What is Knowledge Building?

Knowledge Building is a theory directed towards the creation of collective cognitive responsibility by all in the classroom, in order to achieve knowledge advancement as a community. First formed by educational researchers Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia, KB essentially seeks to restructure education in order to induct students into the knowledge building community, and to engage them in knowledge creation. In this way, by putting our knowledge together, the community as a whole can move forward and advance knowledge to a greater level. 

Why the need for KB? 

As educators, besides helping our students acquire the necessary knowledge, there is also a need for us to equip them with 21st Century Competencies that allow them to capitalise on opportunities and contribute actively to the fast-moving world today. Through KB, students would first be able to attain a greater depth of learning by building onto each others' ideas and learning how to engage in the constructive use of authoritative sources; subsequently, we hope to lay the foundations for their contribution to intellectual discourses through knowledge creation, and hence furthering the society's knowledge frontiers. 

Where do we come in? 

In this journey towards greater intellectual development as a civilisation, we as educators play a role in constructing a safe environment for the development of a knowledge building culture (The KB Classroom), as well as to facilitate the growth of such an environment. This is done through the facilitation of classroom discussion, which is guided by the KB Principles.

Or if you just want to jump straight right in, you can access the Knowledge Building Starter’s Resource Kit to kickstart your knowledge building journey.