Autodidacticism

During our winter break this year, I stumbled upon a video from ParksNotes on autodidacticism that struck a chord. It's been a few years now since I've finished my Master's Degree. While I needed a break from academia, I started to miss the structured learning environment that it provided. I don't have the energy right now to pursue another degree, but I miss the challenge and joy of learning new things. 

In the video, Parker introduces the idea of creating your own university courses. It is such a simple idea, but it just never occurred to me to structure my learning. I've always been a self-motivated learner, but usually, I flit from one thing to another without the disciplined study I experienced in my master's coursework. I've included the video below so you can watch it for yourself.

NSL University

I love the idea, and I like how he suggested creating your own "university" to mock up your courses. Why not! I decided I'd call mine NeverStopLearning University or NSL University for short. I'm going to try this idea out for a semester, but I think this will be something I continue to build on.

My Alma Mater begins classes on January 16th, so I think I'll follow suit. The semester ends on May 2nd, so that will give me a good three and a half months to complete my first self-created course. While this is just for fun, I felt like having some clear boundaries and expectations would help me stay the course.

My First Course: Existentialism and Education

Course Description:

The Existentialism and Education course is inspired by Greg McKeown's book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, and explores the implications of essentialism in the field of education. Drawing upon McKeown's principles of focusing on what truly matters, the course will examine how essentialism can transform educational philosophies and practices to create more meaningful and impactful learning experiences.

McKeown defines the essentialist approach as, "applying a more selective criteria for what is essential, the pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter." In the crowded landscape of educational ideas and programs, the course will provide a guided reflection on what it means to "do less, but better". Furthermore the course will lead to the development of frameworks and systems for implementing the philosophy of "do less, but better" in education.

Course Goals:

• Systematically examine Greg McKeown's Essentialism within the context of education.
• Explore thoughts from other writers on what it means to "do less but better".
• Synthesize the research on essentialism into an actionable framework for implementation in education.

Texts:

• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Fewer Things Better by Angela Watson
• Walden Or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
• Leading with Focus by Mike Schmoker
• De-implementation by Peter DeWitt
• Defining Education 4.0: A Taxonomy for the Future of Learning

Assignments:

• Weekly Reflections on Readings
• Response Essay on Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Literature Review of Essentialism in Education
• Framework for Implementing Essentialism in Education

What are your thoughts?

What did you think about the idea of creating your own University course? Did I miss something that I should be reading for my first course? I'd love to hear your thoughts.