The Hierarchy of Knowledge
Rina Groeneveld
Someone posted this to another list and gave me permission to post it here.
It is an interview with one of the speakers at the Maryland homeschooling
conference.
I'm wondering if there really is such a thing as a hierarchy of knowledge or
if she (or someone else) concocted such an assumption out of thin air. It
sounds to me that she has a moneymaking agenda to promote, which she does by
rubbishing other philosophies, including unschooling.
As far as her comments on math are concerned, my two little ones are doing
algebra already when they play with cuisenaire blocks, even they don't know
the "arithmetic". Or am I missing the point here?
Rina
Interview with Lisa VanDamme, MHEA Conference Keynote Speaker
Manfred Smith<Lisa, you contend that the Hierarchy of Knowledge is the most
neglected issue in education. What is the Hierarchy of Knowledge and why is
it important?
Lisa VanDamme<To say that knowledge is hierarchical means that there is a
necessary order to the acquisition of knowledge. Before you can learn
calculus, you must learn algebra; before you can learn algebra, you must
know arithmetic; before you learn arithmetic, you must grasp the concept of
a number. This fact, that knowledge<to be real, meaningful knowledge<must be
gained in a specific order is generally understood in the subject of math,
but is woefully neglected in many other areas. The most abstract principles
of science are taught as bolts from the blue to be memorized, with no
presentation of the observations and intermediate principles that led to
their discovery and that render them meaningful. Controversial political
events are discussed and analyzed when students do not have the knowledge of
history that would make an informed, intelligent judgment possible. These
rampant inversions of the hierarchy of knowledge are turning children into
passive parrots able to recite abstract formulas<and unable to think.
Manfred Smith<Homeschoolers have the great opportunity to avoid most of the
teaching pitfalls that we see in most schools, public or private<is the
Hierarchy of Knowledge something that homeschoolers should pay particular
attention to?
Lisa VanDamme<If we want our children to be truly educated, to have a vast
store of crucial knowledge that they grasp deeply and independently, then
education must be radically reconceived with respect for the hierarchy of
knowledge. Educators must ensure, at every step, that the child possesses
the prerequisite information to clearly understand any new item of knowledge
for himself. This approach cannot be found in today�s schools; any parent
who recognizes its crucial importance has no choice but to take his child�s
education into his own hands.
Manfred Smith< There is a wide range of educational approaches in the
homeschool community. I can see how a parent with a more traditional
approach would see value in the Hierarchy of Knowledge, but what would be
the value to a parent who follows a hands-off, discovery educational
approach for their children?
Lisa VanDamme<I do not think such an approach is consistent with a
hierarchical method. If a child is truly left �hands-off� to make his own
�discovery,� he is either limited to the primitive discoveries that an
immature mind can make totally on his own, or he explores, without context
or guidance, the advanced discoveries available to him in books and modern
technology. In the former case, his concepts will be at such a simple level
that hierarchy is irrelevant; in the latter, he will necessary learn random
facts, formulas, theories, and ideas, out of order, without their
foundations<and consequently will have no real knowledge at all.
Manfred Smith<I have heard you voice criticisms of the classical educational
approach promoted in the book, The Well Trained Mind. Many homeschoolers
have this book. What do you find objectionable about it, from the
perspective of hierarchy?
Lisa VanDamme<The Well-Trained Mind has many virtues, but much of the
curriculum it advocates violates the hierarchy of knowledge. One way it does
so is in the recommendation of classic novels for children. For first
through fourth-graders, for example, The Well-Trained Mind recommends, among
other things: Gulliver�s Travels, a satirical commentary on 18th-century
English society; Victor Hugo�s Les Miserables, whose theme is, �The
injustice of society toward its lower classes�; and the poems of Wordsworth,
which denounce selfish materialism and encourage a retreat to the simple
purity of nature. The classics assume the cognitive context of an adult.
