Is the "What" most important? Or the "Why"?

Are we raising a group of mindless fact machines? Or are we going to really actually teach them the way things work? Are we going to show them, or just spout it to them? It does no good for them to know the facts if they do not really understand it. They might win at trivia, but they won't win at life.


The ones that win are the ones that can ask questions, and then go get them answered. Most importantly, they can ask Why and How. If they do not understand, retention and remembering is significantly lower, and they really can't do much with what they remember anyway. But if they understand the Why and the How, then how could they forget very easily? Facts and knowledge don't just settle and stick in people's minds. It takes work. Memorization of useless things is a waste of brain space if it has no applicable meaning. On the other hand, everything can have an applicable meaning to someone's life IF it is taught properly. The internet can spout and look up facts a lot better than humans can. So can books. We are not meant to do that.


But there are some people that have an incredible wealth of knowledge, and they can tell you all sorts of things about the world. How do they know it all? Because they know the Why of it. If you understand how something works you won't have to memorize the data, you'll just already know and understand it already. The Why and How leads you easily to the What. But the What does not lead you to the Why and How. We need to be learning smarter, not harder.


And who says we need to go to college anyway. Some of the most brilliant and successful people i know obtained learning and knowledge through a variety of other means. A doctorate degree does not make you smart or successful. You make yourself that way.

At the end of the day, and at the end of a class, if a person can truly answer the question, "So what?", then they have truly learned.


Tara J. Howard


Copyright November 2014