Explore Alliance Presents: How Do You KNOW? – Episode #19: 'Real and Fake'

 

Fact, Hypothesis, Theory

There is a distinct hierarchy in science that distinguishes facts, hypotheses, and theories. We misunderstand and misuse the terms so frequently that their meaning becomes corrupted – particularly when the misuse of these words occurs in the media – either for disingenuous purposes or out of sheer ignorance.

Facts are the lowest form of knowledge. Benjamin Bloom in his Taxonomy of Cognitive Learning describes the lowest level of learning as Recall of Facts. One of the most profound weaknesses of our educational system in general and the Standards-based Learning Movement in particular is the emphasis on the recall of facts.

In this episode of How Do You KNOW? Dr. Barth illustrates that repeating what you have learned, and believing that by choosing the correct bubble on a multiple choice test classify you as being "smart"!  Making you ready for the university! Ready for a career! Ready for life! Except, of course, almost any university graduate can tell you that none of the above is entirely true. 

Dr. Barth encourages you to apply the process of science, critical thinking, and logic to understand reality in order to build a much stronger force in your understanding than the simple repeating of so-called "facts".