From the field of the sociology of knowledge.. disciplines as kinds of knowledge structures (Bernstein 1999) Bernstein draws our attention to differences in kinds of knowledge what he calls discourses Horizontal discourse or commonsense knowledge local, segmentally organised, context-specific and dependent The kind of knowledge we acquire and use in the home and local community Vertical discourse or un-commonsense knowledge coherent, explicit and systematically principled structure characteristic of formal schooling and of academic study where knowledge is abstracted from everyday and commonsense understandings Then bernstein differentiates vertical discourse into different kinds of knowledge structures: Hierarchical knowledge structures Horizontal knowledge structuresFrom the field of the sociology of knowledge …. Disciplines as kinds of knowledge structures (Bernstein 1999) Bernstein draws our attention to differences in kinds of knowledge (what he calls discourses): Horizontal discourse or commonsense knowledge ‘local, segmentally organised, context-specific and dependent’ The kind of knowledge we acquire and use in the home and local community. Vertical discourse or un-commonsense knowledge 'coherent, explicit and systematically principled structure'. characteristic of formal schooling and of academic study where knowledge is abstracted from everyday and commonsense understandings. Then Bernstein differentiates vertical discourse into different kinds of knowledge structures: Hierarchical knowledge structures Horizontal knowledge structures