| Intellectual quality
Introduction
Higher-order thinking
Deep knowledge
Deep understanding
Substantive conversation
Knowledge as problematic
Metalanguage Deep knowledge Does the lesson cover operational fields in any depth, detail or level of specificity?
Explanation Knowledge is deep when it concerns the central ideas of a topic or discipline, which are judged to be crucial to it. Deep knowledge involves establishing relatively complex connections to those central concepts. Knowledge is shallow, thin or superficial when it is not connected with significant concepts or central ideas of a topic or discipline, and is dealt with only in an algorithmic or procedural fashion. Knowledge is also shallow when important, central ideas have been trivialised by the teacher or students, or when it is presented as non-problematic. This superficiality can be due, in part, to instructional strategies: for example when a teacher covers large numbers of fragmented ideas and bits of information that are unconnected to other knowledge. Example Year 11 Multistrand Science students were nearing the completion of an extensive study of the ecosystem of their town's river. The students had participated in many in-class and fieldwork activities, such as using classification systems, monitoring water quality and studying the impacts of flooding and industry along the river, with the aim of making the students 'experts' on the ecosystem of their local river. The students were asked to apply this deep knowledge to the task of designing a creature adapted to the conditions of the river ecosystem. They were required to draw the creature and describe its physical and behavioural adaptations. To do this, the students needed to have a thorough knowledge of the topic. Continuum of practice | Knowledge is very deep because almost all knowledge presented in the lesson sustains focus on a significant topic, and does so either through a complex structure or by demonstrating the problematic nature of the information and/or ideas. Knowledge is treated unevenly during instruction; i.e. deep knowledge of some aspects is countered by superficial understanding of others. At least one significant idea may be presented in depth, but in general the focus is not sustained. Almost all of the lesson's content knowledge is very thin because it does not deal with significant topics or ideas. | | 
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