Introduction: The Question of Knowledge in Education (In-class activity)
Guiding Questions:
- In your opinion, what is knowledge? And, what is teachers’ relation to knowledge?
- What kind of knowledge do you need to teach in a class?
Note- Please write a short paragraph as a response to some of the above questions. You don’t need to mention facts, or expert authorities while responding to these questions. You are asked just to reflect on the questions, preferably with a person sitting next to you.
The below quote might help to remind us about the form of opinion writing.
“Opinion writing is not about communicating a series of pros and cons or discussing at length the various related advantages and disadvantages. The opinion piece should open with a bold statement of opinion that is clearly expressed, and that opinion should be held unwaveringly and reinforced constantly throughout the text. … it should reveal the writer’s take on things too. To summarize, whatever the topic and however the student opens their opinion piece, they should ensure they express their opinion immediately and coherently. There should be no doubt in the reader’s mind as to where the student-writer stands on the issue”.~Literacy ideas
Knowledge is experience that can help an individual succeed in life. I believe that knowledge is two-fold: Academic knowledge and Application knowledge. The former is understanding ideas and terms off of textbooks, and the other is the ability to use that knowledge in applicable life situations.
I believe that in order to succeed as a teacher, you need to be able to teach both.
In your opinion, what is knowledge? And, what is teachers’ relation to knowledge? What kind of knowledge do you need to teach in a class?
Knowledge is an understanding of something. This could be a subject, emotion, or other thing in the world. Knowledge is normally understood to be learned, and is something that you can acquire by studying or experience – it is new to whoever has acquired it. Knowledge can be in relation to an individual or a society, and a teacher as an individual is helping students gain knowledge. Teachers need to know how to teach their subject material, and as long as they can do that they can help students understand and gain knowledge.
1) Information, facts and skills learned through experiences
2) What kind of knowledge do you need to teach in a class? Strong interpersonal skills knowledge of subject area, personal experiences (transmitting information to your students)
A teacher can help a student understand a concept or idea but knowledge is when a teacher can help a student apply that information to many aspects of life and build on experiences to have a base on which to further learn. A teacher can either help a student aspire to build their knowledge or, if they are not supportive, can hinder a student’s belief in themselves. To be successful teaching in a class the knowledge in how the information can be used and why it is important to life is going to help students learn and want to learn.
Knowledge is the collection of information passed on between individuals for the general literacy. The teacher in relation to this, is the holder of knowledge and holds all of the power. The teacher imparts the knowledge by relinquishing the power and thus the transfer of knowledge is complete when the power is balanced, as all things should be.
A teacher requires both knowledge of the content and how to impart the content. It is only required for the teacher to relinquish power in terms of content and retain their “teacher” knowledge to retain a power imbalance between individuals.
Beautifully written.
In my opinion, knowledge is information or skills that we learn in school or through life experiences. A teacher imparts knowledge to the student. In order to teach a class, a teacher must have content knowledge, but also knowledge of how to work with people, on both a group and individual level.
Nice!
I believe that knowledge is information or skills that we can acquire from our experiences and education. The position of the teacher in relation to knowledge is that teachers need to be knowledgeable in their subject area to be able to teach it. In addition to the subject area it’s also important for the teacher to be knowledgeable in curriculum and pedagogy to be able to fully communicate their subject matter effectively.
Great work!
Knowledge, I suppose, is the ability to contain and reproduce content. In a teaching setting, it could be the subject knowledge of a particular discipline. Teachers are expected to have knowledge of their disciplines, but they are also told that the knowledge does not matter. More important might be the ability to quickly gain knowledge and transfer it. Content knowledge is easily lost without repetition.
In class, I believe the most important kinds of knowledge are not the subject knowledge, rather they are the knowledge of how to be an effective transferrer of content, the knowledge of your students’s status and situation, the knowledge of requirements. Subject knowledge is secondary to the knowledge of how to most effectively improve your students’ learning.
Knowledge is something that is acquired over time through experience or study and it can take a form of skill or information. A teacher’s knowledge is a form of ‘mastery’ and can be a skill/information that is transferred using modelling/demonstrating/lecturing etc. In my experience, the knowledge it takes to teach in a class is not only subject knowledge (i.e. music), but also knowledge/experience in other areas such as classroom management, administration, social interaction, humour etcetc.
