Here are 7 tips for successful self learning; often this type of learning can be difficult because it involves a lot of self motivation and determination. It can be easy to fall behind with work loads and not do the work because the onus is completely on you.
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Generally it is advised that after fifty minutes of learning you should take a five to fifteen minute break, where you do something completely different. In my opinion this break is a good opportunity to stretch your legs and walk around your house or garden for a bit to get some fresh air.
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Set regular checkpoints, maybe one during the middle of the week and one at the end, where you check what you have learnt. You can do this by yourself or follow tip number four, this makes sure that you are not just reading and not taking any of the information in. Remember to mark your checkpoint dates on your wall calendar.
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I enjoy reading but reading several textbooks can become tedious and often you do not learn all of the material. So make learning a bit more enjoyable by writing questions and answers on cue cards, condensing information onto mind maps, finding films that relate to what you are studying and so on.
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Just because it is self learning does not mean that you have to do absolutely everything alone. So why not ask a close friend or family member to regularly test you on the material. You can write down a list of questions as you are working and then at a later date ask the chosen person to ask you questions randomly from that list. In my opinion this is a really useful learning technique to make sure that you fully understand the material.
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Even with self learning you are likely to have assignments that you need to send off and work that needs to be completed by such and such time. A good calendar wall chart allows you to visual see when assignments are due and so on, with ease over the year.
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Find out what books and other equipment you will require to aid you self learning before you enrol for the course. This way you will know whether it is feasible for you to obtain those items. Also when you do enrol, you will be immediately able to prepare yourself for success.
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