Do you say "outside classes", when mentioning study by yourself?

Question

By taking courses, I have learned topic A. Through self-studying and discussion with others, I have explored topic B.

1. I also study topic A outside the classroom. What I want to emphasis is that topic B is not in my curriculum, but I study it on my own.
2. Extracurricular activities can include both activities contributed to academic study although outside the normal curriculum, but also activities not contributed to academic study such as sports, volunteer work, etc. I want to emphasis the former activities.
3. Do you say "outside classes", when mentioning study by yourself, i.e.

   Outside classes, I have explored B.

If it were you, how would you rewrite the first quote for the same meaning?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Sometimes, instead of "outside of classes," you might see:

outside the classroom

For example:

Most of what people learn in life was learned outside the classroom. Just because something was learned in a classroom doesn't make it more legitimate than other types of learning. (Reilly, 2009)

It is clear that a great deal of what is learned using computers is learned outside the classroom; at home, in vocational training settings, and at work. (Light & Littleton, 2002)

The CLEP involves a series of examinations providing college credit for life experience and knowledge gained outside the classroom. Hence, the program tends to be of benefit to older students who have been out in the work force for a few years. (Margolin, 1990)

Answer 2

I always refer to learning I have accomplished on my own, outside of classes, as personal research.

Answer 3

Why is “Out of School” NOT the idiomatic way to say “I'm learning material on my own, not as part of formal classes?”

Another person asked, "what can I say instead of “out of school” here?" which was canned as a duplicate of "Do you say “outside classes”, when mentioning study by yourself?"

No, and "out of school" has a completely different connotation!

I'm a native US English speaker. The phrase "out of school" generally has a specific meaning, used in telling someone something you are not supposed to be talking about, though there is a moral reason you should be. "I'm speaking out of school here." 'I shouldn't tell you why the....' (I'm telling you something that's confidential, or the management doesn't want known, though it should be, and I don't have authorization to speak.)

'Deep Throat' in "All the President's Men" was speaking out of school.

One would express the idea they were trying to convey like this: "Due to quarantine, I'm studying (a language, for example) 'on my own'."

"Self-study" implies a more formal course intended for self study, rather than picking up a book in another language and working your way through it.

One could also say, "I'm teaching myself to knit." "I'm working on learning German by myself" though 'on my own' would be more usual.

They wrote:

Do you say “outside classes”, when mentioning study by yourself? I want to say that "now, I'm studying things other than what I learn in school" with this present perfect sentence: Due to quarentine,(sp) I have begun to study things out of school, especially languages.

Is out of school idiomatic in this context?

What could sound better?

which was actually a good question, just not the question they intended!

"Taking outside classes" would mean someone already in a formal course of study was supplementing it with “outside classes” from another source.