Why the why matters
Kids don’t know why they have to go to school. There is no way they will know why they are learning all those Math and Physics and Biology that humans have figured out to fix something. Probably if a high school kid had a urge to see the moon big, he would have studied the characteristics of light and built a telescope on his own. I guess a handful of kids have that urge. So may be the learning should be to state the ‘why’ before a lot of how and what and who are explained in great zeal. Unless they are made aware of the purpose, everything will look like one large lump of text and images stuck to the brain. I still do not know why we ‘integrate’ or why we ‘differentiate’. Today there are umpteen videos that explain things a lot better. But it takes a long time to understand what purpose it served. Why would one want to go along a curvy path and find how one item changes infinitesimally with respect to another item. Most of our books seem to be fixated more on the curves and formulas than explaining what made them come to those conclusions.
We need teachers who are able to show the connection between the purpose and the answer. Otherwise, we are giving the gun in the hands of a large number of folks without knowing what they are aiming for. A better way to Educate is to throw the problem that caused an invention to happen. Make them absorb the problem first. Question and understand all the aspects of the problem and try to come out with answers. Who knows we may find a better way to model our universe if so many minds are trying to think originally.
Schools should facilitate this phenomenon rather than focusing on running through a pre-ordained syllabus akin to a cooked food being served. There is no difference between watching a Television show and running through things which you cannot associate. It gives the same effect. No wonder we elect bad people and struggle all our lives when earth has enough to feed everyone. No wonder we believe in creating rat races as the way to find the victor among us who will beckon us to a new future. No wonder an Einstein emerges once a century.
We have answers without knowing which question it answers.
