2. Content
Why Prior Knowledge is Important
Activating Prior Knowledge
ICT Tool 1: Google Site
ICT Tool 2: Popplet
Benefits and Problems of Implementing Prior
Knowledge Strategies
3. What is prior knowledge?
“Pre-existing beliefs, experience and
understanding of information”
4. What is prior knowledge?
Made up ‘theories’ to make sense of things
Travel Experiences
Race, religious beliefs, culture
Books
Media
5. Importance of prior knowledge
“Necessary to understand learners’ knowledge
that they bring to a given teaching situation”
6. Importance of prior knowledge
Can assist learners in successfully mastering
new content
Raw material that conditions learning
Serves as a basic building block
7. Purpose of prior knowledge
To instill curiosity and interest
To anchor and extend learners’ understanding
To help learners recognize that what is being taught
have some connection with their existing
knowledge
9. How to activate Prior Knowledge
Answering questions
Check lists
Quizzes
Worksheets
KWL-Strategy
What I Know
What I Want to find out
What is Learnt
Interactive Discussion
Group discussions (e.g. forums, blogs)
10. How to activate Prior Knowledge
Commonly shared prior experiences
News
Stories
Pictures
Semantic Maps/Graphic Organisers
The whole and its parts
Cause and effect
Similarities and differences
11.
12.
13.
14. ICT enhanced activities
Mindful learning: 101 proven strategies for student and teacher
success written by Linda and Bruce Campbell (2008)
4 out of 15 Activities
The Known The Unknown
What I know What I Think I What I want or
know need to know
What I know What I want to What I learned
know
Graphic organiser
4 Activities = One ICT-enabled Activity
15. popplet - graphical collaboration
Nature:
Free on-line ICT tool
Purpose:
Immediate feedback
Foster collaboration
Advantages:
Quick to set up
Simple to use
Easy to cooperate
16. POPPLET – CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION
Rule Setting:
Participation
Appropriateness
Respect (courtesies)
Timing is KING
Questions to be
answered promptly
17. POPPLET – LIMITATIONS
Tool-specific Issues
Lack of central control
Lack of auto colour scheme for popplets
Lack of time to read and respond to all popplets
18. Benefits of ICT tools
Students’ engagement
Real-time
Interactive
Full participation
19. Possible implementation problems
No significant result improvement – (Nelson & Hill, 2010)
Elicitation and reinforcement of incorrect prior knowledge –
(van Loon, de Bruin, van Gog & van Merriënboer, 2012)
Absence of uniform knowledge
Time taken to teach the usage of the ICT tools
22. References
Campbell, B., & Campbell, L. M. (2008). Mindful learning: 101 proven strategies for
student and teacher success. (2nd ed., pp. 7-27). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Nelson, A., & Hill, J. L. (2010). New technology, new pedagogy? employing video
podcasts in learning and teaching about exotic ecosystems.Environmental
Education Research, 17(3), 393-408. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2010.545873
van Loon, M. H., de Bruin, A. B. H., van Gog, T., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. V. (2012).
Activation of inaccurate prior knowledge affects primary-school students’
metacognitive judgments and calibration.Learning and Instruction, 24, 15-25. doi:
10.1016/j.learninstruc.2012.08.005
Someone who travels a lot would have a different view and concept of the world compared to someone who doesn’t.
it is necessary both for the learner to hold some relevant prior knowledge, and for the teacher to ‘make the connection’ to help the learner recognize its relevance