Autodidact

An autodidact is a person who learns to do something by himself or herself. Often they learn things by reading about it, or by copying someone else.

Many great people taught themselves when there was no formal teaching in the topics which interested them. Examples are Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Faraday, and Charles Darwin. Much of the industrial revolution was done by men in a field of work where there was no previous experience. James Watt was a surveyor and instrument maker and is described as being "largely self-educated". Watt, like some other autodidacts of his  time, became a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Lunar Society.

Autodidactism is only one way to learn, and may be done together with formal education. Many autodidacts seek instruction and guidance from experts, friends, teachers, tutors, parents, siblings, and the community. 

 Related pages 
 Critical thinking
 Cryptanalysis
 Do it yourself
 Distance education
 Extracurricular activity
 Individualism
 Intelligence
 Learning
 Pedagogy
 Polymath
 Reading (process)
 Scholar
 Unschooling

 References 

Category:Learning