Learning as a Discipline: How to Develop a Personal Curriculum

I graduated from college at 22. I’m 25 now. That means I’ve been out of school for three and a half years. I walked across the stage, threw my cap in the air, and declared that I was through with school.

And while that may be true, I never gave up learning. There’s a sort of tenacity in me to learn new skills that I’m sure many of you can relate to. It seems like the further I am from my school days, the more I wish to learn new information. To continue building on old skills.

Several months ago, the idea of a personal curriculum started making the rounds on social media. The premise is simple. Take any skill or new information, create goals, and learn that skill or information. It is a way to structure your learning into tangible, measurable results. 

So with that quick introduction, how do we do this?

Finding Inspiration

Likely, there is one skill you want to learn, but have yet to take the time to do so. This is the first skill that you should learn. Have you always been impressed by your friend’s ability to bake cakes? Desire to learn to sew? Inspiration is everywhere. There is always something new to learn. Once you find your skill, make a Pinterest board or start a journal. And then, on to the specifics.

Setting your deadline

With personal learning, deadlines are not set in stone. That’s your first rule. They are flexible. 

But they are important. Why? A deadline holds you accountable and makes the skill learning more measurable. So, how do you set a deadline?

Every skill is different. Start with what makes sense. Maybe you are like me, preferring to focus on different skills in different seasons. I usually divide my learning into Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. I may decide to focus on one skill for the winter and let the start of spring be my deadline. There could also be an event coming up that requires a skill, such as baking, that you’ve been wanting to learn anyway. Don’t overthink this. 

You could also have a deadline that isn’t based on time but based on quantity or achievement. For instance, maybe your deadline is to sew a new dress. Or maybe it’s to learn a set amount of words or phrases in another language. So, don’t limit it to time if that doesn’t work for what you’re setting out to learn. Now that you have a deadline, you should figure out some goals for what you want to learn.

Goal-setting

Skills are not measurable without goals. To do a personal curriculum, goals are a must. Of course, we learn things every day, and we are not measuring them. But for this method of learning, you should set some goals. 

Let’s go through an example. Say you decide to learn how to cook breakfast. A good goal to set would be to learn how to scramble eggs. Then you measure that, check it off (write down your goals), and move on to sausage. Or say you want to sew a dress. The first goal should be to pick out a pattern you like. Once you have your goals, coming up with a documentation plan is the last step before you can start learning with this method.

Documentation

Do you have a journal or scrapbook? No? Go and get one, you’re going to need it! Before you begin learning your skill, you should think about how to document and keep track of it. You could create a syllabus or journal. I prefer to take pictures with my Polaroid camera. This step is a fun one! Be creative, think outside the box! And with all your steps in order, go start learning!

Start learning!

Now it’s time to execute your plan. Remember, in personal learning, there are no failures, only growth opportunities. No one is giving you an F for a failed soufflé. So burn as many as you need to in order to get it right! Give yourself plenty of grace. Never stop learning, never stop growing. After all, a person who stops learning is an oxymoron. We never stop learning. Might as well be conscious of it. 

Scene from Jess Miller's travels from London, Oxford, and Copenhagen

Conclusion: Making it Personal, and Some Ideas to Get You Started

Anytime I learn a new skill, I am growing as a person! Two years ago, I took a solo trip to London, Oxford, and Copenhagen. This forced me to add to my personal curriculum trip planning, itinerary building, communication skills, and problem-solving, among other skills. Suddenly, I was a travel planner-all because I wanted to visit some friends in another country. 

Scene from Jess Miller's travels from London, Oxford, and Copenhagen

Learning is always more fun with a group! As much as I love learning things on my own, I have grown a deep appreciation for book clubs! I am currently in one, and have been in others. They are good options to grow in your knowledge of a particular literary genre, skill, or idea, and be able to discuss that with others. And I like to keep a book club journal with notes and quotes. Kind of like a commonplace book, but specific to book clubs.

And always be on the lookout for local events. Many cities have lunch and learn dates, a fun way to learn about something new and meet new people. Your city’s tourism website may have events posted, in addition to its Facebook page. There are always museums to visit, trails to hike, and new things to see and do! Be a tourist in your city, or take a day trip!

A life of learning is closer than you think. Just look around you, and see what you can learn. It will challenge and grow you as you grow in the discipline of learning!

Oh, the places you can go!

Jess is a singer-songwriter who also loves writing in general. She is a lifelong learner, committed to growing in whatever she sets her mind to. She is currently learning basic editing for her social media, as well as growing in her writing skills through her Substack, True and Lovely. She loves her church community, her family, and her friends.