The Inquiring Mind...

So I have often thought that an inquiring mind is the best kind of learner (as Dewey would more than likely agree with me), but lately I have been having doubts. In terms of education, I feel like I am more a "hoarder" - gathering knowledge for its own sake. In many instances it is easier for me to guide inquiry than it is to directly synthesize the information myself. Does this make me more suited to the realm of teaching than learning? It reminds me of the old adage, "those that can't do, teach." It'd be interesting to find out what you all think...

All knowledge comes from other knowledge...

This was a statement that was brought up not only in History & Philosophy, but also in the Inquiry class this week. I found myself pondering why I often find myself agreeing with this same statement, and why I sometimes question it.

In most of my formal education, you follow a (pretty) standard routine - learn the basics/theory and then put it into practice. I therefore consider the knowledge that is developed in my own head to be based on knowledge that was generated by another (books, lectures, etc) and/or myself (through reflection). This is evident in several instances such as reading Noddings and creating this blog. However there have been many instances where I did not have enough knowledge advance to "new" knowledge, especially when getting a research proposal together. This lack of knowledge preventing me from obtaining new knowledge - I couldn't just pull these ideas out of thin air.

However, my niece is eighteen months old and I am amazed at how quickly she is learning to interact with the world around her. She is engaged through sounds ("don't touch that"), taste ("icky"), touch ("that's hot"), sight ("grass is green") and smell ("yummy"). John Locke would whole-heartedly agree that in this knowledge came from the senses, and that as a newborn she was a tabula raza (blank slate). However, I always sensed that she had this innate understanding, even as a babe. I will also note that a lot of her understanding of the world around her comes from the people around her; her mother tells her not to touch something, her dad reads a book with the colors she recognizes. Is this knowledge after all, learned through sensory experiences or rather from the transfer of knowledge from her parents?

As an aside, if all knowledge comes from other knowledge, what is the root of it all?