Education begins long before the discovery of self ever comes into question. Learning begins at the moment the brain stem is developed in utero, when an embryo can hear his mother's voice vibrating through uterine walls. Learning begins when the biochemistry of the mother affects the unborn child with favorable or unfavorable feedback. Like any living creature, whether plant or animal, the process of learning is very much self-motivated regardless of self-awareness. It is more the question of to what extent and to what end does the ability to be so independent and self sufficient in one's own academic experiences serve? What prompts a child to actively engage in self-teaching?
Initially, the most common factor in the early stages of learning is reinforcement. If an infant cries for formula and receives his desire immediately, then he has learned that crying produces his desired outcome. If another infant gurgles, smiles and coos and receives affection then she will most likely repeat these behaviors to achieve those same outcomes. When a given action results in consistent reaction, then said action will quickly become learned and reproduced.
As a child grows, they begin to further experiment with their own behaviors seeking reaction from those around them, gauging and making judgments to determine if the reaction is one that they wish to experience repeatedly. Many parents, educators and other adults will term some of these behaviors as boundary testing, particularly if the reactions to a given behavior or set of behaviors are inconsistent, confusing the child in his or her learning.
One method of ensuring a child will be self educating is through a process known as natural consequence. In early development, natural consequence helps a child to understand that their actions and behaviors result in outcomes that are not necessarily mandated by adults, but rather as a consequence that directly reflects their initial action. An example: a toddler who has a pet cat will be naturally fascinated by pointy ears, long whiskers and a tail that whips about moodily. If that child is given a verbal warning as to the consequence of pulling his pet's tail, the child then has the option of believing or experimenting. Anyone familiar with children of this age group will know that a toddler will not be able to resist that tail, no matter how many times he is warned that he may get scratched or bitten. Most toddlers have not yet reached a point of development to understand that others - including cats - feel pain in the same way that they do. In order to protect the child, some may scold or find some other means of curtailing the child's natural curiosity about his kitty's extremity. But this does nothing to satisfy the child. He will again and again pursue the same action until a direct reaction occurs, and repeatedly. Does the same action cause the same reaction? Although the child may be deterred by the nearest adult, this is not a direct reaction as no action has yet been committed. The child's ability to self-teach and learn by natural consequence is being impeded.
On the other hand, if the child is allowed to discover for herself the results of her actions then there is a stronger likelihood that she will learn faster and more efficiently the lesson at hand. Ultimately, the lesson is not to yank on kitty's tail because the consequence of that action is to get scratched or bitten. Once tested repeatedly, then there is negative consequences, positive reinforcement. Positive because the reinforcement, although a negative consequence, has the desired outcome with no long-lasting damage to any party. Yet, the child is still at an age where she is very self-consumed. She does not understand that the complexity of reasons that she got scratched or bitten. Toddlers are very black and white in their understanding and comprehension of the world around and all she will know is that pulling kitty's tail = scratching, which hurts. In this over-simplified example, there is no complicated inner workings of self awareness. There is simply the freedom to explore, to learn, to actively engage in day to day rituals of nature.
Children enjoy the opportunity to experience life to the fullest. If it will fit in their mouth, it will go there. If they can reach it, they will touch it, if they can see it, they will stare, if they can hear it (as long as it's not an authority figure, in which case the ears suddenly stop working), they will inquire into the source. Children are natural self-learners, from the word go. Insatiable curiosity ensures that. What is not natural is the allowance by adults to do so. In some instances, it is for their protection and safety. A child should never be allowed to have any access to any toxin or poison, no matter what the curiosity level. In other cases, they are sheltered. Overly protected, leaving children squirming for adventure. A child will only teach him or herself if they are not only allowed but encouraged to do so. Positive reinforcement, regardless of consequence (within reason, of course), allowance for natural consequence, and the confidence to experiment beyond their comfort zones all contribute to the desire to push beyond any limitations that an adult may place upon them.
If a child is allowed these freedoms early, with proper due diligence and foresight, then once upon a classroom environment, he will ask why and how instead of meekly accepting rote lessons that discourage creative thinking. Teachers will be faced with the challenge of truly understanding the lessons they have laid out or be forced to overlook the anticipation of explanation on a student's face. A child is, from the very beginning, taught how to learn. Not what to learn, but HOW to learn, simply by those lessons will allow or disallow in an experiential context.
Discovery of self comes much later. If, in fact, a child becomes an insightful enough adult to have the wherewithal to investigate that deeply into themselves. Insight is gained by experience. Experience is gained by the freedom to act and directly obtain the results in the form of reaction - in many cases, by means of natural consequence.