Why is just as important as how.

I like cooking. Like most people i’m not good enough to make everything up as I go along so I need a recipe. Whether i’m making a cake or a beef wellington, it helps to have some guidelines.

I have a problem with most recipes, they literally just tell you what to do. They tell you how much to use, and what to do with it but in general they don’t tell you why you’re doing it.

To know why is the essence of what you’re striving to learn.

The problems I encounter are the times the why allows me to see the true problem. Seeing past the solution that others might not be able to get to.

The why is the part that gives a teacher the power to make students understand a subject beyond just remembering answers, but being able to work their way through a problem to it’s solution.

This is more a reminder to me than anything else — always look for the why, not just the how. That’s where true understanding starts.

I feel I should also explain that subtitle to this post of anyone outside of the UK. Wally = Waldo over here.

Where’s wally? (and why?☺)