(来源：英语杂志 http://www.EnglishCN.com)

对于那些认为学习只能在教室中进行的人而言，自学可能会吓怕他们。那么我们怎么才能最好的利用自学这种新兴的学习方法呢?下面以自学外语为例，为大家介绍一些小诀窍。

1. Get interested

第一步：对所学之物感兴趣

Make no mistake. Your interest in the subject is the essential driver of success. You can"t learn what you do not want to learn. Emotion is an important part of the learning process. If you are even moderately interested in a subject, give yourself a chance. The key is to get started. If you can create some pleasurable routines, you may find that the subject grows on you. “L’appetit vient en mangeant” (the appetite comes with eating) as they say in French.

可别搞错了，兴趣是成功学成某件事的根本要素!你不想学的东西当然学不会。在学习过程中保持热情至关重要。所以如果你对某件事有些兴趣，那就给自己一个学习的机会。关键是要“开始”!如果你能创造一些让自己开心的学习模式，那么就能好好开始学习这门科目。就像他们在法语里说的那样：吃着吃着就有胃口了!

很多同学因为看美剧或动漫而对英语、日语产生了强烈的兴趣，这就是一个很棒的开始。如果你能抓住这个兴趣，把兴趣发展到语言学习中，你就不仅仅能得到看剧的快乐，更能为自己添加一种新的能力。不要担心自己学不下来，总要给自己一个机会开始。

2. Expect problems and you won’t be disappointed.

第二步：降低期望值，这样就不会对自己失望

Don't expect to understand things, much less remember them, the first time you study them. Trust that things will get clearer as your brain comes to grips with new information. It is like a jig-saw puzzle or a cross-word puzzle. As you start to put the pieces together, or string the words together, the full picture becomes clearer. The brain learns all the time, but on its own schedule. Learning does not take place according to a schedule laid down by a curriculum or teacher. Some things are easier to learn than others. Some things just take longer to click in. Keep at it, and you will gradually find that things that seem difficult at first, will become second nature with time.

当一开始学习的时候，别指望能一下就全部理解、更别说记住所有知识点了。要相信，随着你了解越来越多的新知识、你的头脑也会变得清晰起来。这就像是拼图、或者填字游戏那样：当你把图形一个一个拼起来、或是把单词一一填进去，整个大局就会清楚。大脑其实随时都在学习，不过它也有自己的节奏。学习的过程是不会按照一个课程、或是老师给你规定的进行的。有的东西比其他好学，有的东西就是需要花更多时间。坚持下去，你慢慢就会发现那些一开始看上去很难的东西也会随着时间变得简单了。

3. Cover the same ground from different angles.

第三步：从不同的角度学习同一个知识点。

Your brain is struggling to form patterns to cope with new input from your learning activities. Sometimes, no matter how long you focus on one subject, your brain is not going to pick it up. If you are stuck, move on. Then cover the same general information from a different source, a different book, or a podcast, or an online lecture or a video. Try to become a grazing learner, roaming the countryside, rather than a feedlot learner, just standing there in one spot, munching on the same bale of hay. The broader your base, the easier it is to learn. Just as the “rich get richer”, the more you know, the more you can learn.

在新知识的学习过程中，你的大脑会通过固有模式来接受新的知识点。有的时候，不管花多长时间对着一个科目，你就是记不住它。如果卡在这种时候，就略过它。跟着从其他的信息来源：比如不同的书籍、播客、线上课程或视频来重新学习同一个知识点。试着把自己变成一个“放养”的学习者——在知识的草原上四处周游;而不是“圈养”的学习者——只站在一个点上学习，反复咀嚼一个知识点。看地越广、就能学的轻松。就像是“有钱的更有钱”的道理那样，你知道的越多、就能学的越多。

4. Be a multimedia learner.

第四步：做一个多媒体学习者

The more varied your learning content, and the more varied the ways in which you learn, the clearer the puzzle will become. Different learning activities suit different people, at different times of the day. Vary your activities in order to keep your interest level up. Even if listening and reading work best for you, treat yourself to the odd video lecture, or get-together with other learners. This will renew your batteries.

你学习的内容越多、来源越多，你就会对知识点越清楚。不同的人适合不同的学习方法，每天的学习“兴奋点”也不错。所以最好能找到自己的一套学习规律来保持自己的“兴奋度”。即便听和读是你习惯的学习方式，也要让自己试着去听听看视频的演讲、或是跟其他学习者交流。这会让你重新充满精力!

5. Anytime is learning time.

第五步：随时都是学习时间!

Take full advantage of the Internet, iTunes, and various mobile devices, not to mention good old-fashioned books and magazines. Learn during “dead time”. Listen in your car, on the train, or while jogging. Have your learning with you while waiting in the doctor's office, or listen while checking out at the supermarket. Anytime is learning time. Remember, you are learning through exposure, not by nailing things down. It is more like moisture accumulation in a cloud, rather than building a brick wall.