There are two types of knowledge: the knowledge of what and the knowledge of how. The knowledge of what is declarative and the knowledge of how is procedural. This lesson reviews these types of knowledge in a classroom setting.
Declarative vs. Procedural Knowledge
Can you ride a bike? Have you ever noticed that even if it's been years since you've ridden one, you never really forget how to do it? But 'how' do you ride a bike? Were you able to write a report that teaches someone how to do it? It would probably be pretty difficult to put that into words.
That is because your understanding of how to ride a bike is procedural knowledge, a skill or action that you are capable of performing. Riding a bike is something you do.
The other side of that coin is declarative knowledge, which is knowledge of facts or concepts. Just as it is difficult to explain in words how to ride a bike, it is difficult to use actions to explain the history of bicycling in the 20th century. In that case, you would use words to show your knowledge.
In this lesson, we will discuss both types of knowledge in detail and cover instructional strategies to incorporate them in the classroom.