Self-Directed Learning

“Why didn’t they teach me this at school?”
The established educational system is limited to preparing the individual for employment rather than life as a whole. Even many adult education facilities have that orientation, so that often one thinks, "Why didn't they teach me this at school?" or "Where can I go to learn about this?" Administrative board members of Singapore Australian school say that, so many things one needs to know in life, or which could greatly enhance one's life, are not easily accessible, and while the information is very often available on the Internet, many people are lost in its vast and chaotic space.
There's so much that children need to know to live happy lives, which isn't taught at schools and about which parents need help in being able to help their children - because the parents don't necessarily know either! Communication skills; emotional intelligence; about love, sex and relationships; goal setting; time and stress management; dealing with money; concentration and reading skills; creativity; intuition; the basics of psychology, philosophy, spirituality; social conditioning and group behavior; the list goes on and on. All the aspects of personal development.
Our future depends on adults participating in self-directed ongoing learning to fill the gaps in their own education, and passing their knowledge on to their children from the earliest age possible.
Here is a list of topics about which I feel many people are inadequately informed; I know I was, in some cases until quite late in my life, and we all have a way to go. Self-directed learning is life long.
- How to communicate effectively, including with partner, friends and family, at work and to groups of people
- How to create a loving relationship; how to make love, giving pleasure to another man or woman; understanding the causes of impotence and frigidity
- How to approach people and make friends
- How to study effectively
- How to exercise effectively
- How to cook, eat well and get healthy
- How to be self-reliant and able to survive in any circumstance
- How to assert your rights and needs effectively
- How to understand, control and channel your emotions (and to teach your children to be emotionally literate)
- How to handle shyness and improve self-esteem
- How to develop your mental abilities and spiritual awareness
- How to understand religious, philosophical, psychological and political ideas and develop an intelligent world view, free of cultural conditioning
- How to research a topic on the Internet and expand your knowledge base
- How to enter college, obtain financial aid, learn about career training for special interest groups
- How to manage your personal finances or run a small business
- How to make time, control stress and handle life's problems
- How to be creative (paint, make music, write, etc as well as all kinds of projects that make a difference)
- How to achieve the goals you envision
- How to help others and change conditions in the world for the better
- How to handle loss and grief, when things go wrong, and upsets when relationships blow-up
- How to bring up children to become loving, fulfilled and responsible adults
- Understanding persuasion and cultural/group influences, and how to retain an objective and independent view
- Truth about history and economics, from a global perspective
- Truth about activities and motives of government and corporate bodies, and human rights