Three Types of Knowledge

We all know about Bloom’s taxonomy – the eponymous hierarchy for classifying learning objectives and a guide for designing scaffolded learning experiences. I use Bloom’s as a guideposts as I craft lessons; “Is the goal of this lesson to provide expository content for my students? Do I need them to build on their previous knowledge? Can I reasonably expect my students to transfer this lesson to a different domain–or better yet, transfer skills into this domain?”

But as I was working my way through Multimedia Learning by Richard Mayer, I encountered a different framework that made me interrogate my objectives. Mayer has classified knowledge into three categories I have always intuited but never codified. This simple matrix (almost a throwaway passage from the book – certainly not a mainstay in his thinking) did two things for me.

It validated what I do as an educator (and indeed the gold standard our institution aspires to). But it also forced me to reframe how I deliver my lessons.

DECLARATIVE KNOWLEDGE
Mayer’s first rung is ​declarative knowledge. This could be facts (electrical current is measured in amps) or concepts (as voltage increases in a circuit, current increases). I suppose when I was growing up in the eighties, I would be considered smart if I knew these things. Now we can Google them. I don’t see a way around dedicating some time in class to declarative knowledge, though I try to offshore it as best as I can (textbook reading, videos, flipped learning). Students do not necessarily need me to tell them what a variable is in Java; students should come to class asking for examples of variables to help them contextualize them.

Though I am relieved to have read Neuromyths: Debunking False Ideas About The Brain by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, PhD. In the book, she makes this validating assertion regarding declarative knowledge:

Rote memorization is often thought of as kids “mindlessly reciting information,” which is undesirable. However, “Before students can think critically, they need to have something to think about in their brains. It is true that knowledge without comprehension is of little use, but comprehension requires knowledge and it takes time and effort to acquire,” meaning not only is memorization desirable, it is necessary for new learning.

Neuromyths: Debunking False Ideas About The Brain by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, PhD. (page 144).

PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE
As ​we progress up Mayer’s model, we see procedures (if V=10 and R=2 then you can compute I based on the formula, I=V/R) and strategies (make a drawing when you try to solve a word problem). I feel like I spend most of my time here; at the end of the day, I sleep well if I know my students can take their facts and concepts and apply them to real-world problems. After all, that’s preparing them for life after college.

ATTITUDINAL KNOWLEDGE
​​At the apex of Mayer’s model is beliefs. And while I’d love to claim that my students have transformed their belief structure (“I am good at online learning”), I don’t think I’m there yet.

I’ve been pondering this small framework for two weeks now – I can’t stop thinking about attitudinal knowledge. I feel like I’ve set my sights too low. I’ve always hoped that I’ve changed the attitude of students, but I’ve always considered it a success when they’ve mastered procedural knowledge.

But I’m​​ okay not being where I want to be as an educator; now I have aspirations and a loftier target.