I would be very interested to see if there is such a thing as a 'learn from home survival corse', and would personaly give one a try if you find a good one. However personal experience is always a good way to know what works and what doesn't.

In the past I have taken a bunch of survival notes from various books on things that I wanted to try and just my persional survival kit, then spend a number of days trying them. Its amazing how differently you view your gear once you have put it to use in that kind of situation.

It also becomes evident quite quickly whick of the books on survival are based on usable real world skills, and which are not.

Plus its always a lot of fun! I would advise stashing a pack full of supplies nearby though and always have an emergency signaling device handy (eg phone) to keep things safe.