Why is it important for students to use prior knowledge?
Prior knowledge has long been considered the most important factor influencing learning and student achievement. The amount and quality of prior knowledge positively influence both knowledge acquisition and the capacity to apply higher-order cognitive problem-solving skills.
Students do not always automatically draw on prior knowledge. Therefore, even though students have relevant prior knowledge when learning a new topic/ concept this information is often overlooked and does not help learning of the new material.
Prior knowledge refers to the information, no matter how limited, a learner has at the start of learning a new topic. This knowledge will likely have been gathered over time in a variety of ways. If the prior knowledge is correct and consistent with the new information being taught, the effect on learning is positive.
More prior knowledge gives students more working memory to acquire more new knowledge to enhance their learning engagement (Sweller et al., 1998). Cognitive load is also affected by instructional design, which can reduce extraneous cognitive load or increase germane cognitive load (Kirschner et al., 2011).
Background knowledge helps students make connections with new information and helps them understand concepts. When teachers make connections between the lesson and their ELL students' backgrounds, they validate their culture and experiences and may facilitate greater interest in the lesson.
Strategies include pointing to upcoming lessons, providing lesson or lecture roadmaps, inviting reflective writing, and active learning activities like concept maps or case studies. Hampshire College provides a helpful list of other activities for engaging student prior knowledge.
Students learn better when they first access what they already know—and this plays a big role in improving English language learners' academic literacy. Activating prior knowledge means both eliciting from students what they already know and building initial knowledge that they need in order to access upcoming content.
Prior or background knowledge is the knowledge a human being gathers prior to experiencing or engaging in, something. A student, for example, may have background knowledge in spelling or math prior to arriving in kindergarten; this is prior (or background) knowledge.
Sharing knowledge and insights helps students integrate information, empowers them to own their ideas, and helps them connect to new people and contexts. The act of sharing keeps the learning alive and relevant and encourages future growth.
Building on students' prior knowledge is rooted in constructivism, which posits that learners have to actively construct their own knowledge rather than passively receive it. This means learners make meaning of new concepts only when they “integrate them into their existing structures of knowledge,” or schemas.
What is another word for prior knowledge?
| contemplation | anticipation |
|---|---|
| foresight | preconception |
| premeditation | awareness |
| forethought | prediction |
| premonition | prescience |
The initial findings by Bransford and Johnson (1972) that prior knowledge boosts comprehension and memory have been corroborated by neuroimaging work that tried to identify the neural correlates of this enhancement.
Prior knowledge facilitates processing of new incoming information, supposedly because it provides a structure into which the new information can be integrated, which may lead to an elaborated memory trace.
It generally supports the question, what did we know about this topic before I did this study? Sufficient background information helps your reader determine if you have a basic understanding of the research problem being investigated and promotes confidence in the overall quality of your analysis and findings.
Background knowledge is a reader's understanding of the specific concepts, situations and problems associated with the words encountered in the text. Knowledge of the topic provides readers enough understanding to make meaning and build onto what they currently know.
Lesson Summary
Background knowledge for these students is any information that provides clarification to help their understanding of new material. Prior knowledge for these students is their personal, education, and cultural experience that helps them connect new material to familiar concepts.
Since new knowledge and skill is dependent on pre-existing knowledge and skill, knowing what students know and can do when they come into the classroom or before they begin a new topic of study, can help us craft instructional activities that build off of student strengths and acknowledge and address their weaknesses.
Metacognition is the ability to use prior knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching a learning task, take necessary steps to problem solve, reflect on and evaluate results, and modify one's approach as needed.
Strategies include pointing to upcoming lessons, providing lesson or lecture roadmaps, inviting reflective writing, and active learning activities like concept maps or case studies. Hampshire College provides a helpful list of other activities for engaging student prior knowledge.
Prior knowledge is important because it tells our brain to focus before it is time to read.
How can you encourage students to share their prior knowledge with each other in meaningful ways?
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Tips:
- Have questions prepared to ask students.
- Use visual representations.
- Model the first time.
- Allow students to communicate with others and share.
An Anticipation Guide is a strategy that is used before reading to activate students' prior knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic. Before reading a selection, students respond to several statements that challenge or support their preconceived ideas about key concepts in the text.
Prior or background knowledge is the knowledge a human being gathers prior to experiencing or engaging in, something. A student, for example, may have background knowledge in spelling or math prior to arriving in kindergarten; this is prior (or background) knowledge.
Prior knowledge is defined as all the knowledge one has before learning about a particular topic.
Not only does building on prior content knowledge improve students' conceptual understanding and retention, but it can also foster a positive attitude towards new math challenges by building students' confidence in their knowledge foundation from the previous study.
Metacognitive skills help students to transfer what they have learnt from one context to another or from a previous task to a new task. This includes reading and text comprehension, writing, mathematics, reasoning and problem-solving, and memorising.
| contemplation | anticipation |
|---|---|
| foresight | preconception |
| premeditation | awareness |
| forethought | prediction |
| premonition | prescience |
Sharing knowledge and insights helps students integrate information, empowers them to own their ideas, and helps them connect to new people and contexts. The act of sharing keeps the learning alive and relevant and encourages future growth.
An inference is a logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and prior experience.
Inference is a logical interpretation based on prior knowledge or experience. Hypothesis is a proposed scientific explanation for a set of observations.
Why is observation important in scientific learning?
Observation is essential in science. Scientists use observation to collect and record data, which enables them to construct and then test hypotheses and theories. Scientists observe in many ways – with their own senses or with tools such as microscopes, scanners or transmitters to extend their vision or hearing.