School for the Right Reason

A beautiful and insightful song. I don’t quite agree with the phrasing of the notes at the end, but I think I understand the obvious expression of frustration behind it.

The things we learn at school, from maths and science to history, are useful – but they often get taught lacking context, and in a way that doesn’t connect with students. This makes for disjointed snippets of information, which consequently can’t really be regarded as knowledge.

Thus, I think the issue is not directly about “proving” that there is a practical use for what is getting taught. When we teach differently, its meaning, context and relevance becomes apparent. We see this in practice all the time. When students understand the why, they immediately become much more engaged.