Shmuelik Weiss is a Doctor of Education. He has an MA in Computers and Technology in Education. He has founded and managed large educational institutions (K-12) that strive to advance children and youth in a variety of educational fields. Shmuelik has written and developed many learning programs on industrial entrepreneurship and developing creativity. He has also lectured at teacher’s training colleges, and has vast experience in teacher training (at all levels).
Shmuelik specializes in visual thinking, and specifically in visual tools for knowledge portrayal (particularly related to Mind-Maps and Concept-Maps).
Shmuelik is an artist with a very unique style. He has displayed his work at exhibitions in Europe and of course in Israel. www.shmuelweiss.com
He recently founded a startup company that develops his ideas for improving and maintaining cognitive skills.
Shmuelik Weiss is a Doctor of Education. He has an MA in Computers and Technology in Education. He has founded and managed large educational institutions (K-12) that strive to advance children and youth in a variety of educational fields. Shmuelik has written and developed many learning programs on industrial entrepreneurship and developing creativity. He has also lectured at teacher’s training colleges, and has vast experience in teacher training (at all levels).
Shmuelik specializes in visual thinking, and specifically in visual tools for knowledge portrayal (particularly related to Mind-Maps and Concept-Maps).
Shmuelik is an artist with a very unique style. He has displayed his work at exhibitions in Europe and of course in Israel. www.shmuelweiss.com
He recently founded a startup company that develops his ideas for improving and maintaining cognitive skills.
The Surprising Gift of General Knowledge
Teaching World Knowledge to Children
The Gift of General Knowledge, by Dr. Shmuelik Weiss, presents a new, fascinating approach to teachig general knowledge in elementary school-aged children and in the home and family setting. The book explains the importance of having this type of knowledge inside children’s heads, not just in their computers. It describes how general knowledge differs from knowledge acquired from the regular school curriculum, and how general knowledge forms the basis for developing good thinking skills and the cognitive infrastructure necessary for the brain to function, and particularly to learn, in an effective way. The Gift of General Knowledge suggests especially effective tools that teachers and parents can use to help children acquire general knowledge. It defines indices for selecting the ideal concepts of world knowledge to learn, and proposes over 1200 universal concepts that the author considers fundamental for understanding the world around us. However, the book also leaves plenty of room to maneuver so that the final choices are left to the people who teach world knowledge to children, and incorporates recommendations for how to make these choices.
Main concepts
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General, world knowledge must be stored in the mind, not in the computer.
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Broad knowledge about the world is crucial for good cognitive function.
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Broad world knowledge is crucial for functioning comfortably and optimally.
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Expansive knowledge is an important basis for all types of learning, and particularly for children learning about the world in elementary school.
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Parents and teachers alike are responsible for teaching general knowledge to children.
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General knowledge can be a central and significant part of a school’s curriculum, and can be a significant base for school uniqueness.
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Incorporating general knowledge in the school curriculum can significantly boost all aspects of the regular learning program as well.
What is general knowledge? What are the different types and characteristics of general knowledge that can be used to describe the world? What does it mean to be familiar with a concept of general knowledge? How is our perception of the world based on knowledge of this kind?
The knowledge structure of world: Coping with the endless number of things there are to know about the world, and describing the world concisely and clearly for children.
Taching general knowledge to children: Effective, curiosity-evoking approaches, didactic methods, and techniques for teaching world knowledge to children; how to teach general knowledge as part of the school curriculum; and how to enrich the world knowledge of children at home.
List of selected general knowledge concepts: A list of over 1200 general concepts selected by the author as the most important ones to know about the world.
About the book
The book is written in clear, coherent language without any complicated professional jargon. It is well-suited for all parents and teachers interested in enriching the knowledge of their children or students.
The book contains 80 illustrations for additional clarifications and enrichment, including dozens of maps that incorporate concepts of world knowledge, making it an excellent resource for educators.
The list of concepts found in Chapter 4 can be used as a basis for developing long-term enrichment programs for teaching world knowledge, and offers tools for designing comprehensive programs that can be used for many years.
The approach towards teaching general knowledge that is presented in this book can be applied at any extent that the reader deems suitable. It can be applied partially or in its entirety, as opposed to “take it or leave it”.
The book presents world knowledge from a universal perspective. Though there is an emphasis on concepts related to Israel, the explanations and techniques are all based on a general approach, making the book easy to translate and adapt for different environments, languages, and countries.