Inert Knowledge

Hi,

This week’s email is about a common pitfall in learning.

Here are the key practical points you should know (mainly from my article):

• Inert knowledge is information that a person knows but doesn't fully understand, which means that they can only recognize, express, or use it in very limited ways.

• For example, a student has inert knowledge if they memorize a math formula and can repeat it, but they don't understand what it means or what its implications are.

• To activate inert knowledge, you should engage with relevant information deeply, by trying to understand, analyze, evaluate, and apply it in various ways.

• You could, for instance, summarize what you know, explain it to others, critique it, draw connections between it and other things you know, and find ways to use it across different contexts.

• You can help others develop active knowledge by encouraging them to use these techniques, giving them enough time to do it, and incentivizing this behavior.

The active vs. inert distinction is a spectrum, not a binary, and not every bit of knowledge has to be active in the first place. The key, therefore, isn’t about fully activating all your knowledge, but rather about figuring out where you do need to activate it, and to what extent.

To put this into practice: Where do I (or someone I’m teaching) currently have inert knowledge that should be active? What kind of deep engagement would activate it?

As always, I'm happy to hear your thoughts.

Have a great week,
Itamar