We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
So, you’ve heard about the “personal curriculum” trend sweeping through TikTok and other social media platforms. You might be intrigued by the concept and ready to try one for yourself.
But you might also be overwhelmed by the idea of planning out an entire curriculum on your own.
Don’t worry! I’ve got all the information you need to get started here on the blog.
My “day job” is in creating adult curriculum. So, I’m excited that so many people are interested in learning new things outside of school. But in reviewing popular content on the idea of a personal curriculum for adults, I’ve seen some advice shared by non-education professionals that will likely backfire.
I’ve created the posts linked below to share some insight that will ensure that you succeed with your personal curriculum project.
I recommend reviewing every post in order, of course. But you can also feel free to use the Table of Contents above to skip to the section that matches where you currently are in the process.
Introduction: What is a Personal Curriculum and Why Should You Make One?
If you found this post by searching “personal curriculum” because you’ve heard the phrase but don’t really know what it means, this is the best place to start.
This post explains….
- How the trend started
- Why it gained popularity
- Benefits of doing a personal curriculum project
- How to choose a topic (high-level overview)
- Elements of a personal curriculum – what it should include
- Common mistakes to avoid
Basically, start here for an overview before you launch into designing your curriculum. Even if you think you know everything you need to know!
How to Make a Personal Curriculum: Your Step-by-Step Guide
If you’ve already reviewed the introductory post, or you’ve already explored other content related to personal curriculum ideas, head here. It’s a clear, step-by-step breakdown of how to set up your self curriculum.
This post will guide you through the following steps:
- Choosing your topic
- Setting up your schedule
- Writing your objective(s) – don’t overlook this step!
- Researching learning activities / finding content
- Choosing your assignments
- Organizing your self curriculum in a planner, document, Notion, or spreadsheet
Keep this guide open and follow along as you brainstorm and organize your personal curriculum.
Personal Curriculum Ideas: How to Find Your Perfect Topic
You may notice the posts above also reference choosing a topic for your curriculum. But it’s actually probably the step that many will struggle with most.
For some, it’s because they have no idea what they want to learn. For others, they have so many ideas for research topics and hobbies to try, they don’t know where to start.
Whichever camp you’re in, this post will help you figure it out.
It breaks down the 3 major categories of personal curriculum topics. And it gives dozens of examples for each.
You may be inspired by something on the list, or it may just be the springboard you need to decide on your own original topic.
Scroll through the 170 personal curriculum ideas for topics I’ve compiled here and get inspired!
Free Learning Websites and Other Resources for Your Personal Curriculum
One of the steps in the personal curriculum creation guide linked above is to find resources for educational content related to your chosen topic.
But if you’re a beginner in the topic, it may be hard to know where to start.
Also, you may want to explore as much content as you can for free. Fortunately, these days there are quite a few resources to get free educational content.
This post will break down how to find reputable and free (or low-cost) resources for your personal curriculum project.
It includes links for free online courses, electronic resources from your local library, free resources from top universities, open educational resource (OER) repositories, YouTube, podcasts, and even field trips.
Take the links in this post to explore all the high-quality educational content that’s available online for free. Use these resources to collect links for your curriculum.
Personal Curriculum Ideas for Assignments (That Are Actually Fun)
Once you’ve chosen your topic and found some great resources to study, you’ll want to set your assignments.
Yes, you need to include assignments! But here’s the good news: they can be fun.
This post explains how you should approach designing assignments for your personal curriculum.
Here I also share 40+ ideas for assignments, designed for various types of personal curriculum projects.
Regardless of your chosen topic – whether it’s a job or life skill, hobby, or intellectual interest – you’ll find some great ideas to either copy or help you brainstorm your own assignments.
The 10 Most Effective Study Tips to Get More out of Your Personal Curriculum
After you’ve designed your curriculum, chosen your resources, and set your assignments, you can finally get started!
Except…if you’re like many of us, you may find it’s not so easy to study in your adult years. That’s partially due to the constant stream of short-form online content we’re all exposed to. But it’s also because, as an adult, you’ve got a lot of responsibilities.
Completing a personal curriculum is so worthwhile in a million ways. But I won’t lie – it takes effort!
Again, I’m an education professional who specializes in adult curriculum. These are the 10 best study tips I recommend to busy adults working on a self-study project.
I definitely recommend at least reviewing them before launching into your research project. Otherwise, it’s easy to get excited, start the first few readings, and then burn out quickly.
You absolutely can succeed at a personal curriculum! Even if you’re very busy, and even if you have a short attention span. These strategies will set you up for your best results.
What Do You Think?
Are you designing a personal curriculum? Have you already completed one? What lessons did you learn? What advice would you have for others getting started? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
You May Also Like…
How to Break the Phone Addiction: Easy Steps for Massive Impact
A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting New Year’s Goals You’ll Actually Achieve
How to Use Realistic Time Management: 5 Tips to Crush Anxiety
How to Use Realistic Time Management: 6 MORE Fail-Proof Tips
