Self-education, or learning in general, can be a routine, or it can be a passion. If it’s a routine, you are going to be studying relentlessly. But if it’s passion, you wouldn’t be studying, even for summer! That could be the real difference.
As another term wraps up, you must be heaving a sigh of relief that you will finally be able to keep your books aside completely. But if you don’t want to be left behind by forgetting all that you have learned, don’t want to feel that all the time that you invested in gaining knowledge went up in smoke, you cannot keep your books aside just yet. Maybe for a while, but not completely. Here are a few tips to show you that Summers can still be fun without having to keep your books aside.
Believe there is an opportunity to learn and expand in everything
Learning shouldn’t be restricted to textbooks, lectures, and classrooms. There’s a lot you can learn in almost everything that you do. If you’re going to be engaged in art, meditation, nature, relationships, travel, music, dreams, novels – yes, almost everything this Summer – there’s a lot you can learn there. If you want to stick to something academic, you can work through practice questions as a group, participate in TED talks, or join crash courses.
Utilize all resources available online
It’s the Internet of things age. Everything is out there in the cloud. The internet is an ocean of knowledge. For online courses, or tools, or any resources, there’s far more variety and searchability than anywhere else. Libraries and reading centers come out with Summer packages that would work out in your favour. So, take advantage.
Find a network of learners
You’re not alone. There’s a whole lot of people out there wondering how to make best use of their Summers. If you thought that brilliant minds work in isolation, you’re terribly wrong. These guys would not have learnt so much if not for constant feedback from others and their interaction with a network of learners.
There are plenty of Summer communities out there that you can join. All these folks would only be more than happy to help you to make good use of your time.
Methodically search for the right source
You really don’t have much time left on earth to just go about learning anything and everything. Do your research and be selective. It’s summer, and telling that you really don’t have the time is not going to be a valid excuse. Here’s a tip – look for good reviews and ratings on a good read before you decide to pick one. There are plenty of websites to help you with that as well.
Share knowledge, teach others
By sharing and teaching, you learn a lot yourself. This applies to any field of study. If you want to find out if you really understood something that you have been learning, try explaining what you learned, to someone else. And it doesn’t stop there. You need to receive feedback, continue moving forward, widen your network of connections, and of course, hold yourself accountable for all that you do.
Modify your lifestyle to learning
If you feel that you are able to modify your lifestyle of relaxing during summers, to a lifestyle of being productive in a fun way, in an instant, then yes – you have arrived! Not everyone can get there. At least not in an instant. Try making things interesting. Come up with education games with your network of learners or invite them over and watch educational videos. You just need to be open-minded and inquisitive and accept things the way they are.
So, go ahead. Ask more questions. Shake your brains. All the while, enjoy whatever you do. After all, learning should be enjoyable. If not, you’re not learning anything at all
Jeremiah is a web-blogger, who is interested in films, music and Craftresumes.