Be your own teacher

It’s time you took learning into your own hands.

Learn something new-like a new language- or go back and learn it better this time. Teach yourself how to make anything, from crafts to cars. Watch the experts and learn their ways. Listen to a story of success and take a lesson.

You teach yourself

With so many resources now available, self- directed learning has never been easier. Formal education is also now encouraging learners to study independently in order to increase their knowledge. Learning and teaching yourself skills does not have to be restricted to the classroom. You can start learning whatever you want in almost any setting and at any time in your life. The power of learning dispels fears and doubts. It's the support you need to voice your ideas and concerns. The road to learning leads to learning about yourself. It is a highly motivating and reflective process which enables you to increase your knowledge, to pick up skills and more importantly to boost your confidence.

Through self- learning you can become aware of what seemed to be the privilege of a few until now and to significantly improve areas of your personal and professional life. What’s more you can complement your formal learning, discover new areas of interest, research unknown to you fields, verify sources, focus on meaningful to you topics and in the process develop self-confidence.

There are no embarrassing moments; you needn’t be afraid to ask anyone to repeat or to clarify anything. Because of the accessibility of the many resources such as the Internet, digital libraries, social media and their communities, MOOCs, to name only a few, your own learning becomes a truly self-assuring activity. When you are self-learning you are independent. You can research and confirm everything yourself at your own convenience.

To start learning you need to start asking. Decide what it is you would like to learn. Do some preliminary research. See what sites, books , people, seminars, conferences or free courses are available online or in your community. Universities have a number of events where everyone is welcome to participate for free. Your local community center is open to the public with many interesting propositions for everyone. What is comes down to though is not what you look up and study or where you go and who you meet but what questions you ask. Why is something important to know and where it can be of use to you is a good start. How you use what you learn and what else you need to do to gain the confidence you need in that area are simple questions which will give you a better perspective.

Ask yourself. What is the concept I want to learn? What exactly do I need to know about it? What do I do, where do I look, and who do I ask to get this knowledge?Many turn to self-learning to save money on high tuition costs and others so that they can learn cost-effective means of learning useful skills. Others are becoming aware that learning is the greatest benefit one can derive online and opt for it rather than waste precious time on other less fulfilling activities.

Being your own teacher means you are in charge.

You don’t have to be told what you learn, when and how quickly. You can set your own pace, decide what you will learn and you can self- assess your newly acquired knowledge. It inspires you to keep searching for the truth out there and inside of you. The moment you embrace self-learning marks the beginning of the road to yourself-growth and self-confidence.