They are filled with romance, psychological insights, philosophic
principles, and other content that makes them remote from the knowledge and
experience of a child.
Manfred Smith<Let me switch to another topic you will be presenting in a
workshop, conceptual learning. What do you mean by �conceptual learning�?
Lisa VanDamme<It is important, in every subject area, to stress conceptual
understanding, to ensure that a child truly understands the meaning of what
is he doing, and does not just develop a rote, automatic, ability to do it.
In math, for example, it is important that a child not simply memorize that
he must carry or borrow a number, but that he grasp what it means to carry
or borrow a number. Certain pedagogical methods, such as requiring students
to verbally explain their processes in math, help to promote this conceptual
understanding.
Manfred Smith<You are unknown to most of the homeschooling community, at
least in the East. What would you like to say to our homeschool families
that will encourage them to take advantage of the value you have to offer at
our April 1 conference?
Lisa VanDamme<In the course of homeschooling small groups of children for
seven years, I discovered what education could be: how knowledgeable,
thoughtful, and mature students could become in the course of their
schooling, and how enthusiastic they could be about the process. I have
since translated these principles into my own �home-away-from-home-school,�
VanDamme Academy, with astounding success. The principles of hierarchy and
conceptual education are two of the cornerstones of this unique and
exceptional program, and I think parents dedicated to educational
excellence<as many homsechoolers are<stand to benefit from an understanding
of these issues.
Manfred Smith<Thank you Lisa. I am looking forward to your presentations
and I�m certain that we will not be disappointed!
It is an interview with one of the speakers at the Maryland homeschooling
conference.
I'm wondering if there really is such a thing as a hierarchy of knowledge or
if she (or someone else) concocted such an assumption out of thin air. It
sounds to me that she has a moneymaking agenda to promote, which she does by
rubbishing other philosophies, including unschooling.
As far as her comments on math are concerned, my two little ones are doing
algebra already when they play with cuisenaire blocks, even they don't know
the "arithmetic". Or am I missing the point here?
Rina
Interview with Lisa VanDamme, MHEA Conference Keynote Speaker
Manfred Smith<Lisa, you contend that the Hierarchy of Knowledge is the most
neglected issue in education. What is the Hierarchy of Knowledge and why is
it important?
Lisa VanDamme<To say that knowledge is hierarchical means that there is a
necessary order to the acquisition of knowledge. Before you can learn
calculus, you must learn algebra; before you can learn algebra, you must
know arithmetic; before you learn arithmetic, you must grasp the concept of
a number. This fact, that knowledge<to be real, meaningful knowledge<must be
gained in a specific order is generally understood in the subject of math,
but is woefully neglected in many other areas. The most abstract principles
of science are taught as bolts from the blue to be memorized, with no
presentation of the observations and intermediate principles that led to
their discovery and that render them meaningful. Controversial political
events are discussed and analyzed when students do not have the knowledge of
history that would make an informed, intelligent judgment possible. These
rampant inversions of the hierarchy of knowledge are turning children into
passive parrots able to recite abstract formulas<and unable to think.
Manfred Smith<Homeschoolers have the great opportunity to avoid most of the
teaching pitfalls that we see in most schools, public or private<is the
Hierarchy of Knowledge something that homeschoolers should pay particular
attention to?
Lisa VanDamme<If we want our children to be truly educated, to have a vast
store of crucial knowledge that they grasp deeply and independently, then
education must be radically reconceived with respect for the hierarchy of
knowledge. Educators must ensure, at every step, that the child possesses
the prerequisite information to clearly understand any new item of knowledge
for himself. This approach cannot be found in today�s schools; any parent
who recognizes its crucial importance has no choice but to take his child�s
education into his own hands.
Manfred Smith< There is a wide range of educational approaches in the
homeschool community. I can see how a parent with a more traditional
approach would see value in the Hierarchy of Knowledge, but what would be
the value to a parent who follows a hands-off, discovery educational
approach for their children?