In my opinion, knowledge is the gathering of information and skills in a particular area or aspect of life or education. The gathering of knowledge is a continuous process that really has no beginning and no end, it is very fluid. A teachers relation to knowledge should be in a way that provides their students with opportunities to gather knowledge and skills.
The knowledge that is needed to teach a class is very intricate. For example, a teacher must be able to proficient in managing student needs, encouraging student participation and engagement, supplementing discussions with quality materials and having an understanding of the content of whatever area that a teacher is teaching in.
Knowledge is the retaining of information in a given field of study. The teacher’s relation to knowledge is to be facilitator of learning for their students, not only transmitting knowledge, but providing the critical skills and competencies needed for students to attain knowledge on their own. What kind of knowledge? I guess whatever kind of knowledge is pertinent to the class and curriculum.
Knowledge is a useless construction. It doesn’t even have a coherent definition. Are we talking about discrete justified true beliefs? Patterns that repeat with a probability approaching 1?
What is crucial to understand is the arbitrary nature of knowledge in the classroom–these discrete atomized beliefs are essentially meaningless without an ideological underpinning. Therefore, as an educator, I think navel gazing over epistemology is a waste of time; it is far more important to consider the political motivations behind curriculum. Why do Japanese and Canadian schools teach such drastically different versions of the Nan-king massacre for a very blunt example.
Ultimately knowledge means nothing without context. I dont need to know how to change a tire to succeed in this classroom, but likewise, my understanding of epistemology does nothing for me on the side of the road.
The content that is taught can be anything–what matters is what is done next.
To me, knowledge is fact or information that a person has acquired through experiences and skills and made it their own. In a classroom, the teacher could deliver the same content but how each student interprets and understands the content becomes their own knowledge.
To teach well in class, in addition to knowing basic content, it would help to be knowledgeable of the interest of the students, students’ background, and the needs of the students to grasp their interest and have an engaging class.
Knowledge is an accumulation of all that one knows. It is an ongoing process through which individuals become more knowledgeable. Knowledge is a two-way street. Though teachers are constantly inculcating knowledge in their students, teachers are also constantly learning from their students.
Teachers should be knowledgeable in their own subject areas, but should also possess some knowledge of other things beyond what they teach. In addition to content knowledge, teachers should possess social and emotional knowledge, as they are meant to nurture their students.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge is wisdom. Knowledge is knowing. Knowledge is freedom. Knowledge is democracy. Knowledge is collective. Knowledge is inquiry. Knowledge is colourful. Knowledge is incredible. Knowledge is endless.
I believe teachers are conduits of knowledge and sometimes they are students’ greatest inspiration (I hope). Referring back to this week’s reading for Group 6, today’s students need skills that are fundamentally different from what their parents’ generation needed to enter the workforce. I believe teachers are in a similar position; teaching today is radically different from teaching 100 years ago.
Teachers need various types of knowledge in order to teach students in a rapidly-changing 21st century learning environment. This extends beyond traditional literacy and touches upon, but is not limited to, digital, financial, and health literacy.
Knowledge encompasses the information, facts and skills that can then be applied to further one’s experience. In class, we may teach students content knowledge which may fall under the curriculum but we should also teach practical skills. We, as teachers, may be more knowledgeable on a certain topic and we must find a way to convey this to our students in a way that they can understand and apply further. It is important for us to provide the knowledge but we should instil agency within our students to translate that knowledge to power.
Well done!
Knowledge is defined as a way for people to understand facts and ideas that occur throughout whatever profession they are in. Knowledge, is also used in a way for people to explain ideas and thoughts to the future and present generations. To have knowledge allows people to teach and to learn new concepts in whatever field they are in. This idea of knowledge is important for teachers, as their main role is to explain concepts to students. By teachers passing down their knowledge to their students (future generations) will potentially spark a students interest in the subject and make them pursue that profession. Therefore, knowledge can be almost used as a tool for a teacher to help push students to become the best they can be. The type of knowledge a teacher needs is two types. The first type of knowledge is content. The teacher must be knowledgable in their subject manner to be able to accurately teach the content to the students. The second type of knowledge is life skills. This describes how teachers need to be able to show students how to be “good” people and teachers can do this by being a role model.
