Abstract:

It has been argued that having a body of common knowledge would enable children to function as fully rounded citizens and that as some, particularly those from poorer working class backgrounds, were not absorbing this at home, they needed to be taught such knowledge in schools, without which they would fall further and further behind. It has also been argued, and shown through research, that learners need knowledge and facts in order to engage with higher level learning, and that such facts and knowledge are best learned through teacher-led instruction. However, with recent research showing that OFSTED were still favouring child centred teaching methods over tutor-led approaches, and showing an aversion to direct teacher instruction, preferring group work instead, it has been argued that whereas middle class children will be able to compensate if a bit of knowledge is skipped, as they will read it outside of school, poorer children, or those from lower socio-economic groups are less likely to do so, hence reinforcing, and widening, the division between social classes.
Furthermore, it has been argued, on the basis that ‘knowledge begets knowledge’, that in order to benefit from the increased use of, and advances in, technology, that learners need sufficient knowledge and facts in order to exploit classroom technology, engage efficiently in the learning process and hence acquire knowledge more readily.
Drawing on previous studies, evidence is presented linking the effectiveness of teacher-led teaching methods to the acquisition of facts and knowledge. The previous studies will include recent research concluding that “whole class interactive” work, where the teacher uses questioning and demonstration to explore the subject with pupils as a whole group, is more effective as a teaching method than children working through exercises themselves with teacher support, along with studies demonstrating methodologies for developing effective literacy and numeracy skills, without the use of technology, amongst groups of learners for whom the acquisition of such skills has traditionally been a struggle. This paper considers what threshold of facts and knowledge, in relation to numeracy and literacy, needs to be taught in order for learners to be deemed to have sufficient abilities to benefit from available technology.
Contrary to arguments which suggest that learners who have a lack of access to computers in their home environment are at a disadvantage in their schooling, this paper argues, amongst its conclusions, that there should be a restriction in the use of technology in the classroom until learners have acquired a given, or set amount, of knowledge such that they would be in a position to be able to benefit more fully from the use of technology, and acquire knowledge more readily and quickly.