Some people argue that because the Internet makes it so easy for children to access facts, schools should not focus on teaching facts. Instead, they should focus on developing children’s skills and potential, and their relationships with other people. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

As information is now so accessible online, it can be argued that schools should move away from fact-based teaching and towards work on

skills

and relationship building. I completely agree with

this

idea. There are two main reasons why I believe that school teachers should no longer focus on presenting factual information to their students.

Firstly

, there is simply no need for teachers to create lessons that are already available in multimedia format on the Internet. YouTube,

for example

, contains videos that cover the full range of school subjects and lesson topics.

Secondly

, young people are so adept at using websites and search engines that they can be trusted to do their own online fact-finding. In my opinion,

this

research could be done as homework, which would remove the need for the teaching of facts in the classroom. A shift away from the traditional style of teaching would allow schools to build their students’ practical and social

skills

. Useful practical

skills

might include online research, presentations, website design, and even computer programming. Competence in these areas is in high demand in today’s job market. With regard to social or relationship

skills

, a modern approach to education would put more emphasis on group projects that require teamwork, negotiation and the delegation of tasks.

This

way of teaching could develop students’ emotional intelligence and leadership qualities, and help all children, regardless of academic ability, to reach their potential. In conclusion, I believe that classroom teaching should prioritise

skills

and interpersonal relationships,

while

factual knowledge can be studied at home via the Internet.