Students Should Be Encouraged to Challenge the Ideas and Facts that are Presented to them in School. Discuss
Some people may think that education is simply learning facts about things and the world around them. Others think of education as of means of ‘having wonderful ideas.’ This latter idea of education and learning perfectly match the characteristics of learners and young children. Whether at home or school, children tend to be naturally passionate and curious about new ideas. In their pursuit of education and knowledge, students tend to be prone to pulling, poking, tasting, shaking, pounding, and experimenting with almost everything. For this reason, learners should be allowed to challenge ideas and facts presented to them at schools. Ideally, progressive learning would not take place if students were not allowed to challenge ideas and facts presented to them at school. Learning is all about solving problems. Problems cannot be identified if ideas and facts are not challenged.
When students are allowed to challenge ideas and facts presented at school, they get an opportunity to engage in scientific thinking. When a scientific idea is presented through formal education, it often reflects the understanding through learning of facts. However, when these facts are presented to the students, they might not make deeper sense unless personally challenged. Without challenging the facts, the student might not have the opportunity to effectively learn. Students should be allowed to challenge facts and ideas because it enables them to be active and enjoy the benefits of hands-on learning process, which is the primary goal of education. It also encourages learning by doing. The benefit of learning by doing is that it encourages active participation. Active participation is very beneficial learning because it helps students understand the presented ideas and facts. It also helps students acquire new skills. For these reasons, students should be allowed to challenge the presented ideas and facts when learning.
