Do you self teach?

[Pats]

Just curious.
I crochet but can not follow patterns and instructions on how to do this stitch or that stitch. I have to figure out my own. I make up my own stiches more or less and make up my own patterns. I hear people say you have to count and I don't know why - I never count, I go by the length I'm wanting.
Other things I'm the same way. Putting things together I'll look at the pictures just to know which steps I need to do first otherwise I'm going to have to take it apart once figuring out I can't put this part together because I was supposed to do it before.
I don't think I ever listened to teachers, but would have to figure it out on my own - unless it was really interesting and then I could listen and then go crazy with it. I think all through school the one thing that I absolutely loved was diagramming sentences and I think for years I probably diagrammed every sentence I came across in my head.
And it's just like learning to drive a stick shift or a motorcycle. If someone was there trying to teach me I couldn't get it, but once I was left alone I could teach myself in no time. But some things I might not would want to do in front of anyone because my way may be very different from what how most people would do it. That's why most projects I do, I don't want anyone to see it until I'm finished so they don't question HOW I'm doing it. It may not be perfect, but my way works, so that's good enough for me.

Have to throw this in because what I just said made me think of it. My 2 granddaughters doing homework. The older one tells the younger one she is doing her homework wrong. The younger one says that her teacher said for her to do the best she can and that would be good enough and this is the best I can. I love the way she can pass off doing it her way.

 

[Progster]

Yes, I can self-teach most things, if I want to. I can certainly self-teach things like languages, I don't need to take classes. I need to do things for myself in order to learn them, figure them out for myself, do things my own way in my own time. I don't like it when someone comes along and tries to take over whatever it is I'm trying to do.

 

[Bolletje]

I do, with most things.

 

[aspieandconfused_87]

Just curious.
I crochet but can not follow patterns and instructions on how to do this stitch or that stitch. I have to figure out my own. I make up my own stiches more or less and make up my own patterns. I hear people say you have to count and I don't know why - I never count, I go by the length I'm wanting.
Other things I'm the same way. Putting things together I'll look at the pictures just to know which steps I need to do first otherwise I'm going to have to take it apart once figuring out I can't put this part together because I was supposed to do it before.
I don't think I ever listened to teachers, but would have to figure it out on my own - unless it was really interesting and then I could listen and then go crazy with it. I think all through school the one thing that I absolutely loved was diagramming sentences and I think for years I probably diagrammed every sentence I came across in my head.
And it's just like learning to drive a stick shift or a motorcycle. If someone was there trying to teach me I couldn't get it, but once I was left alone I could teach myself in no time. But some things I might not would want to do in front of anyone because my way may be very different from what how most people would do it. That's why most projects I do, I don't want anyone to see it until I'm finished so they don't question HOW I'm doing it. It may not be perfect, but my way works, so that's good enough for me.

Have to throw this in because what I just said made me think of it. My 2 granddaughters doing homework. The older one tells the younger one she is doing her homework wrong. The younger one says that her teacher said for her to do the best she can and that would be good enough and this is the best I can. I love the way she can pass off doing it her way.

Omg yes soo much, I have always self taught, people can tell me how to do something over and over, goes in one ear and out of the other, they can even show me how to do something and I will get the gist of it but I retain nothing that I do not do myself, other people's way of doing things does not compute with me and if I think my way of doing something is better or more efficient I will be hard pressed to change my mind, also I have a very hard time asking anyone for help doing something, I want to figure it out on my own, I feel like a failure and/or annoyed when I have to ask someone to help me.

 

[Autistamatic]

Pretty much everything I know is self taught. Never been good in any kind of group learning situation, not with NTs anyway.
Give me a project to work on and I'll play, experiment, research and find my own way. Yes it does mean that I do some things in unconventional ways, but often my ways are more efficient or more productive than the orthodox method.

 

[Pats]

also I have a very hard time asking anyone for help doing something, I want to figure it out on my own, I feel like a failure and/or annoyed when I have to ask someone to help me.

Yes, definitely. I will often put myself in a dangerous spot because I can't ask for help. I want to do it myself.

 

[Pats]

Pretty much everything I know is self taught. Never been good in any kind of group learning situation, not with NTs anyway.
Yes - can't do the group things either. In school if we had group projects I would just ask for my part and do that part myself. Or I'd rather do the whole thing myself and let the group get credit. Just don't ask me to do it in a group.

