Self-Directed Summertime Learning Made Easy

Now that summer’s here we can all take some time to slow down and relax.  But slowing down doesn’t mean that learning has to stop. Summer can be the time for students to break from traditional, structured classes and delve into some creative, self-directed learning.  While a basic search of educational sites will yield plenty of places offering high-quality resources and lesson plans, one of our favorite places to visit is Open Culture.  The site acts as a clearinghouse for free courses, audio books, foreign language lessons, movies, and textbooks. It’s updated daily so there’s definitely something for everyone.  Did we mention it’s free? Take your time with Open Culture and explore. We can help by suggesting a few sections we found especially interesting.

If you’re stumped by James Joyce’s Ulysses (and who isn’t?), you can check out a sketched-out map of the places the protagonist travelled throughout Dublin. It can be helpful to switch to the visual after immersing yourself in a book like Ulysses. Want to learn about American Economic History complete with a syllabus from University of Massachusetts and an online lecture? Head over to the Online Courses section where you can choose from a range of Economic courses from the basic (Money and Banking) to the more specific (Radical Capitalism). The Foreign Language portion allows you to download lessons and broadcasts from the Web or iTunes. This section seems to be geared towards beginners who are looking to get a taste of and/or practice a particular language. There are also lessons that teach you the useful words and phrases you’ll need when you’re travelling to a specific country.

In the eBooks section you’ll find Ernest Hemingway’s first published stories in a handy eBook format. You can also read classics from great authors and essayists like Alice Munro, George Saunders, and Joan Didion. The K-12 resource section includes teacher resources and test prep that’s perfect if you’re wanting to brush up on the SAT, looking for quality YouTube channels, or are just searching for resources on Art & Visual Culture.

Aside from the massive amounts of cultural and educational information available on Open Culture, the strength of the site is that it has the ability to combine concrete instruction with more open-ended and creative offerings.  It also helps that it is run by people with a true love for learning who’ve included links to related content at the end of most of the postings. In fact, Open Culture extends beyond the educational and offers such gems as Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten recipe for vanilla ice cream and David Bowie’s Top 100 books. And why not?  After all, it is the summer.