Thought-provoking learning needed

I agree that everyone has creativity in them from the time of birth and it is depleted by how our students are schooled ("How creativity gets schooled out of us"; May 24, and "Allow 'childish' imagination to take flight" by Mr Atanu Roy; last Friday).

In Singapore's education system, we are made to excel in our studies by having everything - from mathematical concepts to Chinese characters - drilled into our minds.

Letting a student think about what is being explained in class will allow him to develop a deeper understanding of what is taught.

Thought-based learning can be conducted by letting students find an alternative way to, say, carry out a science experiment or solve a mathematical problem.

If we have more thought-provoking ways of learning, instead of purely memorising, we can help students think out of the box and let their creative juices flow.

Who knows? The next Mark Zuckerberg (co-founder of Facebook) or Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web) may be in our midst.

Christian Wong Kai En, 14,

Secondary 3 student


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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 01, 2016, with the headline Thought-provoking learning needed. Subscribe