Although it is by no means the most prominently recognized form of knowledge, folk knowledge is foundational to all other knowledge forms and institutions because it provides the basis for learning how to learn.
As we discussed in our salon on print knowledge, print knowledge is widely recognized as the most authoritative knowledge form. Oral and written knowledge, too, seem to have a place higher in the hierarchy of formal knowledge than folk knowledge. But without folk knowledge, which Crista Little described in our salon as being “the building block for anything pertaining to knowledge,” we would not have any of the other knowledge forms. The ability to communicate orally requires an understanding of not only the verbal aspects of a language but also nonverbal signals. Both of these components are learned in a folk setting, by observation and practice. Until they are learned, the intricacies of communicating and understanding in the realm of oral knowledge cannot be understood or learned. Likewise, the literacy upon which written and printed knowledge are based requires that forms of folk knowledge be mastered, including acquiring appreciation for literacy, having a desire to learn to read and write, and especially technical aspects such as just learning how to sit still in school and how to hold a pencil. For example, Kimberly Gidney wrote a blog about how children engage in teaching each other on the playground in a folk knowledge format, but I would suggest that they also do a lot of that kind of teaching and learning among themselves in the classroom, too. And teachers often take advantage of this interaction and build upon it by recognizing those students who show mastery over particular “skills” with comments such as, “Thank you, Suzy, for sitting quietly in your seat” or “Tommy, you’re doing a great job cleaning up your art supplies.” The skills they learn from watching each other provide the foundation for their learning in all the other realms of knowledge.
Just as folk knowledge provides the basis for other types of knowledge, it also gives a foundation for the knowledge institutions that support them. As suggested in the examples about an elementary school classroom, folk knowledge is extremely important in school settings. Even in a university, students pick up attitudes and habits from one another that greatly impact the way they interact with other knowledge forms and learn the subjects they are studying. And often success in a class depends on not only understanding the oral and printed material that is presented but also learning the more folk knowledge-like skills such as time management or interacting with professors. Other knowledge institutions, such as libraries and even the Internet (which at least contains knowledge institutions – like forums – if it is not one in and of itself) require those who seek to benefit from them to learn specific skills from others. In the case of the library, a person first has to learn to even go to there (I can attest that some students never get this one down). Though they might read about it somewhere, it is much more likely that a student will gain the know-how of library patronage by actually doing it – maybe that is why every English class from about sixth grade on (even in college!) seems to have a library field trip day sometime during the year, and usually before a big research project. That actual experience of being there and seeing how others use the knowledge institution is a folk learning experience that is the foundation for the continued existence and functionality of the institution.
All knowledge comes back to folk knowledge. We talked in our salon about how it has been the one constant in history, there before any other knowledge forms were developed. And it is certainly still around now. As we discussed in class, the Internet has in some ways brought the format of our knowledge around full circle to a more folk-based system Perhaps the future holds a more prominent place for this foundational knowledge form.
No comments:
Post a Comment