Oof so many points to discuss here. Where to start? lol!

Firstly, I think you're absolutely right on with the fundamental purpose of college - unless you're going to a specific kind of trade school, it's all theory. I'm lucky in the sense that I knew that going in, and made my decision accordingly to go to a university that taught in a hands-on, polytechnic style for the craft that I wanted to pursue. At the time it happened to be in a limbo sort of curriculum where they had added on more theory-based classes to fulfill the reqs for BA's, so I got the best of both worlds! The year after I graduated they actually altered the curriculum to be less polytechnic, so I graduated just in the nick of time D:

Anyway, the theory vs. practical experience argument is one that I have quite a bit with my husband. Again, he has literally no formal education, having dropped out of elementary school after years of teachers not understanding how to handle ADHD and a volatile home life. He instead went to go work in mechanic shops and lumber mills, learned how to build and rebuild engines, and eventually even started his own lumber business as a teenager (this was in Vancouver, BC in the 70s).

Consequently, these days especially where there are soooo many young people out there making grand sweeping generalizations and "theoretical" assumptions without having had any real world experience, he gets unendingly frustrated. Those kids come out of school with such a sense of self-righteousness in their knowledge that they can ultimately come off as bigoted - which is ironic because a lot of what they try to advocate is "tolerance". Of course I'm speaking more towards the super liberal arts abstract degrees verses something like medical school or trade school... Anyway... That's the opposite side of the "sophisticated" section of your article, because yes - while one can certainly expand their vocabulary and understanding of things (such as in your nursery example) - in some ways it can also put up blinders. There has to be a balance of real world to theory, especially in the more abstract degrees out there.

Sort of a random tangent, but to your reading is essential statement - I agree to a degree. I was fortunate enough to have teachers in high school who actually accepted video essays and animations in lieu of a few of my written assignments. Sometimes it didn't make sense to do that, so of course I went with a straightforward written essay. But there's something to be said in being able to translate and convey information clearly in a non-written way. Academia is very focused on the written word, but visual and audio mediums in some ways can be more effective in communicating with a larger audience, which I would argue is just as important to understand how to do as is reading/writing!