In part one, we highlighted what knowledge is not, by contrasting it with the recalling of undigested and fragmented facts. I employed a dramatic sketch to illustrate the analogy.
Just in case you missed it, find it here:

In this post, our goal is to explore the concept of knowledge itself, and how it bears on the mastery of academic subjects or courses.

What is knowledge? And how does it relate to mastering content?

There are several ways to conceptualize knowledge. One of such ways is to see knowledge as a discovery. Indeed, knowledge is a discovery attained through a creative and skilled construction of "parts" into a "whole".

In academic context, it means using intellectual skills(not cramming skills) to creatively construct bits and pieces of facts in a subject such as Physics, into a logical "whole".
Ok, let's use some illustration here :
For a moment, think of knowledge(in any academic subject or course) as the map of Nigeria.
Now, suppose a teacher or lecturer then labels the map with the names of all the 36 states in Nigeria including the FCT.
Next, he cuts the map into 37 pieces along the states' boundaries and the Fct.
Suppose the teacher/lecturer then gives out these pieces, one piece at a time, to a student who has no clue of what the map of Nigeria looks like.
The task is this: that the student should find a way of coupling or arranging the pieces on a plain cardboard to form a complete map like a Jigsaw pussle.
*the student is not given a sample picture of any map to work with( the teacher believes it's part of the task)
*neither is he given any guideline on how to correctly arrange the pieces (again, it is assumed it's the student's business to find out)
Nevertheless, inspite of these constraints, the student is faced with the herculean task of correctly arranging 37 pieces of a map, whose borderline he doesn't even know.
Moreover, the student is expected to stick the pieces, as the teacher gives out each piece, one by one, on a cardboard to form the map of Nigeria.
Now, this is a game of discovery. The teacher has given the student the task to "discover" the map of Nigeria.
If the student succeeds at this task, we can safely conclude that he has acquired knowledge (of the Nigerian map)
To be sure, the proof of the student's success lies in his ability to produce the picture of a "whole" (map) from the "parts" ( the 37 pieces). This is what knowledge is: Discovering the "whole" by skilfully constructing the "parts" together.
However, to succeed, the student needs both information and skill. He needs to be informed about what the Nigerian map looks like( atleast its shape or borderline), as well as the relative position of the states, one to another and to the fct.
Also, the student needs skill of correctly sticking the states to their proper places as he collects each piece from the teacher, since this is important if he is to arrive at the full picture of the map eventually.
Before I conclude, here's some insights on how the above illustration apply in academic context:
(1) The full map:- represents the entire body of knowledge in any particular academic discipline such as Mathematics, Geology, Botany, Anatomy, Psychology, Chemistry, Sociology, Geography, Astronomy, Physics, Economics, Biology, Political science, Financial accounting, Anthropology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, History, Literature etc etc
(2) The 37 pieces:- represent the fragmentation or breaking down of academic subjects or courses into "parts" for the purpose of teaching and learning (remember, the map was originally a "whole" before it was cut into pieces)
(3)The task:- represents the series of regular lectures or instruction a lecturer gives to his students throughout the entire period of their programme or schooling, which they are expected to integrate into their mind by logically connecting and interrelating these fragmented pieces into a cohesive whole.
(4)Skill for proper arrangement:- represents the student's cognitive and creative skills required to properly integrate and logically interrelate series of lectures into his mind.
(5)The cardboard:- represents the student's mind or intellect
(6)Successful completion of task:- represents a proof of the student's ability to gain mastery of content.
(7)Connected Picture of the map sticked on a cardboard:- represents a student's mind, which is furnished with well-integrated and logically interrelated insights into the logic of an academic subject. As a result, the student does not need to struggle to remember things in that subject. He simply glides smoothly with comparative ease, within the subject like an expert driver who navigates and manouvres his way in and out of a well known terrain with complicated network of roads.
In closing, if knowledge is a discovery, what is the instrument for this discovery?
This is the question I'll be attempting to answer in the next post.