By Timi Bello
Raise your hand if you were never taught how to learn
From preschool to secondary school, education often follows a familiar routine: listen, memorise, write, repeat. Over time, one might assume that students naturally learn how to learn. But the reality is far messier. Many students reach senior classes still guessing how to study, how to read effectively, and how to retain information.
While schools invest heavily in delivering content, very little attention is paid to teaching students how to absorb it. The difference between being taught and knowing how to learn is enormous. One fills a notebook; the other shapes a mind.
Most classrooms rely on a single learning model. The teacher explains, students copy, and everyone is expected to absorb information at the same pace and in the same way. But students are not the same. Some learn by writing, others by doing. Some understand best through visuals, others through discussion, while some need quiet time before ideas begin to make sense. Yet flexibility in learning styles is rarely part of the conversation.
The result is predictable. Students who struggle begin to see themselves as slow or incapable. Those who forget easily assume they lack intelligence. Others who find the theory difficult believe they are simply not smart enough. Not because they lack potential, but because they were never taught in ways that suit their minds.
This problem does not end in the classroom. Life beyond school depends on the ability to learn independently, solve problems, adapt, and think critically. There are no ready-made notes, no marking schemes, and no last-minute revision before reality tests you. The world rewards learners, not memorisers.
Education systems must broaden their definition of learning. Beyond completing the syllabus, students should be taught study methods, memory techniques, critical thinking, time management, research skills, and, most importantly, self-awareness in learning. Discovering how you learn is just as powerful as what you learn.
Real education is not measured by what a student can recite. It is measured by what they can understand and apply long after the exam paper is submitted.
Learning is not one-size-fits-all. It never has been. And until we stop treating it that way, many students will keep climbing a ladder, moving fast, but not necessarily moving forward.
Timi Bello is a student of Capital Science Academy.