Lisa VanDamme<I do not think such an approach is consistent with a
hierarchical method. If a child is truly left �hands-off� to make his own
�discovery,� he is either limited to the primitive discoveries that an
immature mind can make totally on his own, or he explores, without context
or guidance, the advanced discoveries available to him in books and modern
technology. In the former case, his concepts will be at such a simple level
that hierarchy is irrelevant; in the latter, he will necessary learn random
facts, formulas, theories, and ideas, out of order, without their
foundations<and consequently will have no real knowledge at all.
Manfred Smith<I have heard you voice criticisms of the classical educational
approach promoted in the book, The Well Trained Mind. Many homeschoolers
have this book. What do you find objectionable about it, from the
perspective of hierarchy?
Lisa VanDamme<The Well-Trained Mind has many virtues, but much of the
curriculum it advocates violates the hierarchy of knowledge. One way it does
so is in the recommendation of classic novels for children. For first
through fourth-graders, for example, The Well-Trained Mind recommends, among
other things: Gulliver�s Travels, a satirical commentary on 18th-century
English society; Victor Hugo�s Les Miserables, whose theme is, �The
injustice of society toward its lower classes�; and the poems of Wordsworth,
which denounce selfish materialism and encourage a retreat to the simple
purity of nature. The classics assume the cognitive context of an adult.
They are filled with romance, psychological insights, philosophic
principles, and other content that makes them remote from the knowledge and
experience of a child.
Manfred Smith<Let me switch to another topic you will be presenting in a
workshop, conceptual learning. What do you mean by �conceptual learning�?
Lisa VanDamme<It is important, in every subject area, to stress conceptual
understanding, to ensure that a child truly understands the meaning of what
is he doing, and does not just develop a rote, automatic, ability to do it.
In math, for example, it is important that a child not simply memorize that
he must carry or borrow a number, but that he grasp what it means to carry
or borrow a number. Certain pedagogical methods, such as requiring students
to verbally explain their processes in math, help to promote this conceptual
understanding.
Manfred Smith<You are unknown to most of the homeschooling community, at
least in the East. What would you like to say to our homeschool families
that will encourage them to take advantage of the value you have to offer at
our April 1 conference?
Lisa VanDamme<In the course of homeschooling small groups of children for
seven years, I discovered what education could be: how knowledgeable,
thoughtful, and mature students could become in the course of their
schooling, and how enthusiastic they could be about the process. I have
since translated these principles into my own �home-away-from-home-school,�
VanDamme Academy, with astounding success. The principles of hierarchy and
conceptual education are two of the cornerstones of this unique and
exceptional program, and I think parents dedicated to educational
excellence<as many homsechoolers are<stand to benefit from an understanding
of these issues.
Manfred Smith<Thank you Lisa. I am looking forward to your presentations
and I�m certain that we will not be disappointed!
Sandra Dodd
> I'm wondering if there really is such a thing as a hierarchy ofHow can you doubt it? If someone uses a term and then defines it,
> knowledge
the idea exists.
There are all KINDS of ideas people define and write about and "do
research" about and do masters' theses and doctoral dissertations
about, so they MUST exist. There they are, on paper in universities
EVERYwhere. The entire education industry thrives on the existence
of those things.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
David C.Z. Wacks
I think this relates to the heirarchy going from the lowest form
Content/Knowledge to the higher learning processes. This is often refered to
Bloom's Taxonomy or hierarchy.
a site to get you started:
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/BloomsLD/
Most teaching is done at the knowledge level (memorization) but should be
pushed to the higher end Synthesis and Evaluation (Using the material you
know).
--Dave
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Sandra Dodd
Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 4:50 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] The Hierarchy of Knowledge
Content/Knowledge to the higher learning processes. This is often refered to
Bloom's Taxonomy or hierarchy.
a site to get you started:
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/BloomsLD/
Most teaching is done at the knowledge level (memorization) but should be
pushed to the higher end Synthesis and Evaluation (Using the material you
know).
