Defining the basics of learning

MY daughter Pei Joo has asked me to spend time with her son Jaden to teach him some general knowledge. I told her that I could not teach knowledge; I could only teach learning skills. I said, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

My thoughts on theories of learning have brought me back to 1971 when I was studying for my Diploma in Education at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya. Among my lecturers at that time were Professor Chai Hon Chan, dean of the faculty; Dr Sim Wong Kwee who is renowned for his model in curriculum development; and Chiam Heng Keng who later became a reputable professor of social psychology.