Tabula Rasa
The beginning. No first-hand information. The only
information about the subject is what has been heard in passing, and that has
not been verified.
Example: Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale about a little girl
in the forest. She might have laser vision and know kung fu.
Barrier: Does not try to find out information on own.
Expects someone will tell what is important to know about something and blindly
trust that information.
Breakthrough: Engage
with information. Don't wait to be told the answer, search out the information.
Information
The facts, snippets of information like the meaning of key
words (the ones in bold in textbooks), names of characters, description of
events.
Example: Red is a girl with a
basket of goodies for Grandma. The Wolf is hungry living in the woods.
Grandma lives in the woods. The Wolf eats Grandma and Red.
Barrier: Cannot move past the snippets. In "Spark
Notes" mode. Still expecting to be told what's important. Not fully
engaged.
Breakthrough: Do not skim for information. Important parts
won't "jump out" at you. Look at it as a whole instead of for the
pieces. Slow down!
Knowledge
The bigger picture, the sequence and overt message, what the
author's point was. The whats and the hows.
Example: Red talks to the Wolf, giving him the idea to eat
both Grandma and Red. He exploits Red's willingness to talk and makes a trap
for her. The author is sending a message about not talking to strangers because
they are dangerous.
Barrier: Can only summarize. Can't move beyond presented
facts, the obvious point, or the author's point.
Breakthrough: Slow down even more! Ask why at every
opportunity. Make notes. Look beyond what was said for what has NOT been said.
Understanding
The deeper picture, how pieces fit together to mean
something more. Asks questions and looks for hidden messages, makes connections
between things that don't seem connected. The whys.
Example: The Wolf, Red, and Grandma are all connected in some
way. They mean something more as a whole than apart. Why doesn't the Wolf eat
Red right away? Why pretend to be Grandma? Why does Red take off her clothes
before crawling in bed with the Wolf? Why the big eyes, big hands, teeth, etc?
Barrier: Can ask the questions, but cannot formulate own answers,
or cannot justify the reasons behind their connection. Must be told what the
deeper meaning is instead of creating and articulating it on their own.
Breakthrough: Get creative in making connections; be wild
and crazy with the ideas. “If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no
hope for it.” –Albert Einstein. Test connections with logic and reason using
evidence from within the source(s). Be aware that there is not a single answer
or even a "right" answer, but the answer you can articulate and
support after it survives your tests.
Skill
Your own point, using every previous stage to see the pieces
in a new way. Independently form new understandings, that advance the whole
discipline.
Example: The Wolf is a sexual predator. He deceives his
victims, lulling them into safety before he attacks and rapes them (devours
them). However, Red was willing because she took off her clothes voluntarily.
On the way to developing a skill, any skill, you will fail.
Often. You will become discouraged at points, but you will never reach the
skill if you do not continue to thoughtfully try. Look at failures as an
opportunity to discover what went wrong. Understand the error, correct it, and
resume the path to new skills.
Mastering a skill is simply the result of correct practice,
experience, dedication, and more failure. “I have not failed. I've just found
10,000 ways that won't work.” –Thomas Edison
