rogue learner

self-educated person who relies on alternate sources for learning, for example online, mentors, self-directed research, "school of hard knocks"; person who believes that traditional educational institutions do not have a monopoly on education; person who relies on their own assessment of what is important to learn and sources their own education

"The children were free to explore, went to movies if they wished, could spend the day skateboarding, reading, or doing science experiments like making potato guns or rockets. Sometimes they spent prolonged hours online or at the library researching their current obsession and over the course of several years all became rogue learners, and eventually each one a success in a wide variety of fields. None of them had a degree, or even a high school diploma."

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