Solitary Learners

Individual adults or children who learn only when they are alone are solitary learners. Learners who struggle to learn in groups prefer less sensory inputs from the external environment. Concentration is more easily achieved for them when external stimuli is restricted to the ones that are relevant to the subject being taught. Many learners can manage to learn despite extraneous stimuli. Many learn better only when there is a lot of stimuli. Both learn in groups. There is a misconception that students need to go to schools because social learning is equally important; learning to share, team work and learning to play sports that involve team games are seen as essential to building a wholesome personality. It is said that it helps students learn to live in a community which is necessary when they become adults. This notion is problematic. Although, there are students who say that they enjoy their school life, there are also those who abhor school life. Although, there are adults who say that they would want their childhood back, which was to them a treasure house of fond memories, there are those who say that their childhood was hard enough the first time. Having to relive them in memory is intensely painful. Why is this the case? 

Social learning is not relevant to learning academic subjects. Children have to treat one another with respect. If there is bullying in school then teachers have to correct them strongly. The students who are bullied are affected and their learning gets affected. This can affect their outlook towards society later on as the scars left behind do not go away easily. Social learning is anyway messed up. Teachers can make or break the world. The early seeds grow with life's experiences. This is why teachers have to also be mentors.

Working with adults involves a completely different outlook when compared to working with children. This comes with exposure anyway.

It can be said that the clamor for social learning in schools is overstated.

If a child learns under a tutor individually, then social learning is still possible. There are avenues where children can interact with other children through forums for the young ones to get together, playgrounds and interactions focused on general knowledge about the world and value based living.  

This is where tutors serve the purpose better as they can give individual attention more easily than teachers. What is needed is a tutor who ought to attend to only one student at a time. This can also compliment school education. Tutors and teachers need to stay abreast of their methodologies so that the child does not get confused as a possible consequence of different teaching styles.  They need to work together for that.

This facility and acceptance of solitary learners would help open the flood gates for them to bask in the activity of learning without a dull moment in their experience.

The stigma associated with solitary learners is ill founded. 

At any rate, learning takes place only at the individual level. Even students who study in groups, learn alone.