Knowing That, Knowing How: Focus Language and Key Concepts

Vocabulary terms, idioms, collocations, and core educational concepts from the reading passage 'Knowing That, Knowing How'.

Contentious

Likely to cause disagreement or argument.

Dichotomy

A sharp division or contrast between two things seen as opposites.

Rudimentary

Basic and undeveloped; involving only the simplest elements.

Proponent

A person who argues in favour of an idea or course of action.

Erode

To gradually weaken or disappear over time.

Pragmatic

Dealing with things in a practical rather than theoretical way.

Transferable

Able to be applied in a different situation from the original one.

Tangible

Real and concrete enough to be clearly understood or felt.

Obsolete

No longer used or useful because something newer exists.

Discern

To notice or recognise a difference, often with some difficulty.

Strike a balance

To find a reasonable middle position that gives fair weight to two different things.

Bridge the gap

To reduce or remove the difference or distance between two things.

Throw the baby out with the bathwater

To get rid of something valuable while trying to get rid of something unwanted.

Home economics

A subject originating from the work of Ellen Swallow Richards that combined nutrition, hygiene, and household budgeting with a firm grounding in chemistry and biology.

Powerful knowledge

A term used by sociologist Michael Young to describe the kind of understanding that allows people to think beyond the limits of their immediate experience, typically acquired at school.

Formal discipline

The educational theory that learning subjects like Latin and geometry trains the mind in general, strengthening the faculty of reason in the same way physical exercise strengthens a muscle.

Phenomenon-based study

A curriculum framework introduced in Finland in 2016 where pupils explore a real-world topic by drawing on several academic subjects simultaneously.