Education worth the name is essentially practical. Theory is merely a guide final learning – putting theory into practical is simply not possible without practicality. In other words theory alone will not make one skilful unless he/she practices. Conversely one who learns in practice may not need its theory to perform. To put it more bluntly no skill is possible without practice though it may be possible without theory. To ignore the significance of practice in education is the negation of education itself.
Learning anything involves totality of personality. It is only when we interact audio-visually and through perception with what we are to learn that skill develops. For example:
(a) A person is told everything about driving; he remembers too and is theoretically conversant with everything concerning it. He cannot drive without practically handling the car operating the break, shifting gears, pressing the accelerator and so on.
(b) No person, equipped with all knowledge about cooking can even prepare a cup of tea unless he practically learns to prepare it. On the contrary, if one wouldn’t know anything about cooking or for that matter about any skill, in theory, he could very well pick up the skill by doing it practically.
(c) No player of any game whatsoever can play without actually coming out on to the field and play. No knowledge about the game will help him play without practice.
To sum up it is only the practical aspect of a skill that actually matters. That is why in art, handicraft and other related skills, quite a good number of people connected there with are illiterate.
This is not to undermine nor berate the importance of theory. In delicate technologies, theory is indeed indispensable. One cannot dabble in a laboratory with impunity, without the theoretical knowledge; similar is the case with pharmacy, nuclear science etc. Yet here too theory alone will not give the skill but gaining skill will need the help of theory.
Learning anything well, should involve every sense of perception –even the sense of touch and not just ears or eyes. Such learning is complete and useful. Wherever this is missing, learning is incomplete or one could use the expression, half –baked.
There is however a cardinal difference between one who learns skill by practice without theoretical counterpart and one ,who has both practice and theory . The difference is one of degree of confidence. A person who is conversant with both theory of a skill and practical knowledge there of is by far, more confidence and sure of himself. Thus neither should be ignored. Each should be respected for its value in learning.