Teaching must be based on fact

I WAS pleased to see there is 
a move towards teaching 
children facts and dates before indulging in speculative vague themes.

I suppose advocates of the 
latter method believe it 
stimulates pupils’ thought processes by imagining themselves in the situation of living in a bygone age or some historical event.

By this means, it is argued 
that children would learn to 
apply knowledge and 
develop skills of analysis and judgment.

Of course, this is completely fallacious. Without a basis of knowledge, such exercises are completely useless. Without supporting hard data, they are valueless as part of the learning process.

Imagining oneself as a 
courtier in the reign of Henry 
VIII might be fun but as part of an educative process, it is a 
waste of time without a thorough basis in fact.

Government is getting there

From: Godfrey Bloom, UKIP MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

IT appears the Government 
is coming round to Ukip’s 
way of thinking on wind 
turbines, sentencing policy, EU budgets and European arrest warrants.

Hopefully, next year it will be flat tax and a return of grammar schools.

Our Dave is a bit slow on 
the uptake, but we’re getting there.

Views on art

From: Neil Richardson, Kirkheaton.

COMEDIAN Vic Reeves (Yorkshire Post, October 31) 
states that “really good art shouldn’t need an 
explanation”.

Should he have continued 
to discuss how that sort of creative work is actually quite rare, and then explained the significance of his current exhibition?