of a country, for example.
   
9. Respond to what you observe, and notice and examine your own response.
   
10. Take classes, both formal and informal. No matter how dedicated an autodidact you are, some subjects are best learned with the aid of a teacher. Remember that a teacher may be found in a classroom, but also in an office, a neighbor's garage, a store, a restaurant, or a taxi cab.
    
11. Ask questions. Asking the right questions can be more important than having the answers. It can also turn just about anybody into a teacher. Be sure to listen closely and understand the response.
    
12. Evaluate and reflect on what you learn. Does it make sense? Is it true? Who said so? How was it determined? Can it be verified? Is an argument or piece of advice logical, valuable, applicable?
    
13. Keep a journal or notebook to record what you learn and what questions you still have. Questions can teach as much as or more than answers. A journal or notebook can also record your progress.
    
14. Apply what you learn. This is the best way to test it and it will help you learn it more completely and retain it longer.
    
15. Teach others. Teaching is a wonderful way to learn a subject better and improve your own understanding of it. If you're not a teacher or tutor, you can write about your knowledge in a wiki or forum or simply volunteer an answer when somebody asks.

Tips

• Keep an open mind. Some of the greatest scientific, mathematical, artistic, and other advances came from questioning conventional wisdom and being open to unusual results and new, different ways of doing things.
  
• Leave your perfectionism behind. Experiment, make mistakes, and ask silly questions. If you wait until you know it all, you'll be waiting a long time.
  
• Have fun. Fun is a very important part of learning, especially as an adult. It is a big part of your motivation to continue.
  
• Sleep, exercise, and eat properly. Your overall health will influence how much you can effectively learn.
  
• Do what works best for you.

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