Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Cool topic (word) of the day thread!

First rule: Its got to be cool!

Here is mine:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism

"Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) is self-education or self-directed learning. An autodidact, also known as an automath, is a mostly self-taught person, as opposed to learning in a school setting or from a tutor."

Look at the stuff at the bottom of the wiki link:

http://education.jimmyr.com/

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Polymath:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymath


The dictionary definition is consistent with informal use, whereby someone very knowledgeable is described as a polymath when the term is used as a noun, or polymath or polymathic when used as adjectives. It especially means that the person's knowledge is not restricted to one subject area. The term is so rarely used that it is included in dictionaries of obscure words.[8][9]

Renaissance Man and (less commonly) Homo Universalis are related terms to describe a person who is well educated, or who excels, in a wide variety of subjects or fields.[10][11] This ideal developed in Renaissance Italy from the notion expressed by one of its most accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti (1404�72): that �a man can do all things if he will�. It embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance Humanism, which considered man the centre of the universe, limitless in his capacities for development, and led to the notion that men should try to embrace all knowledge and develop their own capacities as fully as possible. Thus the gifted men of the Renaissance sought to develop skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development, in social accomplishments, and in the arts.

My sadness about this word is that there are few fields (profitable fields) where you can still have a career strictly via autodidactism...(am I even spelling that right?)
I had always heard Abe Lincoln was a self taught lawyer; not sure if this is true. Try to do that nowadays!

My delight in this word is the thought of folks like Abe, or Ben Franklin - more of your Homo Universalis, I'd say - he rocked.

Cool idea for a thread

I have just gotten to this thread! What a cool idea, I like it!

I think that with prestigous learning institutions like Stanford, Johns Hopkins and Northwestern offering distance learning courses via the internet, Autodidacticism can be achieved on some level.

At least you don't have to sit in a classroom. You pick your knoweledge ala carte, yet you get the big gold seal of approval from the big name institutions to back you.

Yes, technology is good! Nothing to fear my good Luddites!

Yes, here here! Awesome thread. I think my brother is an autodidact. He reads all the time, and has deep knowledge about his subjects of interest. Unfortunately, he has much more interest in his topics than his unlucky listener, who gets an ear talked off when my brother doesn't notice the social hints of boredom! After reading about GT, I think my bro would have been identified as 2e today - did not learn well in regular school setting. graduated from high school, but after a couple attempts at college, is largely self-taught. Also unfortunately, his interests probably won't lead to a decent-paying job!

Incogneato "Yes, technology is good! Nothing to fear my good Luddites!"
does that mean i have to get a cell-phone?

Oh for shame, st. pauli girl!

We got DD8 her own cell phone when she was seven!
DD6 had been yammering on about when will she get hers!!!

BTW, Can I just call you spg? That seems to be the way around here. The powers that be lopped my screen name off at 'neato!

well, i had a cell phone for a while, long ago (even with no land line at all!), but it seemed such a bother to remember it. If I had one as a child, it would have been lost immediately, i'm sure.

SPG is fine with me. You can call me Ray, or you can call me Ray-Jay...

Whichever you prefer!! You tell me!!

The only reason we got DD a cell phone was because it was free. Also, she had to go to a RE class(religous ed, not rampant emotionalism!-however she WOULD have to take at least a class if she ever would hope to be rampantly emotional!) right after school and the mom would pick them up from the playground. Since I didn't go to school on those days, I gave her the cell in her bag in case of emergency.

Also, it comes in handy when I send her to schoolmates house and I don't know the parents real well. It gives her confidence to know if she is uncomfortable, she can call me to come get her without having to get the mom involved.

For the record, she's only used it two or three times in a year and a half! An insurance policy.

Okay, I'm off to slumberland..........see you later.

SPG's good. (My ray/jay comment was an ode to comedian Ray Johnson.)

I'm glad your DD isn't in rampant emotionalism class. I'd go if it was a non-participation class.

With so many places getting rid of their pay phones, we did break down a get one cell phone. We maybe average one call a month for the whole family. We never have it turned on (except when calling out)and I never give out the number.

Just call me a Luddite-lite