Knowledge

From TPCK

There are different conceptions of knowledge as conceptualized by philosophers, educators, cognitive scientists, pragmatists etc. Philosophers define knowledge as "justified true belief." Each of these words is problematic and philosophers have used up a great deal of paper and ink in attempting to understand each of these words, and have found themselves increasingly tied up in knots about what each of these words means.

Knowledge in TPCK as Knowledge by Design

In TPCK, conception of knowledge is more pragmatic, influenced by scholars such as Dewey, Schon and Perkins. Perkins in particular poses a provocative metaphor, that of "knowledge as design" (Perkins, 1986). In fact he goes on to argue that "perhaps knowledge is not just like design but is design in quite a straightforward and practical sense" (p. 2).

Perkins argues that there are four questions that help in "prying open the nature of any design" (p. 5). By considering knowledge as design, Perkins continues that these four questions can be similarly used to identify knowledge and understand it. These questions are:

1. What is the purpose (or purposes)?
2. What is its structure?
3. What are the model cases of it?
4. What are the arguments that explain and evaluate it?

The TPCK approach attempts to provide answers to each of these four questions.

Quotes from Perkins (1986)

• Design is a structure adapted to a purpose (p.2).

• But can we consider knolwedge in a different light, as design rather than information? That would mean viewing pieces of knowledge as structures adapted to a purpose... (p. 3).

• In academic settings, we often treat knowledge as data devoid of purpose, rather than as design laden with purpose... much of academic knowledge we hold shows a symptom of truth mongering--knowledge disconnected from the contexts of application and justification that make it meaningful (p. 3-4).

• When a piece of data gets connected to purposes, it becomes design-like (p. 4).

• Knowledge as information purveys a passive view of knowledge, one that highlights knowledge in storage rather than knowledge as an implement of action. Knowledge as design might be our best bet for a first principle in building a theory of knowledge for teaching and learning (p. 5).