knowledge code theory

Knowledge Code Theory

Richard PountneySheffield Hallam University

7th November 2015

Social Realism

• Beyond knowledge as power relations (from ‘relations to’ to ‘relations within’)

• Rejects the choice between essentialism and relativism as false

• we can say knowledge is historically and socially constructed and shaped by struggles among social groups without saying that all knowledge is equal and that its status merely reflects social power

Definitions (1)practice(s): used generally as a synonym for activity in the context of learning and teaching (practices), but also in a specific sense to refer to knowledge practices and pedagogic practices used in a social realism meaning as the meeting of two logics: context (field) and dispositions (habitus) (Bourdieu, 1986).

Bernstein’s 3 message systems: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessmentcurriculum: a plan for learning that has a number of components including programme and content, learning objectives and learning strategies, assessment methods and resources. This view of curriculum as primarily ‘content’ is the aspect ‘most visible to students’, and which is often synonymous with curriculum structure at the programme (course) or module (unit) level in HE.

pedagogy/pedagogic practice: what defines what counts as a valid transmission of knowledge.

assessment: the process of identifying a mark or grade for students’ work in a module, including the defined tasks, or assignments, that the student must undertake, and the learning outcomes and criteria required for the evaluation of the submitted work.

Cracking the code of education

• Curriculum– Everyday / Specialised

• Pedagogy– Selection, sequencing and pacing– Assessment– Relationship

• Levels• Stages

Wayne Hugo: 10 Questions to Cracking the Code

http://waynehugo.co.za.winhost.wa.co.za/?page_id=18

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Basil Bernstein (1924-2000)

• Basis in sociolinguistics: sociolinguistic theory of language codes (elaborated and restricted codes in 1971)

• Code: ‘a set of organizing principles behind the language employed by members of a social group’

• Sociology of education: the ordered regulation and distribution of a society’s worthwhile knowledge store

• The transformation into a pedagogic discourse• Further transformation into a set of criterial

standards to be attained

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Bernstein

www.legitimationcodetheory.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Bernstein

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Period Main focus of theory

Transmission / acquisition ofpedagogic discourse

1970s(CCC3)

Structuring of pedagogic discourse

1980s(CCC4)

Knowledge structures fromwhich pedagogic discourse

is recontextualised

1990s(CCC5)

educational knowledge codes

pedagogicdevice

knowledgestructures

Concept

The development of Bernstein’s Theory

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1. Educational knowledge codes

• classification (C) – relative strength of boundaries between

categories or contexts• framing (F)

– relative strength of control within these categories or contexts

• independently vary stronger (+) & weaker (-)– four modalities: +C,+F; +C,-F; -C,+F; -C,-F

• collection code (+C, +F)• integrated code (-C, -F)

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-

Classification

Framing

+

- +

Weaker boundariesbetween subjects,facilitatory pedagogy, etc

Stronger boundariesbetween subjects,didactic visiblepedagogy, etc

Weaker boundariesbetween subjects,visible pedagogy, etc

Stronger boundariesbetween subjects,facilitatory, ‘invisible’ pedagogy, etc

Collection Code (+C, +F): ‘I teach history’Integrated Code (-C, -F): ‘I teach students’

Strong classification and framing for course design and approval in higher education

Concept Degree of emphasis in course on:

Stronger Classification (+C) - boundaries between

Everyday and educational knowledges (specialised)

Specialist curriculum knowledge (including academic development) is emphasised in the design and approval of courses (as opposed to general experience of teaching in HE)

Different forms of educational knowledge in a curriculum

Discipline knowledge is downplayed as the basis for knowledge in the curriculum (as opposed to those genericised forms specified externally)

Stronger Framing (+F) -control over

Selecting content knowledge Curriculum content knowledge is determined by the syllabus (documented forms) (as opposed to being selected by the teacher ad hoc)

Sequencing and pacing the teaching of content knowledge

The organisation and structure of the curriculum is set by the institution rather than the teacher

Making evaluative criteria explicit The form and focus of assessment is controlled by the institution rather than the teacher

Regulating the teacher’s conduct in pedagogical relationship

The teacher’s conduct is regulated by the institution via a hierarchy (authority for approving courses resides in institution)

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2. Bernstein’s Pedagogic Device

Field of Practice Form ofregulation

Symbolicstructure

Main types Typical sites

Production distributive rules knowledgestructure

hierarchical/ horizontalknowledgestructures

researchpublications,conferences,laboratories

Recontextualisation recontextualisingrules

curriculum collection/integratedcodes

curriculumpolicy docs,textbooks

Reproduction evaluative rules pedagogy &evaluation

visible/ invisiblepedagogiccodes

classrooms,assessment

• The ‘arena’ of the pedagogic device (Maton and Muller, 2007) • Examines the structure of knowledge and its organising principles• 3 message systems: curriculum, pedagogy and assessment

11www.legitimationcodetheory.com

Pedagogic device and codes• codes

– conceptualise practices – represent competing measures of achievement in the field

(capital)• pedagogic device

– is basis for creating, reproduction and change of codes– whoever controls the device (and so can set which code is

higher status) is able to tilt the field in their favour• can see effects of struggles over device in terms of

code changes

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Knowledge structuresHorizontal

