Knowledge is Not Power - Application of Knowledge is Power
As a teacher, what makes you distinctive among other teachers? Yes, is your teaching philosophy. Education is supposed to be about effective teaching and effective learning. Therefore, my teaching philosophy values the interconnectedness of theory, practice and reflection. Quality teaching is from theory into practice. “Knowledge is Not Power - Application of Knowledge is Power”.
Every year, it isn’t a surprise that the newspapers published on how many A’s our brilliant students can achieve in just a single examination. They really all-rounded or it is just an illusion of the exam-oriented culture? Under examination-oriented education system in Malaysia, grades are all that matters. It is not wrong to say that students nowadays are studying for A’s rather than to gain knowledge. Students are forced to know and learn everything their study by heart in order to get good grades during examination. They are often trained to become a scanner or photocopier that memorise all the facts and info without digesting the real content. For them, the ultimate goal is just to vomit everything out in the exam hall and get good grades. However, it isn’t the purpose of education.
Our education system pays more attention to the theory learning. Teachers always emphasize the concepts existed in the books, and put it in the second place that how to cultivate the ability of adapting theory into practice, which make us more familiar with the theory, but low ability in the practice. The teachers teach theories but do not care about how the theories should be used in practice. Hence, we should turn theory into practice. As the saying goes, “Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.”
Theory and practice are not opposites or separate entities. 'Practice' cannot be lacking theory. Similarly, it is difficult to conceive of 'theory' that is purely descriptive and devoid of reference to purposeful action. In other words, practice is soaked in theory. It is a constant process of theory making, and theory testing.
Practice is often portrayed at a very simple level as the act of doing something. It is frequently depicted in contrast to something called theory - abstract ideas about some particular thing or phenomenon. I would like my students to adapt the theory into practice. They learn the theory in school and then able to apply it to the situations in their daily life. Theory should be a 'real' knowledge while practice is the application of that knowledge to solve problems. Learning how to apply any knowledge you gain is important to your success. Gaining knowledge is pointless if you're not properly using it. Application of knowledge takes practice and you must do it daily. Knowledge is Not Power - Application of Knowledge is Power.
An old Chinese proverb says, "A teacher for a day is like a parent for a lifetime." My students are my academic "children," and when they grow intellectually I value my part in contributing to that growth.
From http://www.lihunwong.blogspot.com/
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