In addition to society’s ongoing evolution, teaching strategies are also being evaluated and adjusted to the times. While I understand the reasons behind the educational institutions’ decision to concentrate on utilitarian competence, I think that they should pay more attention on expanding theoretical understanding.
On the one hand, it goes without saying that practical application is an useful way to improve students’ academic performance. This means that by doing this pupils will have an explicit comprehension of the lessons, putting them within their grasp. For example, students can apply existing mathematical equations to calculate the lowest cost of required construction materials to build a house. This not only helps students understand the application of these fomulas, but also stimulates their interests, which directly and postively affects their learning.
On the other hand, theoretical knowledge undoubtedly plays pivotal roles in the education of learners. First and foremost, theory is the basis of further practical skills. What I mean by this is that for practice to be genuinely effective, theoretical knowlegde is required. Take chemistry as a typical example. It can be extremely harmful to one’s health and perhaps life to do chemical experiments without a thorough understanding of the theory of substances. Secondly but not less equally important, the fundametal knowledge also helps students become more logical thinkers. By way of supplementing understanding from books, pupils will enhance their analytical, thinking, and problem-solving abilities. This, as a result, allows them to make wiser choices in challenging circumstances.
In conclusion, for the reasons mentioned above, although it is understandable why schools focus on practical skills, I firmly believe that they should prioritize theoretical understanding.