United Lisbon International School
Information and Knowledge

Information and Knowledge

Learning implies a cognitive effort and requires willpower and dedication. To learn, the
human mind needs to be interested, it needs to be challenged to understand new
information. The problem of the next generations will not be to obtain information, but
to distinguish select the one that is relevant, and know how to process it correctly.
Reliable sources estimate that every second, 127 new devices are connected to the
internet. We often, individually or in a group, need an answer for a question and the
fastest one consulting Google resolves the problem.

Critical thinking and academic rigour are paramount in today´s education. Searching,
sorting, and synthesizing the endless wealth of information requires a special set of
critical thinking skills tailored to the internet age. It is essential that students know
the paths that have already been taken, but it is also essential that they understand
why they have been taken and with what consequences. Critical thinking skills are no
substitute for that specialized knowledge and remember that nobody creates without
knowledge.

Jose Azcue