Often times, the question is asked, “How does learning this help me? What can I possibly do with this?” The answer, while not necessarily concrete, is simple: Our knowledge is cumulative, and it prepares us for tomorrow by helping us learn how to learn and understand, even if its not a related topic
A question that has been asked before, and likely will be proposed many times in the future, is: “Does what I learn today build upon what I learned yesterday?” The answer to that question is yes, it most certainly does build upon it. In kindergarten and preschool, you learned the alphabet and basic addition. Now, you 're learning how to find i or whether or not those two right triangles are similar or if there should be a comma there or not. …show more content…
Oftentimes, we think of this in direct terms, such as addition leading to subtraction to multiplication to division, but it can also be more indirect, because if we are learning how to learn, then it will always prepare us for what we will learn tomorrow. If we are taught how to think and how to learn, then whatever we will be trying to learn tomorrow will be that much easier to comprehend. This knowledge of thinking and learning is what makes mankind great, and it has been neglected in favor of more brittle principles, and strict obedience rather than respectful questioning. Margaret Mead said, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” We must learn how to formulate our own thoughts, not simply spout out those of others, though we may borrow their words. If what we are learning does not teach us how to think on our own, independent of all others, then it isn 't fully preparing us for tomorrow, though some of what we learn could still be useful, if we don 't have the ability to thing on our own we cannot function except as part of a herd of humanity, which is both not a good way to live your life to be happy and not an effective way to prepare for a work-environment, which is what our education is supposed to do. This is not, however, the final …show more content…
Albert Einstein once said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” If we are simply knowing that 3^2=9, and not understanding the process that got us there, then we aren 't preparing ourselves for success, to share our individuality, we 're preparing ourselves to repeat the answers, with no effort or contributions from us. Edward Morgan Forester declared, “Spoon feeding, in the long run, teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.” We cannot expect to be successful in life if all we know for ourselves is the shape of the spoons. We must challenge ourselves, we must take the risk that we might be wrong for, as Bram Stoker said, “We learn from failure, not success!” It is failure that makes us flawed and human, and failure that teaches us. When a small child burns themselves in a flame despite the warnings (and attempts to prevent opportunities) of their elders, they learn two lessons: first, that the flame can harm them though it appears beautiful, and second, that their elders are wise and know things that will help them avoid being hurt. Now, compare this child to one who was always removed from the flame, whose curiosity was stifled and never had the opportunity to grow, and learn that they can be hurt and, much more importantly, that not everything is as it first would
A question that has been asked before, and likely will be proposed many times in the future, is: “Does what I learn today build upon what I learned yesterday?” The answer to that question is yes, it most certainly does build upon it. In kindergarten and preschool, you learned the alphabet and basic addition. Now, you 're learning how to find i or whether or not those two right triangles are similar or if there should be a comma there or not. …show more content…
Oftentimes, we think of this in direct terms, such as addition leading to subtraction to multiplication to division, but it can also be more indirect, because if we are learning how to learn, then it will always prepare us for what we will learn tomorrow. If we are taught how to think and how to learn, then whatever we will be trying to learn tomorrow will be that much easier to comprehend. This knowledge of thinking and learning is what makes mankind great, and it has been neglected in favor of more brittle principles, and strict obedience rather than respectful questioning. Margaret Mead said, “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” We must learn how to formulate our own thoughts, not simply spout out those of others, though we may borrow their words. If what we are learning does not teach us how to think on our own, independent of all others, then it isn 't fully preparing us for tomorrow, though some of what we learn could still be useful, if we don 't have the ability to thing on our own we cannot function except as part of a herd of humanity, which is both not a good way to live your life to be happy and not an effective way to prepare for a work-environment, which is what our education is supposed to do. This is not, however, the final …show more content…
Albert Einstein once said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” If we are simply knowing that 3^2=9, and not understanding the process that got us there, then we aren 't preparing ourselves for success, to share our individuality, we 're preparing ourselves to repeat the answers, with no effort or contributions from us. Edward Morgan Forester declared, “Spoon feeding, in the long run, teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.” We cannot expect to be successful in life if all we know for ourselves is the shape of the spoons. We must challenge ourselves, we must take the risk that we might be wrong for, as Bram Stoker said, “We learn from failure, not success!” It is failure that makes us flawed and human, and failure that teaches us. When a small child burns themselves in a flame despite the warnings (and attempts to prevent opportunities) of their elders, they learn two lessons: first, that the flame can harm them though it appears beautiful, and second, that their elders are wise and know things that will help them avoid being hurt. Now, compare this child to one who was always removed from the flame, whose curiosity was stifled and never had the opportunity to grow, and learn that they can be hurt and, much more importantly, that not everything is as it first would