kenvorm

Kenvorm is a Dutch term used primarily in education and cognitive science to denote the form or structure in which knowledge is represented and organized. Literally from ken (to know) and vorm (form), the term describes the abstract shape that knowledge takes in memory, learning materials, or curricula, as distinct from the content itself. The concept is discussed in Dutch-language discussions of knowledge representation and curriculum design, where it is used to distinguish how knowledge is formatted from what is known.

In practice, kenvorm is used to classify knowledge representations such as declarative knowledge (facts and concepts), procedural knowledge (how-to procedures), and metacognitive or conditional knowledge (awareness of when and why to apply knowledge). By focusing on kenvorm, educators aim to design learning objectives, activities, and assessments that align with the structure students are expected to navigate or retrieve. The term is not universally standardized and different authors may define kenvorm variants or categories differently, which can limit cross-source comparability.

In educational technology and curriculum mapping, kenvorm can function as an abstract schema that guides the organization of topics, learning outcomes, and assessment rubrics, independently of specific content. It supports the explicit articulation of how knowledge should be structured within a course or program.

See also: knowledge representation, curriculum design, taxonomy, educational psychology.