Thomas Edison, Vincent Van Gogh, Bob Dylan, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, John Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln and Malcolm X, what do they all have in common? What's shared by all of them- and key for many who we call "gifted" or "genius" is that their learning was highly self-directed.
They didn't develop their skills in schools, and much of what they learned did not come directly from teachers. Yet they were students and learners, who learned by imitation and absorption from talented people who went before them, then applied themselves tirelessly to what interested them.
Bob Dylan was obsessed with Woody Guthrie, listening to his records endlessly and imitating his style. The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning educated herself by reading literature and studying Shakespeare on her own.
Einstein was bored and frustrated in schools but thought about physics all day long as he worked in a post office. Jimmy Hendrix imitated the styles of blues guitarists he loved and walked around the house with his guitar, practicing non-stop throughout the day.
Malcolm X initially did well in school, but then dropped out after being told by a white teacher that his dream of being a lawyer was "no realistic goal for a nigger." He got into crime, was arrested, and then continued his education on his own, with the help of the prison library.
Van Gogh was an art seller who (inspired by the paintings around him) didn't start to paint himself until he was in his twenties. He then began by imitating a wide range of artists, including Japanese prints and Impressionistic pointalism, out of which he eventually developed his own unique and expressive style.
Abraham Lincoln failed in business before he started to study law, with only one year of formal schooling. Most of his learning came either through books or his own efforts and life experiences.
Thomas Edison did terribly at school, but once he put his mind to a problem he didn't give up. John Lennon also was a failure at school, but with the Beatles he practiced tirelessly, imitating records from other bands, learning what kinds of sounds and playing excited people by watching the reactions of the audience for years, as the early Beatles played live.
Talent is not something we are born with (in my opinion) it is something we grow and develop. All people have great potential for learning many things, but it's only through countless hours of practice and effort that one's skills reach higher levels of mastery. It's a process of self-construction, that takes time.
I'm highly skilled at drawing. Why is that? Since age three I drew for enjoyment several hours a day. No teacher, no extra courses, just pencils, paper and encouragement from my parents.
One thing I learned early on was the importance of imitation. I would trace and imitate my favorite cartoons, then return to drawing in my own style. Every time I imitated something from someone more skilled than myself I noticed that my skills improved. And I came to understand that someone doesn't need to be there next to you in the room to be your teacher.
The key factor with self-directed learning is the time put in to master what one loves and has in interest in. As I mentioned, I would draw for about 2 hours every day from age three. That's 60 hours a month, over 700 hours a year. By the time I was 5 or 6 years old I was labeled a "born artist" by teachers at school. But few realized how much practice time I was putting into it.
Schools and teachers have a part to play in helping to educate children, but I think we need to pay much closer attention to the role that a child's own motivation and self-direction play in learning and mastery.
The greatest gift a parent or teacher can give to a child is to encourage them to pursue their passions and show them how to develop their skills. Give them the support, guidance and tools they need but be careful not to get in their way.
~Christopher
The Art of Learning
"Self Educated People Who Have Made a Difference"
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taken from:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Learning/402701759761659
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