Open ended learning forces people to search for different ways of thinking about something. Guided forces people to go to a set explanation. The latter is easy to manipulate. The former develops critical thinking and experimentation, and is more interesting.

When I was younger, I had a piano class in high school. It was pretty regimented and we couldn't really do anything without the teacher telling us to do it first. I hated it. It made me not want to do it. Later on when I went to concerts, it renewed my interest in piano and writing songs and I experimented on my own and learned how to write and play by myself.

Schools neglect to teach the most important thing they could. This is teaching kids to discover how they learn as individuals. Instead they tend to throw every stimulus out there all at once. If someone learns visually they will still use oral teaching methods and insist that the student uses tactical skills thus actually distracting them from actually learning.

There's a big difference between teaching what you need to know to pass a test and teaching how to learn. I'm so glad studies are being done. All that needs to be done now is applying it in every school.