I think that the greatest ability of any species is the ability to learn. Dogs learn how to play fetch; humans learn how to play fetch. Learning is fulfilling; when we acquire a new skill and discover our passions, it instills a sense of pride (since we put in the work to gain it, right?) and serves as a boost of confidence to take the skill in different directions.
So, I define self-reliant learning as self-directed learning; where we learn because we want to learn, and thus seek out opportunities to facilitate this learning. For example, gaining proficiency in subjects we’re interested in is a facet of self-reliant learning, and with the Internet, there’s so many ways to do this! There are many resources to help us explore a subject further, as well as inspiration from others who are already experts in their field. I think self-reliant learning can help us make the most of school, especially as we identify the subject areas that we’re most passionate about. Through self-reliant learning, we not only become creative in our approach in disseminating information, but also in our thinking – particularly as it relates to our area of interest.
For instance, an interest in game design may lead someone to explore game development software and tutorials on how to use them, as well as games created by others online. This would eventually lead the person to synthesize their knowledge, creativity and skills toward creating something of their own, bringing that fulfillment, joy and accomplishment associated with learning. But how do we travel this journey?
That’s why Parea was created: to cultivate a community centered around this idea of self-reliant learning. In addition to applying storytelling to communicate interesting science and technology concepts, I’ll also be posting resources covering ways to immerse yourself in various STEM topics. These resources will also include helpful tips to excel in school subjects, and ways to make these subjects more enjoyable and purposeful (since let’s face it – graphing trigonometric functions is absolutely one of the most boring, tedious, difficult and unnecessary aspects of math class, or at least I thought so).
As more resources are created, they will be shared & linked to this page! Right now, resources exist in the following subjects:
To close off, I wanted to put out the following Albert Einstein quote: “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” Personally, I feel that a lot of school involves learning facts – many of which we won’t examine again. Rather, we should be learning how to think, create and problem solve – skills applicable to any discipline. The overall goal of Parea is to promote that mindset.
