Week 2: Knowledge Demands

1.     Ask what, and be able to identify the, knowledge demands a particular text makes of you.  A helpful question may be:  What do I need to know in order to understand this?

2.     Look for (identify) and exhaust (through the process of close reading, assembling word lists, and creating immersion situations) the knowledge demands of a piece.

3.     Look for, and examine any holes in the text, or in your own mind, as well as check and examine your assumptions—they may not line up with the knowledge demands of the text, or you may lack literacy.  In my own case, I've found that I may have tremendous difficulty with the areas where the match is closest, and (to me) the argument is obvious.

4.     Absorb this practice into your reading and thinking style.

Knowledge Demand:  What you must know in order to understand, and fully appreciate, a statement, argument, essay, or moment.  Everything makes demands of your knowledge, your hope is to meet those demands.