‘a series of specialised languages, each with its own specialised modes of interrogation and specialised criteria ... with non-comparable principles of description based on different, often opposed, assumptions’

Hierarchical

‘an explicit, coherent, systematically principled and hierarchical organisation of knowledge’ which develops through integrating ‘knowledge at lower levels, and ... across an expanding range of apparently differently phenomena’

L1 L2 L3 L4

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3. Bernstein’s Knowledge Structures

• Typology of subjects: e.g. Hard; pure; soft; applied (Becher, 1998)

Code theory and the curriculumCODE THEORY CONCEPTS (Bernstein, 1977, 1990, 2000)

Classification (C): a code of Bernstein’s pedagogic device, conceptualising relations of power that regulate relations (boundaries) between contexts or categories

Framing (F): a code of Bernstein’s pedagogic device, conceptualising relations of control within contexts or categories, the modality.

pedagogic device: the pedagogic rules and pedagogic fields that govern the field of activity conceptualising the generative mechanism underlying practices.

pedagogic discourse: a symbolic rather than an actual discourse, as a principle of recontextualisation (Bernstein, 1990: 184) that is not visible but which can be known ‘through its effects in structuring practices (conceptualised in terms of codes)’ (Maton, 2004: 49). Two types of discourse are recognised: horizontal and vertical.

pedagogic fields: the fields of activity (production, recontextualisation and reproduction) that constitute an ‘arena’ of struggle and conflict created by the pedagogic device .

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Bernstein’s How To Guide

• code theory is a living, evolving theory• excavation and new objects of study• conceptual advance should be cumulative• concepts that:

– go beyond typologies to reveal underlying structuring principles

– encompass more phenomena with minimal number of ideas

– have stronger ‘grammars’, so can be used in empirical research

www.legitimationcodetheory.com


Legitimation code theory (Karl Maton)

• Extends Bernstein’s code theory• Social fields of practice are fields of struggles

over status and resources• Practices and beliefs as languages of

legitimation, or messages as to measures of achievement

• The legitimation device - ruler of the field• Legitimation codes: bases of measures of

achievement

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Principle Referent relations

Concepts

Autonomy external positional autonomy, relational autonomy

Density internal material density, moral density

Specialisation social-symbolic

epistemic relations, social relations

Semantics meaning semantic gravity, semantic density

Temporality temporal temporal positioning, temporal orientation


ModalitiesPrinciples

LegitimationDevice

Autonomy

Density

Specialisation

Temporality

legitimationcodes

PA+/-, RA+/-

MaD+/-, MoD+/-

ER+/-, SR+/-

TP+/-, TO+/-

Semantics SG+/-, SD+/-


Contradictory C/F?• collection code = +C, +F

– identity and insight based on knowledge• integrated code = -C, -F

– identity and insight based on ... what? (Bernstein: constantly negotiated)

1. these readings are C/F of knowledge2. can also take C/F readings of knowers• collection code = -C, -F (of SR)• integrated code = +C, +F (of SR)

– identity and insight based on being right kind of knower


Specialisation Codes

object subject

knowledge

epistemicrelations

(ER)

socialrelations

(SR)

ER and SR can each be stronger (+) or weaker (-)

Two strengths give specialisation code


Specialisation codes of legitimationER+

ER-

SR+SR-

elitecode

knowercode

knowledge code

relativist code


Rewriting educational knowledge codes

• collection code• +C, +F of knowledge = ER+• -C, -F of knowers = SR-=> ER+, SR- or knowledge code

• integrated code• -C, -F of knowledge = ER-• +C, +F of knowers = SR+=> ER-, SR+ or knower code

www.legitimationcodetheory.com 23

Designer interviews+ER

-ER

+SR-SR

elitecode

knowercode

knowledge code

relativist code

ENGINEERING ARCHITECTURE

FASHION

DIGITAL MEDIA

design is about application of knowledge to solve a problem

design combines creativity with scientific knowledge, arts and science

design is about the experience it evokes in its audience

www.karlmaton.com 24

www.karlmaton.com 25

Average, common person Likes: beach, BBQDislikes: Philosophy, nerds or sensitive people (Relativist Code)

Methodic, practical, go direct to the pointLikes: puzzles, manualsDislikes: talking about Feelings(Knowledge Code)

Combination of refined “eye” and technical knowledgeLikes: scientific programs about the universe, art, Dislikes: common place(Elite Code)

Feelings, how one experiences object, people’s personLikes: creative things, artDislikes: following rules,Methodical people(Knower Code)

Have advisor assigned according to your choice object

Developing ScreenplayAdviser LCT Advisers CharacteristicsRoger/Rachel Rules

ER+SR-

“Hi, my name is Roger! I believe there is always a right way of doing things. I am a very practical kind of guy! I don’t like too much talking, I usually go straight to the point... but I will be very happy in helping you out to find the best solution for your design questions. People say I am very clever and skilful, but my brilliant ideas just come out of being methodical and careful in designing, and of course being interested in stuff and reading a lot. There is a lot of knowledge developed in design, so if you just follow the rules and procedures that have been tried and tested you are guaranteed to be successful.

I like doing puzzles, crosswords, following manuals and instructions, reading scientific magazines. I don’t like “creative” stuff, big parties, and people who talk about “feelings” all the time.”