Types Of Knowledge In The WA Curriculum

By Alice Hall & Ruhina Cockar

Ruth Ashbee defines curriculum as “knowledge structured over time”, so what do we mean by knowledge?

Different educational experts categorise knowledge in different ways. We may have heard knowledge referred to by different labels and at times the overlap between seemingly discrete ‘categories’ can be confusing. Subject to subject, we may also categorise knowledge slightly differently, so, at times, the labels may be slightly blurred. What is important as teachers, is that we understand the different types of knowledge, how they apply to our subjects, and how we incorporate them into our teaching. 

How are the types of knowledge defined? 

Types of knowledge can include:

• Declarative knowledge

• Substantive knowledge

• Procedural knowledge

• Disciplinary knowledge

• Tacit knowledge

  
  

“Substantive knowledge is the content that teachers teach as established fact – whether common convention, concept or warranted account of reality. You might want pupils to know of crotchets, percentages, the Treaty of Waitangi, Debussy or stem cells. In calling this ‘substantive’, we are treating the material presented as givens.

Disciplinary knowledge, by contrast, is a curricular term for what pupils learn about how that knowledge was established and how it continues to be revised by scholars, artists or professional practice. It is that part of the subject where pupils understand each discipline as a tradition of enquiry with its own distinctive pursuit of truth. It describes that part of the curriculum where pupils learn about the conditions under which valid claims can be made, and associated conventions such as what constitutes evidence or argument in that subject” (Counsell, 2020).

Procedural knowledge is a term that often accompanies declarative knowledge. Sometimes the definition of these two terms is given as ‘know how’ and ‘know what’. Procedural knowledge is the understanding of how something is done, the series of steps or actions taken to accomplish a goal, for example, following a recipe of set steps to create a meal. Some procedural knowledge is domain-specific (such as the understanding of using baking powder as a raising agent to bake a cake) and some is transferable across disciplines (such as plotting graphs, skills that may be taught in both Geography and Maths). 

Tacit knowledge can be much harder for students to describe. Sometimes called lived knowledge, tacit knowledge is often inferred and developed through lived experiences. Students may know, for example, that their friend is sad, but may struggle to articulate why (dropped facial expression, slouched posture, muted tone of voice, etc). Tacit knowledge can be very important in the learning process, however is often difficult for students to articulate in an explicit manner. 

How does Ofsted want us to use this understanding about types of knowledge? 

Ofsted refers to research from educational psychologist Sweller who states that, “Learning can be defined as an alteration in long-term memory. If nothing has altered in long-term memory, nothing has been learned”. However, transfer to long-term memory depends on rich processes. In order to develop understanding, pupils connect new knowledge with existing knowledge. Pupils also need to develop fluency and unconsciously apply their knowledge as skills. This must not be reduced to, or confused with, simply memorising facts.

In terms of how schools are expected to demonstrate this, Professor Daniel Muijis, Ofsted’s Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation said “It’s what you do, not how you label it that matters.” Schools will not be judged on whether they organise their knowledge under the labels ‘disciplinary’ and ‘substantive’ or any other organisational principles. They will, however, be asked about ‘what they do’ and as long as an approach or approaches can be explained clearly and is shown to be helpful in the school’s curriculum design work, then curriculum design can be judged to be effective.

How does this fit with the WA vision for the curriculum?

The WA curriculum, including the personal development curriculum, will support student success by ensuring that they know, do, and understand more. Effective road-mapping will help students link and relate topics to prior and future learning, building the metacognitive skills to become successful enquirers. Student-centred learning will be promoted through successful independent practice and the practical application of knowledge. This will be supported by appropriate instruction, modelling, scaffolding and guided practice. Our curriculum will be both a mirror and a window, reflecting all members of our community whilst challenging preconceptions and equipping students with the skills and experience to think critically.

Subject leaders and teachers should be able to distinguish and understand what the different types of knowledge are for their subjects. This should be guiding their curriculum design and therefore clearly expressed in unit plans and lesson planning. Students should be able to express their understanding through what they know, how they know it and how they might be able to attempt a problem (metacognitive understanding). Keep in mind that types of knowledge may look different from subject to subject, and it is important to consider how this may impact the teaching and learning in your subject area. 

Questions to consider: 

• What are the facts and methods that should make up the curriculum? What are the links between them?

• What is the necessary prior knowledge needed in order to access a particular topic?

• What are the features of excellent writing in a particular topic? How should these be mapped and explicitly taught across the curriculum?

• How can I continually review and develop our curriculum? 

  
  

References

Birgit Muskat and Marg Deery, 2017.  “Knowledge  transfer  and  organizational  memory:  An  events perspective”. Event Management 21(4), pp. 431–447. 

Christine Counsell, 2020. https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/taking-curriculum- seriously/  

Christine Counsell and Daniel Mujis, 2022 https://trivium21c.com/2020/01/26/ofsted-and- knowledge/ 

Ofsted Music Subject Review, 2021. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research- review-series-music 

Ofsted Art aide memoire (in Third Space Learning), 2022. https://thirdspacelearning.com/ blog/ofsted-crib-sheets/ 

Primary Science Education Consultants, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= eduvDOHH3UQ