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Four Pillars of Wisdom™
Information, data, knowledge, education, and learning are words
often used interchangeably as if they have approximate meanings.
Without definition they could almost work this way. The fact is
they all mean something very specific and different from one another.
Data
Raw data can be, but isn't necessarily, information. Unless it informs
us through its structure and configuration, the value of data is
limited.
Information
Likewise, information is not knowledge. Information requires a frame
of reference that enables relativity. We can only learn new ideas
and concepts based on how they relate to what we already know.
Experience
The process of data becoming information and information becoming
knowledge is the process of communicating, thinking and experiencing.
Learning is converting accurate data into usable information, and
then experiencing results through application. This process is known
as knowledge transfer. The flow and speed of this intellectual transfer
is dependent upon the level of interest and motivation of the learner.
Knowledge
The swiftest vehicle for knowledge transfer is learners encountering
real ideas, events, and information in meaningful contexts. Essentially,
connecting knowledge and life.
Roger Schank, a Northwestern University professor
and author of The Connoisseur's Guide to the Mind, believes
one can deal with new arenas of knowledge if one knows how to learn,
how to find out about what is known, and how to abandon old ideas
when they are worn out. This means teaching ways of developing good
questions rather than memorizing known answers.
Wisdom
The final leap to Wisdom is in the hands of the learner. How new
knowledge is used can only be determined by those who possess it.
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In
brief, these are the four pillars:
1.
DATA - ways of expressing things, representation of
facts
2. INFORMATION - arrangement of data into meaningful
patterns
3. EXPERIENCE - application and productive use of information
4. KNOWLEDGE - practical understanding through experience
WISDOM
- the discerning use of knowledge
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Words (data, information) allow
theoretical understanding. Experience enables practical knowledge.
Accumulated wisdom is the discerning use of knowledge over time.
Coaching Tools
Accumulating wisdom is often accomplished through feelings, instincts,
and intuition. These are the tools of wisdom and the primary tools
of coaches.
This entails looping around the learning cycle many
times; a task best accomplished with passion, persistence, and patience.
As you might imagine, there are many details that span these pillars.
Circle
of Learning >>
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| "Learning
is experience. Everything else is just information."
Albert Einstein
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"Intelligence lies in connecting... knowledge
to action and to experience."
Lewis Perelman "School's Out"
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"The
difference between information and knowledge
is the difference between
flour + water and a
loaf of warm bread."
Will Craig
Knowledge Guide
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