The Learning Cue: Knowledge/Skills
KASA Part 1 - (Knowledge & Skills)
Welcome to the second installment of “The Learning Cue.” In my first posting, I explained the dual purpose of this blog. On the one hand, for the learning/teaching audience, pool can provide examples for exploring and explaining how learning works. For the pool players, understanding some of the mechanics and dynamics of learning can help them improve their own game and help new players.
Before examining all of the different factors that can affect learning, it is worth pausing to think about a definition of learning. Most academics and researchers will agree that learning involves changes in a person. For instance, if we think about pool, we can imagine meeting a beginner player.
When you see them at the beginning of the month, they can’t even properly hold the cue stick let alone hit a ball in. Then, you return to the pool hall at the end of the month and see that same person playing and even winning some games. Learning is the process that facilitated that change. But what exactly changed?
The KASA framework is a way of breaking down what is changing as a result of learning. Here is a short explanation of the acronym:
Knowledge = facts and information
Awareness = the ability to notice things and make predictions and draw conclusions
Skills = physical and mental abilities
Attitude = beliefs, feelings, and values related to learning and the subject matter.
This framework was developed by faculty at SIT and introduced by Professor Donald Freeman in a 1989 article in the context of English language teaching. I learned about the KASA framework in my Master’s program, but I have since found it to be extremely useful when thinking about any content area that one is learning or teaching. For example, if I’m looking at an expert pool player, I can break down their attributes using the KASA framework. Similarly, when thinking about how to support my own learning or that of my students, I often think about what the main aim of the lesson is in terms of KASA because, as we shall see, the development of each dimension requires different types of learning experiences.
In this post, I will focus on the ‘KS,’ knowledge and skills, as I think they contrast in a useful way and highlight some critical issues that come up when people are learning/teaching.
For those of you who are more involved in teaching/learning, I invite you to use the examples from pool to explore the difference between knowledge and skills and hopefully apply those insights to your own content areas. In addition, we will be looking at some of the basics of pool, so if you are new to the game, you will be getting some essential background information to help you with future posts in this blog.
For the experienced pool player, this post will hopefully provide you with some ideas about how to break down what you know and possibly identify areas you want to work on. This discussion might also be helpful as you think about times you have tried to teach the basics to a new player.
Knowledge refers to information and names of things. For example, in pool, there are many terms to describe the equipment, types of games, player actions, and things that happen during the games.
The above image comes from a video by Dr. Dave, a retired mechanical engineering professor from Colorado State University, who is also a prolific producer of educational videos and books related to pool.
Having knowledge of pool makes it easier to talk about the game and also to learn/teach in a precise and efficient way. When players discuss rules or shots in a game, they need to have the shared terms in order to communicate.
One of the main challenges with learning knowledge is that it is easy to get overwhelmed and/or forget terms. It is also worth remembering that pool players may have different names for these shots, which can be confusing. For example, in British English, draw shots (see below) are called ‘screw back’ shots.
Another major issue with knowledge is memory. We can hear and understand new terms or ideas in the moment and then forget them moments later. Consider listening to a news program on the radio or watching a TED talk. You might remember a few details, but without some kind of study or review, it’s hard to say how much you ‘learned.’ In future posts, I’ll discuss techniques that can help people remember and internalize terms and ideas when focusing on knowledge.
Another issue that often comes up is how much knowledge is useful in order to actually play, which brings us to…
Skills
In pool, skills relate to the ability to successfully hit the cue ball so that it contacts the object ball and then moves into a position which is good for the next shot.
A big part of the ability to make a shot has to do with what pool players call the ‘fundamentals,’ which include how you stand (the stance) and move your arm when striking the cue ball (the stroke). Here you can see Dr. Dave showing a proper stance:
However, understanding the above features is very different from being able to execute proper stance and arm movement. The telling and understanding of knowledge is very different from the development and performance of a skill.
To further illustrate the idea of skills and knowledge, let’s look at three basic types of shots that pool players use for cue ball control (i.e. to position the cue ball after you make the object ball so that you can set up for your next shot). The names of these shots are:
The Stop Shot = the cue ball stops after contact with the object ball
The Draw Shot = the cue ball spins backward after contact with the object ball
The Follow Shot = the cue ball moves forward after contact with the object ball
In the upper right corner of each picture above, Dr. Dave includes a picture of the cue ball that shows where the cue tip is striking the cue ball. Here you can see a 30 second clip of Dr. Dave doing each of these shots. However, just knowing the names of the shots and the cue tip placement does not mean that a player can execute the shots. Those skills can take quite a while to develop and require practice and feedback. In later posts, I will look at what the Science of Learning says about effective practice for skill development.
One of the big issues that come up for teachers is confusing knowledge and skills in their lessons. Just because a strong pool player explains and demonstrates what a ‘stop shot’ is, doesn’t mean that the newbie can do it.
Similarly, it is important to consider how much knowledge is given before providing a chance to work on the skill. The strong pool player could explain at length the way speed and spin can affect the stop shot over different distances, but that would likely not be helpful for the new player who just needs to work on the most basic stop shot before learning more complex variations. For this reason, alternating between knowledge and skill development and providing enough time to practice skills are essential aspects of the learning process.
What are other ways that the distinction between knowledge and skills can be helpful when learning pool or other things? What are challenges that can come up with skills and knowledge? Please feel free to add your comments, feedback, or questions in the comments below
In my next post, I will look at the first ‘A’ of the KASA framework - awareness. Stay tuned!
References/Resources
Here is the definition of learning by the APA (American Psychological Association)
Donald Freeman introduced the idea of KASA in his 1989 paper Teacher Training, Development and Decision Making… and the idea was developed by the faculty at the MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) SIT and was based on the work done by teaching luminaries such as Earl Stevick and Caleb Gattegno.
Dr. Dave explains lots playing pool knowledge in this 23-minute introductory video
If you are new to pool, you might want to watch this video later to get a sense of the complexity of the game. However, I would encourage you to be selective in how much terminology you focus on (it can be overwhelming!) and look for sections that interest you. Beginners might think about: How much do I need in order to feel like I have a sense of the game?
If you are an experienced player, you might want to watch the video with the following questions in mind:
Which of Dr. Dave’s explanations might be helpful to you if you were teaching a beginner?
Are there any terms or definitions that are new for you?
What do you think of the order in which Dr. Dave explains things? Would you sequence it differently?
What do you think is essential knowledge for a beginner? What knowledge might be delayed and introduced at a more intermediate level?