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Sources Of Knowledge : Understanding Students And Their Behaviors And Achievements

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1. Sources of knowledge – ways of knowing things by way of personal experience, intuition, traditions, expert authority, logic, or research. Personal experience, intuition, traditions, and logic are valuable sources of knowledge, but many times cannot show enough evidence to support the theory. These sources of knowledge may not be valid or reliable for various reasons. Expert authorities on subjects are another valuable source of knowledge, but these experts can lead one to believe what they want you to believe, not necessarily the facts. The true source of knowledge is research – where studies involve a methodical process of gathering, interpreting, and reporting information. I feel many educators use the various sources of knowledge other than research to gain understanding. Even in the classroom setting, methodical research can be essential to understanding students and their behaviors and achievements. Information gained can lead to more effective learning. 2. Scientific inquiry – to be able to explain and describe accepted happenings and use this knowledge to predict and influence behavior. This can be used to explain why some teachers appear to be more effective than others. The explanation can lead to knowledge to share with other teachers to become more effective. McMillan, J.H. (2012). Educational research: Fundamentals for the consumer (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. 3. Empirical study – a study that gathers data that is objective, based on

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