It’s normal for students to question why they are learning a specific skill or subject in school.

It might even be normal to dismiss a particular learning opportunity out of hand by assuming that it will never serve a useful purpose.

But, as teachers we need to remember that . . . 

“Even if we aim to teach only what will be useful to them in the future, we need to make sure that we consider all of their possible futures.”

I have learned so many things in my life that I have been able to apply outside of the original intent. And things I assumed would never come in handy, have indeed, been a blessing. I hope to impart that lesson on my students.

It might be useful later . . .

“We therefore need to teach some things that are not immediately useful, or that may never have been useful to us personally, in order that they find a use later, or at least create the opportunity for them to become useful.”

This is a key fact. Things that we might not consider to be useful can have huge implications for our students. We can learn with them. That is always my goal in education.

And, of course, Art matters . . . 

“Learning about art is not ostensibly useful unless one is to become an artist or work in the creative industries, yet without individuals outside of these spheres who have an appreciation of art such industries would not exist.”

I would argue that everyone should learn about art. We live in an artistic age and art encompasses our daily lives. Everyone can work on some form of art, whether it be, visual art, music, or some form of media.

“It is beneficial to learn about things we will never directly apply for the simple reason that it helps us to appreciate and understand the world that we live in, and ourselves. “

In helps us gain insight . . . 

“We often gain the most from that which has the least practical use, for it is this that encourages us to think.”

And encourages us to think . . . 

The inspiration for this blog post came from the book . . .

The Thinking Teacher by Oliver Quinlan.

So far this book has been a great read. I will write a review of it when I have finished reading it. And probably a future Teaching Tip Tuesday post or two.

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