In a few very narrow topics I am a genuine expert. In a good many more topics (though still rather small in actual number), I am highly knowledgeable.  On the vast majority of topics that come up I either have a basic working knowledge, or can bluff my way through a conversation by knowing what questions to ask. Then there are those things that I can’t even begin to discuss without looking like a rube.

I think this pattern is true for most people.

There is simply no way anyone can spend the time and energy necessary to become truly an expert in more than a small group of things.  To get to that level one must have both the theoretical understanding of the topic coupled with years of practical experience to work out how the theory behaves in the real world.  This is equally true for educational policy as it is for plumbing. Simply knowing about something from books or classes cannot make one an expert, unless we are talking about being an expert in the theory alone.  All too many college professors believe they are experts in things at which they have little or no practical experience.  On the other hand it is very difficult for most practitioners to see beyond their immediate surroundings to the larger, big picture, concepts.   It is this myopia that formal education/training is very useful in correcting.   That education need not be in a formal classroom, but the larger perspective of why things are done in a certain way is imperative if one is to be a real expert. Continue reading “Of Experts and Pseudo Experts” →