TOEFL® essay: Not everything that is learned is contained in books

[Goohoo]

Hello everybody,
what do you think about this essay?
I'm looking forward to your responses!
Thanks a lot in advance!

TOEFL question:
It has been said, “Not everything that is learned is contained in books”. Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?

My essay:
Humans are able to gain knowledge in two different approaches. One approach is to get knowledge from books. This theoretical knowledge consists of facts and background information. The other approach is to gain knowledge from experiences. In contrast to the knowledge from books, this knowledge is practical and contains information on how to do things. In my opinion, theoretical knowledge is important for our education because it contains important information like historical facts, grammar or vocabulary. However, I believe that experiences, compared to books, are the more important source of knowledge because they teach us for life.
First of all, one reason I believe that experiences are more important than learning from books is that they are necessary for the job. Most jobs people are doing demand not only theoretical knowledge, but, primary, practical skills. For instance, a doctor needs basic information about diseases and medicaments. However, he or she can’t work as a doctor without practical skills like doing operations or dealing with patients. These skills cannot be learned from books, only from experiences, for example during an internship.
Another reason I think that experiences are more important than gaining theoretical knowledge is that experiences are required for every-day life. Experiences can teach us how to behave in different situations and help to learn from mistakes. For example, if we make a mistake like letting a window open, so that things can be stolen by housebreakers, we will have to deal with the consequences. This experience will teach us for the future and will probably save us from doing the same mistake again.

In conclusion, I believe that learning from experiences is more important than learning from books because practical knowledge is required every day in our lives.

[Kitosdad]

Humans are able to gain knowledge in two different approaches. One approach is to get knowledge from books. This knowledge consists of facts and background information. The other approach is to gain knowledge from experiences. In contrast to the knowledge from books, this knowledge is practical and contains information on how to do things. In my opinion, theoretical knowledge is important for our education because it contains important information like historical facts, grammar or vocabulary. However, I believe that experiences, compared to books, are the more important source of knowledge because they teach us about life.

First of all, one reason I believe that experiences are more important than learning from books is that they are necessary for the job. Most jobs people are doing demand not only theoretical knowledge, but, primarily, practical skills. For instance, a doctor needs basic information about diseases and medicaments. However, he or she can’t work as a doctor without practical skills like doing operations or dealing with patients. These skills cannot be learned from books, only from experiences, for example during an internship.

Another reason I think that experiences are more important than gaining theoretical knowledge, is that experiences are required for every-day life. Experiences can teach us how to behave in different situations and help us to learn from our mistakes. For example, if we make a mistake like leaving a window open, so that things can be stolen by housebreakers, we will have to deal with the consequences. This experience will teach us for the future and will probably save us from repeating the same mistake again.

In conclusion, I believe that learning from experiences is more important than learning from books because practical knowledge is required every day in our lives.

Good morning Goohoo. An excellent essay. Should bring top marks.
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If you need me, I'm here.

[Naima1990]

really great essay

[Nhat Khoa Ngo]

My name is Nhat Khoa. I am a new member of this club. Here is my essay for this topic.

In modern life, we have several different sources for education. Learning from books, documents, internet…and learning from life, experience, practice. In my opinion, practice must be our most important teacher.
Firstly, practice is the application of knowledge in real life. For instance, a baby will never know how to swim if he just read the book teaching the swimming methods. He has to jump into the lake, tries to move his hand and body in order to float, even drink little water. This is more difficult than reading a book, but he can swim skillful in a few days compared with two months if he only learn by heart how to swim. Moreover, some engineers create a plan to do something such as making equipment; they have to try applying their plan several times before selling to the market or coming to the final decision because the fact may be much different from what they have predicted.
Secondly, practice is the way that shows how much you understand what you have learned. Some companies, especially well known ones, often recruit employees though IQ and EQ test to ensure that their employees know how to solve real problem and how effective their brains work rather than looking at the certificate.
To conclude, I strongly agree that practical abilities must be more necessary than theoretical ones in changing the world and making use of human knowledge.