Activating Prior Knowledge

Since I have been teaching, the importance of prior knowledge has always been stressed. It is a vital element to understand what your learners already know. In the past, I have used KWL charts or pre-assessment quizzes to see what my students know about newly introduced topics. This had really been helpful when trying to fully meet the needs of each student in my classroom. After reading chapter six of Zull’s book, my beliefs on prior knowledge are confirmed. Prior knowledge is the best way to understand how much each student knows about given topics or concepts. A teacher will be more likely to hit target areas if they fully understand what knowledge the learner already possesses about that topic. They will not be repeating information that the students already know. This will allow for a better chance to fully engage the students in the lessons being covered. At the end of chapter six, Zull discussed important aspects of prior knowledge. Some that really resonated with me where the following:

·         “If we ignore or avoid prior knowledge, it will hinder our teaching.” (2002, p.108)- This is why pre-assessments are so important. Teachers need to understand what their students know in order to achieve the goal of fully engaging the students in the classroom lessons.

·         “Prior knowledge is complex and personal.” (2002, p.109)- It is complex because, no two students have the same prior knowledge. Keeping that in mind, the teacher has to be able to manipulate his or her lessons in order to meet the needs of all students in the classroom.

·         “Writing assignments are helpful in discovering prior knowledge of students” (2002, p.109) - Love the idea of allowing student to express themselves in writing. By allowing this freedom, there is a great chance the student will open up. This will allow the teacher to get a deeper understanding of the student. I also like this idea so much that I am adding it as an intervention in my final project. When I return to school in August, I plan on incorporating much more writing in my classes.

Just a little something extra-

I came across this resource when researching about prior knowledge. It has some great examples on how to activate prior knowledge in the classroom.

http://www.classhelp.info/Biology/Strategies%20for%20Activating%20Prior%20Knowledge.pdf