What we refer to as knowledge is, in my view, a fluid and an ever changing agreement based on observation, a variety of evidences, and approaches to learning. Informed by worldview and ways of being, enacting knowledge is expressed on an individual level based on experiences collected, the moment of mindset (be it fixed or growth oriented, as this is often in motion), and the energy flowing through a particular circumstance. The lineage of knowledge will also provide filters on what is deemed legitimate, regardless of whether or not the knowledge is truly valuable and enriching to a given circumstance.
I would define “knowledge” as the collection of information that we are currently aware of – not limited to cognitive perspective but expands to cultural, physical, physiological and etc.
Knowledge from the content-specific area of the subject and/or general knowledge regarding management of classroom. In addition, in order to teach in a class, I believe one should have a clear understanding of educational knowledge regarding pedagogy and the curriculum it self. Also one should have enough of educational background knowledge in order to develop, defend and further refine one’s lesson and the teaching and learning techniques/tools used in the lesson.
To me, knowledge gives us power and options. It means being able to have an understanding about a given subject and make decisions based on that understanding. A teachers’ relation to knowledge is to be a communicator and facilitator of knowledge. Sharing information to help empower others and give them the power to make informed and thoughtful decisions.
To teach in a class, you should probably have some knowledge about the specific subject you’re teaching. More importantly, I feel you need to have social understanding. By knowing about the demographic you’re teaching, you can support their learning in a deeper way. For example, teaching in a lower income, inner-city high school versus a private elementary school may require a different approach. Understanding where your students come from, what their struggles are, and how to support their individual needs can be essential to effective sharing of knowledge.
I understand knowledge as the facts and skills attained by an individual through experience or education. Knowledge is an ongoing process, as people gather knowledge daily. In relation to teachers and knowledge, teachers provide students with the opportunity to discover new things, ideas, opinions, and thoughts. Moreover, teachers can enable students to become more curious about particular topics or subjects, often done in and out of the walls of the classroom.
In regards to the kinds of knowledge that your teachers may need to teach includes practical, experiential, and theoretical experience. These in tandem with one another or separate of one another can allow for the teacher to appear as more relatable and competent to students.
I like knowledge, gaining it is my hobby and helping students gain it and practice gaining is the kind of work that I plan to do.
Knowledge includes so many facets as it is such a broad term. It is facts about the world and how ‘things’ work (from automobiles, natural cycles, spirituality), inferences about those too, but it is also knowing the processes and skills that all humans need to employ to understand their world and function in it. People in different places, times and occupations use different types of knowledges more than others might, but also cultures can use knowledge, gain it, remember it and pass it along in very different or similar ways.
The teacher’s relation to knowledge should be one of decent expertise. My FA and one of my SA’s told me over and over again that I had excellent content knowledge. AKA, I am a history nerd. I love history and thinking about the past. However I was more concerned with my knowledge of pedagogy and effective teaching strategies. A teacher should know their stuff, otherwise students might lack confidence in them, and teachers in themselves too. However, a teacher needs to know the best ways for students to unlock knowledge themselves, to gain it, to practice gaining, and remember it. Knowing everything about glaciers is great, but that needs to be coupled with a teacher’s ability to help students discover it for themselves.
Teachers need content knowledge, and teachers need pedagogical knowledge.
In my opinion knowledge is something you gain from experience and learning. This can be through school and taking in information and facts, or from life experiences. I think you can be knowledgeable in different ways and based on this I think a teachers relation to knowledge can be: they are the ones that are passing on their knowledge to others while also gaining knowledge about pedagogy and life experiences through teaching, becoming life long learners.
In order to teach a class I think you definitely need content knowledge. Content knowledge is very important to the sciences as you need to build upon content to have students understand the major concepts. I also believe a teachers life experience and knowledge in other parts (like pedagogical knowledge) other than content are equally as important. Helping students navigate through the pressures of high school is something a teacher can do based on their lived experiences.
Knowledge is what we acquire through experience. Over time we perceive and encode information and hone skills through practice. In this way, we cumulatively develop theoretical and practical understandings of different subject areas, with many of these understandings being widely transferable.
