This presentation can give some idea about to understand different terminology like Information, Knowledge, Belief and Truth and also the concept different ways of Knowing

1. Information, knowledge, belief
and truth
&
Different ways of knowing
Dr.Jaganmohana Rao Gurugubelli
Faculty of Education
MITE, Kohima

2. Introduction: Many of us fail to differentiate between the concepts of ‘knowledge’
and ‘information’. Sometimes, we use both synonymously. But both are different in
their nature and meaning. There is a connection between ‘information’ and
‘knowledge’. Both these concepts are preceded by understanding of data. Let us
see the relation among these concepts.
Data: Data can be defined as ‘fact’ or ‘description of a phenomenon’. Unless data is
interpreted, it has very limited meaning or no meaning at all. For example, the data
regarding height or colour of a person or data relating to different crops in Nagaland
Information: It is raw data; It is discrete; Pre-meaning stage of knowledge;
Prerequisite to knowledge; Preliminary level of knowledge; It is about facts of
known; Publicly available.

3. Information is the interpretation of data pertaining to a given context. It
involves manipulation of the raw data. To add meaning to the raw data, many times,
we interpret it, correlate it, and differentiate it from other forms of available data. For
example, heights of the students in a particular class constitute the data.
Knowledge is created by attaching meaning to the information. Information can be
used as a necessary medium or material to construct knowledge. Knowledge is
information which has been processed and integrated into an existing structure.
knowledge is created through a process of collection of information and
attaching certain meaning to it for a particular purpose by human cognition.
Analyzing, synthesizing, and consolidating the data; linking it with personal
experiences; connecting it with one’s thinking and cognition and presenting it in an
understandable form are the processes involved in construction of knowledge.
Information itself is not knowledge but it becomes knowledge when meaning is
attached to it.

4. Belief: Belief is personal and primarily subjective feeling and expectation, though
shared by others; Could be verified or beyond verification; Pre-linguistic experience
may be called ‘belief’
Preparedness for delayed reaction to a situation is belief – be it true or false;
preparedness for delayed reaction that is only true is knowledge.
Truth: Verified knowledge; Truth is a property of beliefs, and derivatively of
sentences which express beliefs.
Different Ways of Knowing: A child, from infancy to early childhood, relies heavily
on sense perception for knowledge acquisition. It is only after stepping into late
childhood that the other three ways of knowing start taking place. Language and
emotions are followed by reason.
Sense Perception: Though sense perception is the most basic and immediate ‘way
of knowing’, all the five senses, i.e., touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing,
contribute immensely towards our quest for knowledge acquisition. They are
sometimes referred to as the gateways of knowledge.

5. Sensations are simple sensory experiences, while percept's are complex
constructions of simple elements joined through association. Another is that
perception is influenced by expectations, needs, unconscious ideas, values,
conflicts, and past learning of the person. Sense perception is a subjective activity
hence it varies from individual to individual, depending upon one’s innate abilities.
Language acts as a carrier or medium for conveying the knowledge from one
individual to the other. It integrates knowledge acquired through varied sources at
varied places.
Reason: Developing rational and critical thinking abilities is pivotal to acquiring
reliable knowledge. It involves both conscious and unconscious reasoning.
Sometimes what has happened in the past (previous experience) teach us to
reason with reference to the future. Developing association between past, present
and future occurrences is part of the reasoning process creating patterns/chains in
process of learning.

6. In logic, we often refer to the two broad methods of reasoning as the
deductive and inductive approaches. Deductive reasoning works from the more
general to the more specific. Sometimes this is informally called a ‘top-down’
approach. Inductive reasoning works the other way, moving from specific
observations to broader generalisations and theories. Informally, we sometimes call
this a ‘bottom-up’ approach.
Emotion: The training of emotions is a key factor in enhancing the teaching-
learning process. Arousing positive emotions in the knower facilitates smoother
transmission of knowledge. The teacher should help create positive emotions in the
knower about the known. Curiosity and eagerness are the most essential ones.
The different ways by which students can be initiated into the process of knowing are:
 By perceiving concrete objects and acquiring sensory knowledge.
 By experiencing situations themselves.
 By relating to previous knowledge/associations.
 By relating to real life situations.
 By dealing with problematic situations and developing rational and abstract
knowledge.
 By interacting with others and gaining knowledge of relationships.

7. Knower-known through the process of knowing