Week # 27 The Knowing Versus Doing Effect

What Is the Knowing–Doing Effect?

The knowing–doing gap refers to the disconnect between what people know and what they consistently do.

In schools, this concept manifests when a teacher can name the components of effective questioning but defaults to closed, rapid-fire prompts. In sport, it’s the player who knows the tactical adjustment but forgets to apply it mid-game.

It’s not laziness. It’s a cognitive and contextual challenge. And one a Crafted Coach needs to be proactively mindful of.

Why Does It Happen?

1. Cognitive Load
When under pressure, we default to habits. According to Cognitive Load Theory, if the working memory is overloaded—too much complexity, emotion, or new experience/conflicting inputs, for example having analysis clips displayed to a player group whilst the coach speaks over the top of the moving video, then even well-established ideas are harder to access and retrieve.

2. Lack of Practice and Automation
Just like learners, professionals need repetition to embed new strategies. According to the concept of deliberate practice, deep knowing requires doing, feedback, and refinement over time, not just hearing or discussing. Rosenshine’s principles of instruction posit the need for regular review and both guided and independent practice.

3. Cultural and Environmental Barriers
Sometimes the conditions around us make it difficult to act on what we know. A school culture that discourages risk, or a team environment that rewards compliance over creativity, can quietly negate the application of new and possibly different ideas.

4. Beliefs and Identity
Changing practice is emotional. If a new method clashes with how a teacher or coach sees themselves, they may resist enacting it, even if they cognitively agree with it. This is cognitive dissonance in an affective context.

Closing the Gap: What Can We Do?

- Model and rehearse, not just explain
Whether athletes walking through set plays, or teachers rehearsing new routines for registering and classroom entry. Strategies need to be practiced.

- Use coaching and low-stakes feedback

- Design for action
CPD that ends with a checklist often stays on paper. But when sessions end with: “Try this next week, record what happens, and let’s discuss it,” knowing starts to become doing.

In Practice: A Crafted Approach

At The Crafted Concept, we believe that understanding must be activated. Do not just ask, “What do you know?”. Instead, ask, “What do you notice yourself doing?”

The knowing–doing gap reminds us that knowledge alone isn’t enough. If we want learning to lead to change, we must build habits, practice with intention, and reflect often. The bridge between knowing and doing is proactively structured over time.

It is what you do with learning that counts.