I thought I'd start a new thread on this subject. I don't think we've ever really addressed it in depth, and we probably have a lot of kids and adults here who are autodidactic to varying degrees.
From the
Geniuses Thread:
The weakness of autodidactic learning, by the way, is that you only see the weaknesses or deficiencies in your learning that YOU can observe.
...
Autodidacts may well see their learning as "perfect" because it is, at least within the construct of their own perceptions about the subject. You can't know what you don't know, in other words.
Developing autodidactic learning strategies in young students has to involve a lot of cautions about comparing sources of information, critical evaluation of information, bias analysis, etc. etc. Again, there is development in play there, in a lot of cases. I'm a far better autodidact NOW than I was in my early 20's...
I'm also better at teaching myself than I was in my 20s. But I DON'T see my learning as perfect --- rather, I assume it's quite imperfect. Here's a system I've developed to address that fact. I'd be interested in learning about how other people approach self-teaching. I'll use self-teaching of first-year calculus as an example.
What I needed (in addition to a serious amount of self-discipline):
- Books. Lots of books.
- Internet access, including email.
- A lot of pens in different colors (YMMV on this one)
Books. I have three formal textbooks, including Early Transcendentals (Stewart), which is a fairly standard text. I have a solutions manual for Stewart. One of my textbooks is called "Brief Calculus with Applications" and has more conceptual and hands-on stuff than Stewart. A precalculus book was also important for reviewing stuff.
I also have 3
Dummies-type books:
Calc and
Calc 2 for Dummies and an
Idiot's Guide. Different authors emphasize different ideas. These books are very important (for me at least) because they go over concepts that textbooks often assume you know.
I also have two other solutions manuals from random books (picked up super-cheap locally).
Finally, I bought
Calculus for Cats, which is a delightful read.
Yes, I have used all of these books.
Internet and email. The internet is critical for me. Most importantly, I was able to find tests with solution keys on university websites. These tests allowed me to assess my progress according to someone else's standards and helped me identify gaps in my learning. I have also been known to send emails to authors asking questions (Most typically, "Is something wrong with the solution to problem 6 on page 184?" I write very politely. Most of them answer.
I rarely use videos, and only when I can't find any other means for acquiring knowledge. But they've been very valuable when I have used them. I usually have to screen a few to several on a subject before I find one that works for me.
Brightly colored pens. Don't know why, but changing ink color frequently makes the process more enjoyable for me. Something about it seems to subtly bump my imagination. I mention this here because I suspect that other people may have similarly quirky success strategies.
I didn't go to town as much on statistics. I think I only have 4 or 5 books. But the mix was the same: Textbook, 2
Dummies books, and a couple random books.
Anyone else?
