http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120515-0000146/More-of-how-to-learn,-less-of-what-to-learn
More of how to learn, less of what to learn
Letter from Wong Boon Hong
Updated 10:24 PM May 15, 2012
I read with concern about the increasing homework for pupils despite the Education Ministry's pledge to \"teach less, learn more\".
Schools must impart to pupils more real skills, especially social skills, which are useful for their careers and adult life, rather than drill into them more theoretical, general knowledge, which would be forgotten after the examinations.
Teachers should focus more on how to learn, such as how a mathematics formula came about and why it works, and less on what to learn, that is, what formula to memorise to solve a maths problem, et cetera.
This would help and motivate pupils to solve new challenges in the future rather than existing problems that have already been solved.
In a highly connected world and with instant answers available at one's fingertips from an Internet search, the days of memorising facts and methods are over. Real learning is about learning how to think rather than being spoon-fed on what to think.