Teaching as knowledge-transfer?

The concept that teaching is more than knowledge-transfer is not new – it is one of the underpinning principles of modern pedagogy. Very few teachers would argue that learning should be a tutor-led dissemination of information. My gut reaction is that learners particularly adult learners – come to class with a range of knowledge, skills and experiences … and learning needs to be applied to be relevant and useful. On the other hand, what about learning for learning sake? I do have a host of knowledge that is never really used – just information stored for retrieval / general knowledge … is that of less importance? Or does it make me a more rounded person?

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