Author: Al-Baraa Al-Kilani

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We Have to Reinvent the Wheel!

Have you ever been told, 'Don't reinvent the wheel'? It's a phrase meant to discourage us from wasting time on things that have already been perfected. But what if reinventing the wheel is exactly what we need, especially in education?

We're living in an AI era—a time filled with uncharted challenges and problems we've never faced before. The goal of education has always been to prepare learners to face the challenges of their future. But how can we do that when the future is so unpredictable? How can we prepare someone to solve problems we don't yet know exist and use technology that hasn't been discovered?

Perhaps reinventing the wheel is the answer to these challenges.

You see, education isn't just about transferring knowledge from one generation to the next, because that knowledge can become obsolete. Instead, it's about developing meta-skills—like critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving—that prepare learners for a future we can't even imagine.

Consider this: when the wheel was first invented, it addressed the problem of moving heavy objects by reducing friction. Inventing the wheel solved this problem. So when we say 'reinvent the wheel,' it isn't about the wheel itself; it's about the process—the trial and error, the curiosity, the determination. If we guide our learners to reinvent the wheel, we're not focused on the end product. We're nurturing the very skills that led to the original invention.

Take Al-Jazari, for example, the ingenious 12th-century Arabic inventor known for his groundbreaking work in mechanical engineering. One of his most significant contributions was the development of the camshaft. By converting rotary motion into linear motion, the camshaft became a foundational element in machinery, leading to advancements in everything from water-raising devices to automata. The steps he took—the innovative designs, the meticulous calculations, the relentless experimentation, are the same steps any innovator takes today. By understanding and experiencing that process, learners equip themselves with timeless skills.

So when we encourage students to reinvent the wheel, we're empowering them. We're saying: Go ahead. Explore. Make mistakes. Learn how to think like an inventor.

Because we might not know the challenges they'll face in the future, but with the right skills, they'll be ready.

So let's rethink that old saying. Maybe it's time we reinvent the wheel—not for the wheel itself, but for the journey it takes us on.


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