--Dave
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Sandra Dodd
Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 4:50 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] The Hierarchy of Knowledge
> I'm wondering if there really is such a thing as a hierarchy of[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> knowledge
Sandra Dodd
On Mar 9, 2006, at 7:26 PM, David C.Z. Wacks wrote:
built on the assumption that the students have last year's material.
They know it doesn't work, so every year they review, and then add to
that.
They're doing assembly line teaching, though, and that changes things.
People can only learn something if it connects to something they
already know; that does seem true. But that connection doesn't need
to go in any one direction.
In school life is divided into subject areas. Science teachers don't
expect that they can connect their presentations to math or history
or English, to music, art or theatre. But in any individual, those
kinds of interconnected ideas are present.
Unschooling can count on that instead of on methodical presentations
over a thirteen year program.
Sandra
> Most teaching is done at the knowledge level (memorization) butSchool's curriculum is set up so that one years presentations are
> should be
> pushed to the higher end Synthesis and Evaluation (Using the
> material you
> know).
built on the assumption that the students have last year's material.
They know it doesn't work, so every year they review, and then add to
that.
They're doing assembly line teaching, though, and that changes things.
People can only learn something if it connects to something they
already know; that does seem true. But that connection doesn't need
to go in any one direction.
In school life is divided into subject areas. Science teachers don't
expect that they can connect their presentations to math or history
or English, to music, art or theatre. But in any individual, those
kinds of interconnected ideas are present.
Unschooling can count on that instead of on methodical presentations
over a thirteen year program.
Sandra
nellebelle
There are plenty of real life examples where people learned the "higher
order" stuff first, and learned the lower level stuff as a by product or at
the same time or not at all.
The idea that you *can't* learn one thing without knowing something else
first is just more educational gobbledy-gook.
Mary Ellen
order" stuff first, and learned the lower level stuff as a by product or at
the same time or not at all.
The idea that you *can't* learn one thing without knowing something else
first is just more educational gobbledy-gook.
Mary Ellen
Robyn Coburn
<<<< I do not think such an approach is consistent with a
hierarchical method. If a child is truly left ³hands-off² to make his own
³discovery,² he is either limited to the primitive discoveries that an
immature mind can make totally on his own, or he explores, without context
or guidance, the advanced discoveries available to him in books and modern
technology. In the former case, his concepts will be at such a simple level
that hierarchy is irrelevant; in the latter, he will necessary learn random
facts, formulas, theories, and ideas, out of order, without their
foundations and consequently will have no real knowledge at all. >>>>>
The usual assumption that Unschooling is "hands off" and "no guidance". It
is evident that she has never met Unschoolers or seen the results. :P~~~
<<<<< I think parents dedicated to educational
Excellence ....>>>>>
Since her information is for people with a completely different primary goal
than those that I have as an Unschooler, it is completely irrelevant to me
and Jayn.
Robyn L. Coburn
--
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hierarchical method. If a child is truly left ³hands-off² to make his own
³discovery,² he is either limited to the primitive discoveries that an
immature mind can make totally on his own, or he explores, without context
or guidance, the advanced discoveries available to him in books and modern
technology. In the former case, his concepts will be at such a simple level
that hierarchy is irrelevant; in the latter, he will necessary learn random
facts, formulas, theories, and ideas, out of order, without their
foundations and consequently will have no real knowledge at all. >>>>>
The usual assumption that Unschooling is "hands off" and "no guidance". It
is evident that she has never met Unschoolers or seen the results. :P~~~
<<<<< I think parents dedicated to educational
Excellence ....>>>>>
Since her information is for people with a completely different primary goal
than those that I have as an Unschooler, it is completely irrelevant to me
and Jayn.
Robyn L. Coburn
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 268.2.1/278 - Release Date: 3/9/2006