Blake Boles - The Art of Self-Directed Learning: 23 Tips for Giving Yourself an Unconventional Education

Copyright 2014 Blake Boles

Published in the United States by Tells Peak Press

Illustrations by Shona Warwick-Smith (shonawarwicksmith.com)

Designed by Ashley Halsey (ahalsey.com)

First edition

ISBN: 978-0-9860119-5-5

E-book ISBN: 978-0-9860119-6-2

Dedicated to Jim, Grace, Dev, Mom, and Dad

The Art of Self-Directed Learning

In high school or college, did you ever take a class on self-education? A class that helped you learn how to learn?

Neither did I.

Yet whenever we finish our formal schoolingand often during itthats exactly what we need to do: learn all sorts of important things, on our own, without a blueprint.

Ask yourself, do you want to:

• build something from scratch: a website, a business, a house?
• pursue a course of self-study or personal research?
• work in a field unrelated to your degree or previous experience?
• improve yourself in a deep, meaningful way?
• travel independently?

Yes? Then you need self-directed learning. Because for these kind of challenges, no one will hold your hand. The only way to solve the problem is to learn your way there.

But self-directed learning (which I will define in the first few chapters) isnt just a collection of practical tools for getting stuff done: its also a mindset that can help you lead a life very different from that of your friends, family, or society.

This book is a compilation of the wisdom, stories, and tools Ive garnered from working with self-directed learners for more than a decade. Unlike my first two books, which I wrote specifically for teenagers and young adults facing the question of college, I created The Art of Self-Directed Learning for:

• high school and college students who are passionate about learning, arent content to just do school, and want to take more control of their educations
• teenage homeschoolers and unschoolers who want to become more effective and engaged self-educators
• young adults who arent going to college and who are seeking guidance in their ongoing educations and career pursuits
• parents who want to support their kids (or future kids) as self-directed learners
• skeptical relatives and friends who want to see that self-directed learning isnt about mindless wandering, avoiding work, or being irresponsible
• adults of all ages who want to shape their careers to better reflect their beliefs
• anyone who never wants to stop learning

The book starts with an explanation of who I am and where Ive been, and then it provides 23 stories and insights for becoming a better self-directed learner. I begin by defining self-directed learning and then discuss motivation, learning online, learning offline, meta-learning, and building a career as a self-educator. The final chapter discusses how nature, nurture, luck, and mindset influence self-directed learning. An original illustration by my friend Shona Warwick-Smith accompanies each chapter to further illuminate its ideas.

Heres a preview of the upcoming chapters:

Whether youre a veteran self-directed learner, the parent of a highly independent child, a student looking for new options, or a newcomer to self-education, this book will give you the tools and inspiration to learn more effectively and give yourself an unconventional education in a conventional world.

Ready? Lets begin.

INTRODUCTION

What I Learned at Summer Camp

When I was 11, I went away to summer camp for the first time. I didnt brush my teeth for two weeks. It was fantastic.

The next summer, I had a camp girlfriend. She was 14. I told her I was 13. We held hands for one steamy week. Then she discovered that I was actually 12, and I learned that lying to make someone like you doesnt work.