I had my final examination in Physics for master degree. It was an oral exam with a short preparation on a theme randomly given. Due to the system, I witnessed my fellow student’s performance. He was very lucky, he got Newton’s laws. First he introduced the laws, clearly knowing them. Then the two middle-aged professors started to grill him. After 30 minutes it was obvious that though he knew the laws, he didn’t understand them at all. I held my head in disbelief. The first 15 minutes gave me the impression that he will easily succeed. The second 15 minutes turned everything upside down. The examiners dismissed him quickly.

I had a quite difficult theme, electromagnetic waves. I was tormented at the blackboard for more than two hours. The examiners asked a lot, mainly “how” and “why”. I could answer about 60% of the questions, but I couldn’t even find out whether my answers were correct, as the professors didn’t give me any feedback. On one question I contemplated for 5 minutes. They were patient, let me do.  The questions weren’t about facts or calculations at all, but more about finding new relationships, using logic. It was not enough to know the book by heart, I had to find out how the facts are related and influenced by each other.

After two hours they gave me the exam result, the highest passing score. I was exhausted and somehow disappointed, bursting into tears. I asked how is it possible, as I didn’t know the answer to a lot of questions. They giggled, and said, they don’t know those answers, either. In fact nobody knows yet, but we are here to find them.

So what was it about? I did learn two very important things at that exam. 1. The facts in books are not enough anymore. What matters whether you can use them or not to solve problems. Don’t teach WHAT to think. Teach and learn HOW to think. 2. Teachers are not gods, they don't know all the answers---nobody knows them. There are a lot of questons outside waiting for answers. Waiting for US to answer.

Since my graduation Open book exams (you can use any books to solve problems) and Take home exams (they require carrying out research) have become more and more popular, though only at higher education. In the era of internet, when information is easy to find, the emphasys is on problem solving and critical thinking.

K-12 education still has to catch up with its original purpose: to prepare student for solving real problems in real life. Most scholbooks are rigid. They tell the students what to think and what to know. While the curricula are getting better, and have changed a lot worldwide recently, textbooks and exams are mostly not relevant. Schools train the students to pass exams, as this is the measure of their success. They provide “Answering tips” while practicing for exam, preventing the student from the chance of using their brain. Don’t get confused: there is a big difference between “how to think” and “how to answer a question”. The mainstream education gives the impression that we know the answer to every question and at exams we are expected to know the answers. Answers, given by "perfect" teachers and schoolbooks.

HOTS (higher order thinking skill) questions are often neither “hot” or just predictable. I think it is time to scrap the schoolbooks and to use more flexible means to learn. To listen to different sources of knowledge. To learn to analyse and synthesize; evaluate and apply. Remembering is not sufficient anymore.

We are on the brink of a revolution in learning, because of information available on the internet. Based on surveys (and personal experience can confirm it), after exams 80% of knowledge is lost in one month; 15% in 3 months and the lasting knowledge is only 5%. However let’s not lament over the loss. Maybe we don’t need that at all. For example programmers can use nothing practical from what they studied at universities 5 years after graduation. Programming languages come and go. Let's lament over the lost time instead...

The role of schoolbooks will wane. Knowledge has to be practical and hands-on. Source of knowledge has to be diverse for critical thinking. Because there are questions and problems outside, waiting for us to answer and solve them.