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We teach things the wrong way round, and not just to the young. Our present teaching and training systems begin with theory. It sounds logical. Once you know the theory you can go out and practice it. But you don’t at this stage know how to apply the theory. So you start with the practical, anyway – only it is muddled with bits of theory you have managed to grasp.

This was brought home to me vividly by a friend who wanted to teach his granddaughter to drive. She had no theory, no knowledge of how a car worked and did not, at this stage, know the Highway Code. My friend noticed that the commuter railway station car parks outside London were always deserted on early Sunday mornings. He took his granddaughter to one of them, drove her round twice, asked her to observe what he was doing and then let her drive.

He took an old car but need not have worried. His granddaughter was driving well within an hour.  She did not know how a car worked or the rules of the road but she could drive. He explained the car mechanism to her, looking under the bonnet and pointing out the transmission and how the gears worked. He gave her a short lesson on the mechanics of a car – vital for anyone who is going to drive – and set her to learn the Highway Code. She passed first time.

A similar system is employed by masters with their apprentices. When I learnt carpentry at nine years old my teacher gave me some wood to practice on. I soon discovered the difficulties of handling carpentry tools and shaping hard and soft woods. It was only then that he set about teaching me the theory. I have never forgotten what he taught me.

We learn most things from what we do, not from what we are told to do; from what we experience, either directly or vicariously, not from a theoretical framework. We learn when we enjoy learning, not when we are made to learn. Doing things is always more fun than thinking about them so when the practical comes first it encourages us tremendously. The more we work out ‘why’ for ourselves, the better our understanding.

What is the best link between theory and practice?

Stories have always proved to be a stimulating way to turn what we ought to do into something that someone else has already done. All the great religious leaders recognised the importance of story-telling to make their moral or mystical points. Stories have a ring of practicality about them that can be tailored to suit individual situations.

That is why the ability to perceive the relationship between what is being taught and the stories we all have within us is so important. A good story is a good story at any time; its value increases exponentially when it is a relevant story, too. Tell a good joke cold and it will get a laugh. Tell a good joke in the context of the discussion you are having and it will get a roar.

That ability to perceive relationships is what we call creativity. All training and teaching relies on it to be effective. The stimulus to be creative comes from experimentation, risk, mistakes and courage. Good theoretical structures – but better when they are vigorously practiced.