A teacher’s relation to knowledge is to understand how knowledge is assimilated and to facilitate this process of assimilation in their students.
In a class, you should facilitate the assimilation of knowledge that directly relates to the content objectives but also provides the students with broad transferable skills.
Knowledge is facts, skills, information that you can gain through learning process.
Only those who understand, can teach. Teachers not only deliver knowledge to students, but also help student to understand and master the way of learning.
Three types of knowledge teachers need to know: content knowledge, curriculum knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Content knowledge is the basics that every teacher need to master, then with better understanding of curriculum, we can choose different pedagogic method to teach the content.
In your opinion, what is knowledge? Knowledge is something that everyone has based on their own experiences, integrations, engagements and opportunities they have. These are some of the examples of how knowledge acquired and there are different kinds of knowledge which is constantly evolving and changing based on everyone’s life-long learning (goes beyond what’s deem “formal education”) Teachers should need to be open to lifelong learning within the context of the education system, content and the way they engage curriculum in a meaningful way. At the sometime able to engage the existing knowledge students have and building on this so that their understanding is grounded and builds on their daily lives thus having meaning.
And, what is teachers’ relation to knowledge?
What kind of knowledge do you need to teach in a class? Knowledge that is grounded in experiential learning and is connect to students lives and environment.
I believe knowledge can be classified as both academic knowledge as well as life skills knowledge. The relationship between teachers and knowledge is that we are supposed to provide knowledge in a multitude of ways we see fit to our students. The role of the teacher is to not only educate the students on the academic content and provide them with knowledge in that sense, but also to educate the students on life skills.
In my opinion, I believe that knowledge is ones ability to know something and THEN utilize it. Knowledge is nothing unless it is useful and can benefit others or your growth in some sort of way. I think that it is important to know how your body works, how to compose a paragraph, write a resume, and an understanding of what has happened and is happening around the world today. However, it is what we do with this knowledge that really matters. A person could manipulate another person with less knowledge than them to get them to do things that they want them to do. For example, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler preying on people with less knowledge than them and using people’s fear to generate a following and support. Because of this, I believe that it is important for teachers to facilitate knowledge. With that being said, I do not believe it is the job of the teacher to spout all of their own opinions, but to give their students facts which support all sides so that their students can develop their own thought processes based on what they believe, their morals, and what makes sense to them. It is not the job of the teacher to promote propaganda in their classrooms and enforce them to believe and think in a certain way. It is the job of the teacher to teach students how to break things down when they are exposed to new things, helping them learn how to make sense of what they uncover, to critically think about it- instead of passively observing. Teachers have a lot of knowledge in the subjects they are teaching. That is obvious, otherwise they would not have gotten through university, nor would they have gained their position. They have spent a lot of time formulating their own opinions, so I believe that a teacher must allow their students the same opportunity to learn as they have.
To teach in a class I do believe that you need to have some sort of content area. Especially in classes in the tech world, such as auto, wood, and metal. Since these classes greatly deal with the safety of their students it is extremely important for students to be taught by people with a lot of experience in first aid, procedures, and safety. For mainstream classes, we must have knowledge in what we are teaching, otherwise, we will not be able to gain the interest of your students, but for the most part, as an educator, we can teach anything, as long as we are a few steps ahead of our students.
What kind of knowledge do you need to teach in a class?
Knowledge is knowing something. It is understanding a concept or idea. A teacher’s relation to knowledge is knowing the concept or idea exists without needing to have an in depth understanding. The teachers role is to help students figure out their own deep understanding of things.
That was really deep. I appreciate your deep knowledge of understanding.
Knowledge is information about the natural world gained through experience or education that is held by the majority of people in a particular time and place.
Knowledge is something you have acquired through study or experience.
A teacher needs to have knowledge of themselves and the subject matter they are teaching, but they also need to know how to interact with different types of students and their various learning needs.
The content being taught is just one part of the essential knowledge needed in a classroom environment. Both students and teachers are constantly building knowledge both inside and outside of the classroom which influences them in various ways.
Knowledge is the information that helps you to know the world better. A teacher’s relation to knowledge is the facilitate what you think you know about the knowledge with people who don’t. I think teachers need to have the knowledge of what is teaching and what is learning in order to help students’ learning and their own development in teaching.