'Don't teach children facts ... they can search online'

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The existence of search engines such as Google and Wikipedia mean that traditional methods of learning are redundant.

Don Tapscott, author of the best-selling book Wikinomics, said teachers should instead encourage pupils to think creatively and learn to apply available online knowledge.

The author, who coined the term "net generation", said the commonly-used modern-day education model was designed for the industrial age, and needed to be changed. He said: "Kids should learn about history but they don't need to know all the dates.

"It is enough that they know about the Battle of Hastings, without having to memorise that it was in 1066. They can look that up and position it in history with a click on Google. Memorising facts and figures is a waste of time."

But Michael Gove, the Shadow Schools Secretary, has recently criticised "the move away from fact-based learning".