## Key Ideas > [!abstract] Core Concepts > > - Great discoveries build on previous work rather than emerging from isolated genius > - Teachers pass on accumulated human knowledge so future generations can advance further > - Systematic teaching ensures essential knowledge isn't lost but builds toward greater understanding ## Definition **On the Shoulders of Giants**: Learning and discovery build on accumulated knowledge from previous generations, requiring systematic transmission through effective teaching. ## Connected To [[Explicit Teaching]] | [[Knowledge-Based Curriculum]] | [[Prior Knowledge]] | [[Education as Natural Development]] --- ## Newton's Insight > [!cite] Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke (1676) > "If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants." We often view figures like Newton, Gauss, or Tesla as inspired geniuses whose revolutionary ideas spontaneously appeared from individual brilliance. Newton's quote (Turnbull, 1959) describes the accumulation of knowledge over time, built systematically on the work of those who came before. Genius requires foundation (Ericsson et al., 1993). ## The educational mission Teaching passes on the accumulated culture of humanity so that future generations can see further than the current generation (Hirsch, 1996). Each generation must explicitly teach the discoveries, methods, and understanding developed by previous generations (Rosenshine, 2012). Students equipped with inherited knowledge can build beyond current understanding (Geary, 2007). ## Implications for teaching practice Systematic instruction ensures essential discoveries and methods are not lost (Stockard et al., 2018). Students do not need to rediscover what is already known but can start from current understanding (Sweller et al., 2019). Grounding in established knowledge enables innovation (Willingham, 2007). ### Contrast with discovery-based approaches Philosophical approaches emphasising "natural development" place students "in a forest glade" to play and discover rather than on giants' shoulders (Rousseau, 1762/1979). Pure discovery approaches risk leaving students unable to reach the wisdom that took humanity centuries to develop. Each generation may rediscover basic principles whilst giants' shoulders remain empty (Kirschner et al., 2006). Discovery becomes valuable after systematic knowledge transmission provides the foundation. Students cannot discover what they lack the knowledge to understand (Alfieri et al., 2011). ## References Alfieri, L., Brooks, P. J., Aldrich, N. J., & Tenenbaum, H. R. (2011). Does discovery-based instruction enhance learning? *Journal of Educational Psychology*, *103*(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021017 Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. *Psychological Review*, *100*(3), 363-406. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363 Geary, D. C. (2007). Educating the evolved mind: Conceptual foundations for an evolutionary educational psychology. In J. S. Carlson & J. R. Levin (Eds.), *Educating the evolved mind: Conceptual foundations for an evolutionary educational psychology* (pp. 1-99). Information Age Publishing. Hirsch, E. D. (1996). *The schools we need and why we don't have them*. Doubleday. Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. *Educational Psychologist*, *41*(2), 75-86. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_1 Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know. *American Educator*, *36*(1), 12-19. Rousseau, J.-J. (1979). *Emile, or on education* (A. Bloom, Trans.). Basic Books. (Original work published 1762) Stockard, J., Wood, T. W., Coughlin, C., & Rasplica Khoury, C. (2018). The effectiveness of Direct Instruction curricula: A meta-analysis of a half century of research. *Review of Educational Research*, *88*(4), 479-507. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654317751919 Sweller, J., van Merriënboer, J. J. G., & Paas, F. (2019). Cognitive architecture and instructional design: 20 years later. *Educational Psychology Review*, *31*(2), 261-292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-019-09465-5 Turnbull, H. W. (Ed.). (1959). *The correspondence of Isaac Newton: Vol. 1, 1661-1675*. Cambridge University Press. Willingham, D. T. (2007). Critical thinking: Why is it so hard to teach? *American Educator*, *31*(2), 8-19.