Surface knowledge may be described as anything that can be programmed into a computer (though our computers have become very clever!) or a robot. It is basically memorization of the mechanics of a subject. It aims for correct performance on a test. Meaningful knowledge, in contrast, is anything that makes sense to the learner.
There is increasing evidence that the brain responds very differently to surface knowledge as opposed to meaningful knowledge. For one thing, the brain strongly resists having meaningless information forced upon it. As Piaget believed, our brains are happiest when they are making meaning. Teachers’ brains respond in the same way. We are happiest when we teach a subject we fully understand. Consider the subject that you do not really understand but have to teach anyway. Because you cannot make meaning from the subject, teaching it creates its own kind of pressure.
The search for meaning is at the very heart of motivation. Students must be inspired to wonder, develop intellectual curiosity, and desire to understand and find answers for themselves. We will talk more about the teacher’s role in this adventure in the following chapters.
There is increasing evidence that the brain responds very differently to surface knowledge as opposed to meaningful knowledge. For one thing, the brain strongly resists having meaningless information forced upon it. As Piaget believed, our brains are happiest when they are making meaning. Teachers’ brains respond in the same way. We are happiest when we teach a subject we fully understand. Consider the subject that you do not really understand but have to teach anyway. Because you cannot make meaning from the subject, teaching it creates its own kind of pressure.
The search for meaning is at the very heart of motivation. Students must be inspired to wonder, develop intellectual curiosity, and desire to understand and find answers for themselves. We will talk more about the teacher’s role in this adventure in the following chapters.
