Principle 4. The V diagram is a way to show the structure of knowledge.

The V diagram is a heuristic device used to analyze or formulate a research investigation within the context of the structure of knowledge in any academic discipline. In the field of Education, academic knowledge is named “subject matter.” A teacher of English teaches the subject matter of English. The task of the teacher is to combine knowledge of an academic discipline with the knowledge used in practical activities of teaching. The teacher must be expertly knowledgeable in two separate fields – English, and the curriculum used to teach English. Becoming expert in the integration of these separate knowledge domains may take many years of study. The V diagram works to make knowledge claims readily accessible to the working teacher. It saves time and money. It increases comprehension and understanding. It simplifies complexity and increases the value of knowledge.

Structure of knowledge means that the elements or parts of knowledge are formed into a whole. Structure is just parts and their relations to each other. In Gowin's V, the elements and their relation to each other are arrayed around a V shape. The V shape accentuates the fact that all knowledge is about events. The V in the diagram points to happenings in reality. Knowledge is about something that human beings can experience in some way. Bringing abstract and theoretic knowledge into sharp connection with the realities it is about is not an easy task.