<p>I'll give you an example of a famous mathematician who developed his mathematical research in isolation. Arguably If someone manages to achieve a high level of skill in solitude for such an extraordinary difficult discipline as mathematics I would deny the need to have a teacher (in any case) to master a skill which is less difficult than be an expert in math. (Which is arguably any discipline). However as mentioned in the comments having some kind of feedback might be useful in mastering a skill faster. Additionally not every person is as gifted as was S. Ramanujan. Therefore I suggest it depends on your inborn intellectual abilities with regard to the skill you want to become an expert of. Therefore this question cannot be answered in general but only with respect to person X inborn intellectual qualities with regard to the skill person X wants to become an expert of.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-31T15:58:00.653Z
2015-03-31T15:58:00.653Z
CuriousIndeed
<p>Is it necessary to have a teacher (or mentor/coach) to master every skill? What if I am taking an online tutorial with pre-recorded videos? Can I count that teacher training?</p>

<p>I have read the concept of deliberate practice and 10,000 hours of practice being needed to become an expert. But my question is whether these 10,000 hours need to be (partially) guided to receive personal feedback and/or coaching, or whether self-learning is sufficient?</p>

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2015-03-31T07:11:14.227Z
Of course it is possible to teach yourself many things; and there are often a wide range of self-help resources available. I guess the issue is how much benefit would you get from having a person assist you in your learning process? And what kinds of skills can you more readily acquire using self-study? And what background, motivation, and so on does a person need to effectively self-teach?
Jeromy Anglim
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2015-03-31T07:27:26.203Z
@JeromyAnglim Deliberate practice theory actually requires expert feedback, I'll dig up a reference.
Christian Hummeluhr
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2015-03-31T07:32:43.473Z
@ChristianHummeluhr I agree that expert feedback accelerates learning and will often increase asymptotic skill attainment. I just don't think it is "necessary" in the sense that it is possible to attain a reasonable level  a skill in many domains without expert feedback.
Jeromy Anglim
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-31T07:40:06.583Z
@JeromyAnglim What I meant was that one can become an expert without deliberate practice, but one can't engage in deliberate practice without expert feedback as a matter of definition.
Christian Hummeluhr
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-31T07:54:49.087Z
@ChristianHummeluhr I see. I wonder if expert tuition should be part of the definition or just a common feature. I tend to define, perhaps  circuitously, deliberate practice as "a form of practice that is designed to maximise learning".
Jeromy Anglim
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-31T09:17:25.103Z
@JeromyAnglim I think that's more along the lines of self-regulated learning. We'd better watch out for those concepts, constructs and measures. ;)
Christian Hummeluhr
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-31T12:41:43.083Z
I am not an expert on the topic, but "any skill" makes the question way too broad. E.g. using youTube to master juggling is doable (motor learning), but a similar approach won't get you a PhD ("way of thinking"). Also, what is an "expert" or "master" in "any skill"? I think this question needs work and I vote to close.
AliceD
<cognitive-psychology><learning><attention>
Is teacher guidance always necessary to become an expert?
test99
# Is teacher guidance always necessary to become an expert?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-03-31)

Is it necessary to have a teacher (or mentor/coach) to master every skill? What if I am taking an online tutorial with pre-recorded videos? Can I count that teacher training?

I have read the concept of deliberate practice and 10,000 hours of practice being needed to become an expert. But my question is whether these 10,000 hours need to be (partially) guided to receive personal feedback and/or coaching, or whether self-learning is sufficient?

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, learning, attention

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Of course it is possible to teach yourself many things; and there are often a wide range of self-help resources available. I guess the issue is how much benefit would you get from having a person assist you in your learning process? And what kinds of skills can you more readily acquire using self-study? And what background, motivation, and so on does a person need to effectively self-teach?  
> **username_2**: @JeromyAnglim Deliberate practice theory actually requires expert feedback, I'll dig up a reference.  
> **username_1**: @ChristianHummeluhr I agree that expert feedback accelerates learning and will often increase asymptotic skill attainment. I just don't think it is "necessary" in the sense that it is possible to attain a reasonable level  a skill in many domains without expert feedback.  
> **username_2**: @JeromyAnglim What I meant was that one can become an expert without deliberate practice, but one can't engage in deliberate practice without expert feedback as a matter of definition.  
> **username_1**: @ChristianHummeluhr I see. I wonder if expert tuition should be part of the definition or just a common feature. I tend to define, perhaps  circuitously, deliberate practice as "a form of practice that is designed to maximise learning".  
> **username_2**: @JeromyAnglim I think that's more along the lines of self-regulated learning. We'd better watch out for those concepts, constructs and measures. ;)  
> **username_3**: I am not an expert on the topic, but "any skill" makes the question way too broad. E.g. using youTube to master juggling is doable (motor learning), but a similar approach won't get you a PhD ("way of thinking"). Also, what is an "expert" or "master" in "any skill"? I think this question needs work and I vote to close.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-03-31. Score: 2

I'll give you an example of a famous mathematician who developed his mathematical research in isolation. Arguably If someone manages to achieve a high level of skill in solitude for such an extraordinary difficult discipline as mathematics I would deny the need to have a teacher (in any case) to master a skill which is less difficult than be an expert in math. (Which is arguably any discipline). However as mentioned in the comments having some kind of feedback might be useful in mastering a skill faster. Additionally not every person is as gifted as was S. Ramanujan. Therefore I suggest it depends on your inborn intellectual abilities with regard to the skill you want to become an expert of. Therefore this question cannot be answered in general but only with respect to person X inborn intellectual qualities with regard to the skill person X wants to become an expert of.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan>


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