 

[Mr Allen]

A few years back I taught myself MS Visual Basic 4 from a book, and also basic HTML from a book.

All because contrary to popular belief, I DON'T have a learning disability.

 

[Iamnotarabot]

I lack discipline to do that but I think it would be beneficial for me to do so.
That's also how my father do stuff in general.
And when I was a kid my mother was most of the time unable to teach me how to do new stuff.

 

[xDominiel]

Yep. There's been a lot of trial and error over the years. And that means *a lot* of error, lol.
I often also take some time to look over what I think I've got down to see where I can improve.
There's very little I use in daily life (and otherwise) that was taught to me by others. Directly, anyway.

 

[Ginseng]

I definitely have to do it myself to learn how to do it. The only way someone can help me is if they watch me do it and then point me in the right direction, but not do it for me. If they do it for me I will never get it.

 

[Autistamatic]

Yep. There's been a lot of trial and error over the years. And that means *a lot* of error, lol.
I often also take some time to look over what I think I've got down to see where I can improve.

That's half the joy of learning on your own IMO. I learn as much if not more from the mistakes than I do the triumphs

Another thing about learning your own way is you can just carry on (unless you start getting bored of it) and learn the aspects that are interesting or relevant to YOU, not to someone else's standards.
I hated being told "no you don't need to read that chapter, it won't be in the exam" - well shove it teach! I think it looks like an interesting chapter so I'll bloody well read it!

 

[Pats]

I remember when my oldest sister brought home her typing books and shorthand books, I'd check them out and taught myself how to type and do shorthand and was actually pretty good at it. Not so useful today. lol

 

[xDominiel]

I learn as much if not more from the mistakes than I do the triumphs

Yeah, the mistakes are definitely the better teacher (including those you see others make).
Especially the really bad ones. They stick with you like nothing else, for better or worse.

 

[Mattymatt]

I taught myself Unix using OpenBSD. I really enjoy teaching myself new things when it comes to computers. I'll go to the library and check out a book on the subject and work through the examples. Or I'll use Google to research.

 

[Autistamatic]

Or I'll use Google to research

I know it's become a clichéd snide comeback to say "just Google it" at people, but it really surprises me how many people don't actually do it!
I'm always using search engines for all kinds of information. Now we have such a huge library at our fingertips there is little to excuse ignorance.
I've lost count of the times someone has asked me how to do something and I've asked "have you tried going on Google or YouTube and typing in 'how to do xxxxx'" to be met with the reply "Oh I never thought of doing that, what a good idea"


Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgh!!!!!

 

[Judge]

Yep, since I was a teenager. Taught myself all sorts of things independent of formal instruction. Though on occasion supplementing what I knew with formal instruction didn't hurt.

 

[BraidedPony]

Going back to the crocheting. I taught myself with a book, some yarn, a crochet hook and a weekend house and cat sitting. I can’t even begin to follow a pattern, but can make doggie coats, shawls, hats, slippers...
A person saw me crocheting once and said I was doing it fine but backward like a left handed person had taught me! I guess from copying what I saw in the book I had reversed the direction of the yarn over or whatever.
I’ve mostly taught myself most things but ask questions as needed. Learning is so much easier these days with the internet, in the old days I would have to check out an armload of books from the library.
I think I read that Aspies tend to self teach, which certainly describes me. I don’t understand how people can just look around helpless and can’t figure out they can simply research how to do anything!

 

[Autistamatic]

Though on occasion supplementing what I knew with formal instruction didn't hurt.

I can relate to that partially, but only when it's one to one and they are prepared to answer questions. I always want to know why something is done a certain way or what could go wrong. The worst thing any tutor can say to me is "that's just the way it is, it doesn't matter why," because that usually means they've learned it by rote themselves and have never questioned what they do.

 

[Peter Morrison]

I always need to grasp the big picture before attacking minute details and methods in learning. Each topic has its own parameters and I like understanding the parameters and how my learning fits into the big scheme. It's all about being able to lock a process into my brain because I understand the reason for the actions of categories related to an objective. This causes me to ask questions to understand the logic behind what I am learning. That's the only way I remember steps and rules. Each piece of information must attach to another, so I have to start with a framework. The framework is the big picture.