between theoretical and practical knowledge

This past few weeks, it has been absolutely difficult for me to establish focus in college, such I mostly regard it as a thing of non-importance. It’s more like I lack the appreciation towards what is taught, and who taught it, because I see no use of it or any relevance whatsoever to myself.

This causes many problem; it made me unable to do any required homework except when its deadline is within 30 minutes, nor study for it; be it before a lecture or after a lecture, or even for an exam. Such aloofness does have it consequences, like bad marks, even for subjects that I like.

I am in constant delusion that I can grasp anything at once, that I can understand things immediately, so I can do things at the very last minute, even when I completely aware of my own limitation. This limitation of mine, is when I understand things in the first place, I can easily grasp and memorize it later, hence reduce my studying and revision time significantly. But what I can’t do is to figure out a set or ways to do things, something that requires memorization of steps that cannot be left out even one bit, all of a sudden when I’m not introduced to it in the first place. In short, familiarity is first needed. I can no longer rely on pure deduction and assumptions.

There’s a reason why I love maths when I was a little kid, and why I hate it now. Back then in primary school, they used to teach you logic and creativity, and there is no need to actually study for it, because all it requires is simple logic and calculations. Everything is simple.

Then it’s time for high school. They tell you that playtime’s over. We are introduced to formulas and steps, and are required to apply it in order to answer a question, that there is no requirement of logic at all, that I begin to detest maths. The mathematics I used to love are now reduced to a series of calculations based on learned steps, that it becomes absolutely dull and uninteresting. I’m not actually saying that there is no logic in those steps, but rather the inquisitiveness that one has when when they are young are simply, gone. Because one is asked to answer in a certain way (without knowing why), and that way cannot be simplified, one begins to feel restricted.

Perhaps you might argue, that as we get older, knowledge must be more complicated for us, but as for myself, why learn things which you see have no practical use whatsoever in your later life?

These ramblings, are of course, not about mathematics alone, but rather to question the education system that relies heavily on theory rather than the practical use of it, regardless of whichever subject one wants to pursue in later life. What we learn in school is supposed to be give us knowledge that everyone can make use of. An accommodating knowledge, if you want to call it that way.

Mandatory school, i.e. primary school and secondary school, is supposed to give us a foundation of knowledge, in which we learn what we are supposed to know, and perhaps give us a little insight on what the outside world (the working force in this case) does. It is not supposed to give you an insight of what you are going to know when you go into say, chemistry, or even philosophy. It gives you only the general knowledge of things, provided that the knowledge must have, at least some usefulness for everyone. Like why we shouldn’t smoking – because there is nicotine and tar which can corrode the lungs. Or how to write a formal letter. This kind of knowledge is essential, because it is practical.

On the other hand, theoretical knowledge must be learned, as to why things happen, but only on the surface (superficially). It only has to provide the basics of that subjects, rather than dwell into it in entirety. It is not the role of primary and secondary education to do it. A good example would be; when someone asks you why does rain occurs, and you may explain the water cycle, but you will not explain the chemical reactions involved in it, unless you are a meteorologist trying to prevent acid rain. This being said, the teacher teaching the subject itself must not restrict himself/herself only to this knowledge, in case there are “inquisitive” students out there who may ask more questions.

Perhaps the education syllabus itself must be revised, and must rely heavily on how we can apply what is learned in life, rather than teaching the how something works. We may want to give more focus on practical knowledge rather than only theoretical knowledge. This may, in fact, give students are different view on knowledge. They will think that knowledge is for life, rather than view it as a requirement to pass exams. Indirectly, students that are produced might be more of quality.

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