Self-study is a learning method where a student or an individual learns to study a material or book without the direct supervision of a teacher or any guidance in a classroom setting or any other place.
Self-study helps readers and individuals to explore topics and read materials at their own pace, based on their interest, need, or personal development goal.
Self-study can be a powerful and effective way of studying, especially if the individual does not have the chance or opportunity to have a teacher or adviser.
Self-study is an effective tool for any student who does not have the ability or financial strength to hire a tutor or an individual who does not have the pleasure of being in the classroom at all times.
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Types of Self-Study
● Formal vs. Informal Self-Study
Formal self-study entails a well-structured self-study pattern that involves using curriculum accompanied by textbooks, online courses, and accredited programs with a clear aim of setting for an exam, be it an academic or professional exam. While informal self-study is a flexible and unstructured self-study where an individual takes on any courses or reading materials without the aim of sitting an exam, informal self-study is mostly based on personal interest, and this is the most common type of self-study.
● Online Self-Study vs. Offline Self-Study
Online self-study is a type of self-study that is done online, mostly on education websites or through an app, especially apps like YouTube, Udemy, and Allison, while offline self-study is using educational materials like books offline to self-study.
Techniques and Strategies for Successful Self-Study
● Active Reading and Note-Taking
Self-study involves a high level of discipline, and that is why active reading should be incorporated if you want to succeed in self-studying.
Active reading entails you being truly immersed in what you are reading; this, in fact, will give you a high level of memorization since you are not being supervised, and active reading is being combined with note-taking.
Note taking is an effective strategy of self-study, as the probability of you remembering what you study when you take note of it is very high compared to when you read alone without note taking.
While active reading and note-taking are both combined practices that are recommended, it is still left to the individual or student whether to only stick with active reading, as some individuals can do just fine with active reading.
● Mind Mapping and Summarizing
Mind mapping and summarizing are some of the best techniques for self-study if you are reading materials with large numbers of pages, especially history materials, which are mostly known for their large number of pages.
Mind mapping entails you taking note of a particular word or sentence that can help you remember the paragraph easily, while summarizing is taking note of the most important part of the paragraph that can be helpful in remembering the other paragraphs instead of the whole paragraph or topic.
Mind mapping can be very effective and can be useful for materials like history materials or books, which are usually filled with years, which can be effective for mind mapping.
● Practice Tests and Quizzes
Practice tests and quizzes should especially be used when preparing for an examination when self-studying, as these will mostly give you insight into what the examiner will set up.
Practice tests involve you setting up a series of questions and quizzes for yourself using the materials you have studied, most especially for calculation-based self-study.
Practice tests and quizzes can be so effective that they prepare you ahead when you get to answer questions in the examination hall and also limit the problem of anxiety that might arise from taking an examination.
● Time Management Techniques
If you are doing informal self-study, then you don’t need to bother yourself with time management techniques, as you do this mostly because of personal reasons with no exam in front of you to write.
Time management is an essential technique that should be learned, especially for formal self-study with the view of an examination in front of you.
Regardless of student brilliance, mismanaged time in the examination hall can rub him off of success, hence wasting time of hard work.
Time management techniques can be learned during self-study by setting up questions and timing yourselves to know how many minutes you can use to answer the question; repeating this consecutively will eventually help you manage your time effectively in the exam hall.
Tools and Resources for Self-Study
● Books, Journals, and Articles
● Online courses and tutorials from YouTube, Udemy, and Allison
● Education Apps and Software
● Study Groups and Forum
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● Lack of Motivation and Discipline
Lack of motivation is one of the problems associated with self-study, as no teacher is engaged during the period of the study, and this can often be solved by motivating yourself with the end goal of the self-study, whether it is for self-improvement or examination.
● Distraction and time management issues
Distraction and time Management issues can cripple an individual self-study due to no supervision in the absence of a teacher, and these can often be solved by using books when self-studying, as they possess limited or no distraction compared to online reading tools or materials.
Conclusion
Self-study is an effective studying technique and practice when practiced effectively with little or no distraction, especially when self-studying online, which can be disturbed with notifications, which can make an individual distracted.
Important self-study strategies and techniques like active reading, note-taking, mind mapping, summarizing, practice tests, and quizzes, coupled with time management, should be considered by individuals who want to make a success of self-studying.
A.O. S is a Graduate of Economics from Adekunle Ajasin University,he has been in the blogging space for 4 years and his major aim is helping Nigerian students understand the Education system at all level