Self Learning: Process & Importance

Since the landscape of information and technology has expanded its horizons exponentially, the educational arena has been pivotally impacted by digital advancements. In the contemporary world, we are not confined to the traditional way of learning or classroom learning. The internet has provided the world with the opportunity to unlock abundant knowledge and information. Now, exploring anything new can be done in an easy manner just with a click or touch on the screen. Further, a wide range of short term courses online is also available for those eager enough to learn anything anywhere. Through this blog, we will take you through what self-learning means, its elements, process as well as importance. 

Also Read: How Can You Make the Most of Lockdown in India?

General Overview 

Emerging amongst the most prominent learning methods, the process of self-learning is a useful technique through which you can enhance your knowledge and skills on your own. This modern way of learning has completely overshadowed the traditional one. Most importantly, self-learning has proven effective, convenient and result-driven. Earlier, we would seek the help of books and texts to boost our knowledge or learn something new. But, in the age of the internet, you can seek the help of online tutorials, courses, and applications, amongst others to explore any topic. There are a plethora of online learning platforms which include, Khan Academy, Udemy, Byju’s, Treehouse, Udemy among others which are specifically available for those interested in learning on their own.

Also read: Free Online Courses with Certificates

Importance of Self Learning 

Self-learning holds the potential to help an individual advance further in their academic and professional quest. Further, it is also an imperative tool for those preparing for competitive exams! Let’s take a look at the major pointers elucidating the importance of self-learning. 

Gain A Varied Skillset

While learning something on your own, you get the opportunity to equip yourself with a multitude of skills, be it time management, setting your study plans, or self-assessment, amongst others. Being a self-learner, it is extremely important to be strongly committed to your goals and objectives and you need to keep yourself motivated until you achieve them.

Stress-Free Learning Process

Moving away from the traditional classroom teaching method, self-learning facilitates a simplistic and stress-free process. There is no pressure to complete a certain topic within a restricted amount of time like in a full-time course, but you have ample time and choice to fetch loads of information from a range of sources. Your ultimate target is to learn voraciously and boost your knowledge.

Different Learning Modes

Since you are using the internet, there is a multitude of platforms that you can explore to learn a particular concept. For instance, if you are preparing for a competitive exam, you can take help of the written notes as well as youtube videos and webinars to go through the syllabus in your own comfort.

Flexible

Since you can begin your learning anytime and anywhere, studying something on your own becomes a hassle-free method. You just require the necessary material which you can access easily and get into the study mode

Sparks Curiosity

It is believed that curiosity makes our brain more receptive to learning. In other words, when you are interested in something and eager to know more about it, your learning curve will surely boost upwards. Similarly, in the process of self-learning, you stay in touch with your curiosity and thus end up exploring the concepts in further depth as compared to following the structured traditional learning method.

Unlock New Opportunities

Self-learning also plays a central role in helping an individual explore newer prospects. This happens when you explore new things online and get to know about the mentors and experts in that arena. This way, you get to grow academically as well as professionally

Also Read: Online Courses in India

Process of Self Learning

Self-learning can be a challenging process at times because you will be browsing various sources to gain information. To help you understand how it can be carried out in the best way possible, here are the four steps of self-learning you must follow: 

1. Assess your Own Readiness to Learn: Since you need to keep yourself motivated throughout the self-learning process, it is important to analyse your curiosity before setting out to explore something new.

2. Set Learning Goals: Draft a study plan, and write down the concepts you aim to discover as well as the time you will dedicate to them. Make sure to set realistic goals that you can achieve as far-fetched goals can cause hindrance in your self-learning process.

3. Engage in the Learning Process: Kickstarting your research, first choose the right sources, materials and other essentials which you will need to study a topic. Then, begin your learning process by either using a combination of these essentials or following a structured module which you can design on your own. 

4. Evaluate Learning: In this concluding step of the self-learning process, you need to assess what you have learnt and analyse if you have achieved the set goals or not.

Self-Learning Techniques

Reading

Anyone can read a book, but self-learning requires you to go a step further and actually internalise what you read. As you read and learn, you can take notes and make connections. The internet is awash with blog articles and books from which to choose based on your learning needs. You can also buy books or borrow them from the library, both of which are available online.

Visual Note Taking

Visual note-taking is a method of recording information that you come across while learning that combines both text and visuals. Using images, illustrations, connectors, and structuring, the method improves memory and comprehension. You can use this method to quickly take down important information while studying, listening to a podcast, or watching an educational video. You can easily do this online with an online visual workspace like Creately; you can also start with a premade template to get a head start.

Educational Videos

Learning with videos is simple and enjoyable. They are currently used in schools and universities as an educational tool to improve students’ learning experiences – now more than ever as most students learn remotely.

Top Self Learning Apps 

Since self-learning has become a common practice, there are various educational applications that are offering online learning with a range of courses. Some of the top online-based applications for self-learning are:

• Thinkific 
• Duolingo
• Teachable 
• Learnworlds 
• Wiziq
• Khan Academy 
• LinkedIn Academy
• Udemy
• Coursera
• Treehouse 

FAQs

Certainly, the world of the internet is rapidly growing facilitating a plethora of self-learning opportunities. If you have been utilising the perks of self-learning to prepare for a competitive exam such as IELTS, GMAT, GRE, SAT, etc. then our experts are here to provide you with the necessary guidance and preparation materials through online tutorials and live sessions. Register for a free online demo session with our Leverage Edu experts and we will equip you with useful tips and preparation guides to ace your chosen competitive exam!