Teaching yourself, is it really possible?

[Abstr7ct]

Continuing my opinion...

Again, I study electrical engineering. The basic courses, such as basic circuit analysis and basic electronics, can be studied thoroughly on your own without any need to go to a single lecture. The reason for this, is that such courses have expansive and well-written resources, from books, online lectures and resources. You can get a solid foundation on the theory and on the practical side if you choose you to teach yourself on these subjects, and this comes from a personal experience.

However, when you go to more advanced stuff, like digital design and communications, you find yourself trapped in a lot of areas if you choose not to communicate with your instructor. In addition, you can't find enough resources that provide expansive and well-written explanations compared to basic courses. For example, I'm taking the first course in digital design and we use Verilog to implement digital circuits by simulation and on FPGA boards. You can't survive Verilog programming if you don't communicate with your instructor since the materials available on Verilog and FPGA programming are rare and confusing. Subsequently, you find yourself lost and trapped as you go further.

 

[Evo]

One of the problems with being self-taught, you may learn facts, but you don't learn critical thinking.

In the book, Critical Thinking, Beyer elaborately explains what he sees as essential aspects of critical thinking. These are:

Dispositions: Critical thinkers are skeptical, open-minded, value fair-mindedness, respect evidence and reasoning, respect clarity and precision, look at different points of view, and will change positions when reason leads them to do so.

Criteria: To think critically, must apply criteria. Need to have conditions that must be met for something to be judged as believable. Although the argument can be made that each subject area has different criteria, some standards apply to all subjects. "... an assertion must... be based on relevant, accurate facts; based on credible sources; precise; unbiased; free from logical fallacies; logically consistent; and strongly reasoned" (p. 12).

Argument: Is a statement or proposition with supporting evidence. Critical thinking involves identifying, evaluating, and constructing arguments.

Reasoning: The ability to infer a conclusion from one or multiple premises. To do so requires examining logical relationships among statements or data.

Point of View: The way one views the world, which shapes one's construction of meaning. In a search for understanding, critical thinkers view phenomena from many different points of view.

Procedures for Applying Criteria: Other types of thinking use a general procedure. Critical thinking makes use of many procedures. These procedures include asking questions, making judgments, and identifying assumptions.

http://academic.udayton.edu/legaled/ctskills/ctskills01.htm#what%20is

 

[edward]

Are there any people in recent history who never went to university to learn physics and just taught themselves using the internet and books? Is it really possible to get a solid understanding of physics just from reading and practice?

I guess it would be a bit hard to test certain experiements due to lack of equipment but nevertheless is it doable?

I live 10mins from a university and thought about sitting in on their physics lectures as the lecture halls have no form of security. I could get copies of the lecture hand outs ect. Only thing is I wouldn't be able to get my work marked but just wanted a professional opinion.

Since you menion the internet and this is for your own personal interest. Both Stanford and MIT have free online courses.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechcon...s-online-schooling-to-the-next-academic-level

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/index.htm

 

[Master J]

Apologies if I haven't followed the recent stream of replies, but I have noticed a few well-meaning responses that seem somewhat discouraging.

The only thing that matters is whether or not you have a real passion, a real fascination with the subject. If you work hard at it, you can learn so much. There is a whole ocean of textbooks available, not to mention the vast library of notes that many universities put online. It is all there!

But being a physicist is something different. That means being part of the group who have academic qualifications, being part of that culture. And while this is necessary, I do think sometimes that it is hostile to outsiders. Who is to say such an outsider could not make a contribution? Not everyone has the privileged opportunity to attend university.

 

[russ_watters]

I haven't followed the thread either, but just one little point:

The phrase "teaching yourself" really annoys me because it is an oxymoron. "Teaching" is when one person shows another person how to do something, so no it is not possible to "teach yourself".

"Self-learning" would be better because learning is something you do yourself, but that kinda makes it redundant.

Am I just being pedantic? No. My point is that if you want to learn via books or the internet, you are still learning from other people who created the content that you are trying to absorb. The question is: are you using that content effectively/as it was designed and can you lean successfully by using it in ways that may be different from how it was designed?

 

[-Job-]

One of the problems with being self-taught, you may learn facts, but you don't learn critical thinking.

There's a distinction to be made between memorizing facts and learning.

I've found that tackling a subject independently is challenging precisely because of the additional effort required in extracting key points and making the necessary connections, without the benefit of an instructor who can present the material for effective consumption - it's difficult and exhausting and IMHO does require extra critical thinking.

Whether self-taught students are more inclined to pursue fact memorization rather than actual learning, is a different question.

 

[-Job-]

I haven't followed the thread either, but just one little point:

The phrase "teaching yourself" really annoys me because it is an oxymoron. "Teaching" is when one person shows another person how to do something, so no it is not possible to "teach yourself".

"Self-learning" would be better because learning is something you do yourself, but that kinda makes it redundant.

Am I just being pedantic? No. My point is that if you want to learn via books or the internet, you are still learning from other people who created the content that you are trying to absorb. The question is: are you using that content effectively/as it was designed and can you lean successfully by using it in ways that may be different from how it was designed?

I think you are being pedantic. In a sense, self-learning requires a student to take on part of the role of the instructor by:

1. Selecting the material to focus on.
2. Determining the order in which to process the material.
3. Extracting meaningful abstractions.
4. Formulating practice exercises.

To teach oneself.

 

[ImaLooser]

I think anyone smart enough to teach themselves physics would also be smart enough to get a scholarship to a good university.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Did anyone here watch the movie "A Beautiful Mind"? Here's a snippet from a review.

The movie makes it a specific point to highlight that Nash never attended a class, but the biography is clear that he avoided classes but would sit in from time to time. Nash did not simply think classes were a waste of his time. He felt they were counter-productive because they would cause him to think like others had thought. (John Jaques, 2002)

http://mr-gadget.hubpages.com/hub/A-BEAUTIFUL-MIND-JOHN-NASH-AND-SCHIZOPHRENIA

 

[gravenewworld]

You can't learn many lab techniques in a textbook. Real science is done in a lab, not through homework problems or a written exam. It takes thousands of hours in lab to gain finesse and learn tricks you would never have figured out yourself if someone else didn't show you.

 

[uperkurk]

The reason why I ask is because I am not in a financial postion or educated enough at the moment to attend university. The sad fact is I most likely won't be able to attend university for a good amount of years. So self learning at home, getting a solid understanding so once I find myself in a position to attend university I should be in the best possible position.