Now that a foundation for Knowing has been laid in Part I, we are ready to dive into Thinking. Meet Lucy Hale.

Hale has led a number of science‐based cultural institutions across the state of Texas. She began her career as a live animal biologist at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History before becoming the education manager at the Dallas Zoo and then the director of School Programs at Perot Museum of Nature and Science. In these capacities, Hale has developed a crucial appreciation for employees who can differentiate between Knowledge and Understanding, which you will remember as the first two levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

According to Hale, “knowledgeable” zoo and museum employees should be capable of rapidly retrieving information while working with live animals. But, the best employees can also apply their “understanding” in practical situations to ensure the well‐being of the animals as well as one another. In other words, you can learn everything there is to know about a mountain lion from a book, but understanding how to feed a mountain lion its dinner is a whole other ball game.

“There's an academic side to zookeeping,” Hale explained. “Most people have degrees in biology, zoology, or animal science. They've learned the natural history of the animal they are working with. They know about its behaviors in the wild, what it eats, grooming routines, mating rituals, and so on. The animal, however, has not done the reading.”

Hale will never forget one of her very first jobs, caring for alligators that had been confiscated as illegal pets. “It is commonly known that alligators can't jump on land,” she said. “And so, whenever we received a new alligator, we would place it on the dry floor to be measured safely, until, one day—it jumped,” she said.

One of her colleagues turned to the other biologists in disbelief and declared, “But, alligators can't jump.”

Hale's boss rolled his eyes. “Well, this alligator obviously didn't study from the same textbook you did,” he said. “Shame on you for not properly restraining the animal the whole time.” The experience stuck with her.

“Saying an animal can only jump so high is like saying a human can only run so fast,” Hale told me. “Your calculations might be true until you meet Sha'Carri Richardson or Usain Bolt, and then you'll have to readjust your expectations.”

Part I of Small Teaching K–8 is devoted to convincing you that time spent acquiring basic knowledge is worthwhile. The internet can provide students with vast quantities of information, but it cannot build a complex network of knowledge inside their brains. (At least, not yet.) Having a knowledge network is pivotal. The network provides the foundation for higher orders of thinking. The first three chapters of the book therefore focus on helping students adopt effective routines and strategies to gain a strong foundation for knowledge.

The next step is teaching students to apply their knowledge far and wide through a range of cognitive activities. The following chapters provide a set of small teaching tools for strengthening classroom or virtual learning experiences and deepening understanding to help students become mindful practitioners of their own thinking skills. As was the case with Hale's jumping alligator, there are bound to be surprises. Bring them on. The more students can practice taking risks with your coaching and guidance, the easier it will be for them to activate their knowledge and apply it to the real world on their own.