Education System innovators and reformers like to argue that our schools and universities focus too heavily on facts and memorising 'knowledge' to pass a test. But what should we be focusing on instead?

I recently had some twitter back and fourth with @raygirn and agree that our understanding of knowledge or as I'll outline in this mini-essay, 'knowing' has to excavate some less understood aspects this thing we call 'knowledge'.

Many of these ways of knowing have been bundled into 'knowledge' and it's this misunderstood relationship between these interpenetrating layers / ways of knowing which I believe is at the heart of some of the dysfunction of the way we approach learning, work and the world. Let's start from the bottom...

Participatory Knowing (Embodiment)

This is about the given agent/arena relationship, the way that the Self participates in creating the World and the World participates in creating the Self through affordances. What's graspable to a fly and a human are different and set up at type of mostly unconscious way that my cognition knows the world.

This relates to fittedness, at 'one ness', flow. Being someone yesterday then known that you were different a year later is not just on the level of propositions, skills or states of conciouseness but your affordances with the world and new technologies around you.

Perspectival Knowing (Lenses)

Knowing through your particular state of consciousness: situational awareness, salience landscape, lenses, quality of presence. What is it like to be another, or to play with variations of identity in roleplay and model others, These are not a simple combination of facts or skills. It's awareness being biologically / emotionally regulated, imaginal, empathetic and schematic lenses we equip and develop. A baby looking into the world develops this before it's skills.

Procedural Knowing (Skills)

Now I have a world and self model I can begin knowing how to do something: how to speak, how to throw a ball or ride a bike. We do this by building neural / motor relationships and with objects, tools, perhaps floors or computers. This is also acting downwards into my perspectival knowing, identity via the self model.

Propositional Knowing (Facts)

As a baby I'll build skill in my vocal cords and eventually be able to debate or engage in conversation. I don't know what the words mean but when I've got some skill in a native tongue I'll be able to have intellectual knowing, knowing that… and Having beliefs.

The Tyranny of propositional Knowing

In our society, we assume Propositional Knowing and give a nod to Procedrual Knowing. Perspectival Knowing and Participatory Knowing are neglected because we assume they are just "the way things are". But perspectival and participatory knowing can allow us to become more mature human beings and grow our agency.

This is also not my model but a butchering of the great work done by @vervaeke_john

John Vervaeke’s Brilliant 4P/3R Metatheory of Cognition: John Vervaeke finally answers what we mean by "cognition."