Relating New Skills to Prior Experiences It’s easy! I think I Learned that last year… Blah, blah, blah Herrell Chapter 17

Piaget (1979) We build new knowledge on schema or concepts that we have established in our brain, and adapt new ideas based on our past experiences. Schema of a House Area Made of Color Size Trees Before starting a lesson, prior knowledge should be activated Because: a) some kids do have not dealt with topics b) we want to know what kinds of experiences they had

Building Prior Knowledge - Step by Step Identify strategy that matches the focus of the lesson (to assess for understanding) Individual K (what they think they know) W (writing the questions about K) L (what they must learn to be up to date) Response cards Use the information gathered to determine the range of experiences in the class and build common understanding Plan lesson introducing information and sequence the information to maximize connections Assess the students’ understanding of what is being taught Plan reteaching

Connecting Activities and Sequence Building Activity What it Does Background/concept activity Build background, introduce new concepts, have students actively learn Review/learn/check/ Understanding/repeat Sequence learning Learning cycle Same as above, adding, modeling, checking for understanding and practice Double entry journal Gives students the opportunity to reflect on the material

Reteaching Formats Individual = tutorial Small group = learning center Small group or individual = teacher led guided practice Small group = reciprocal learning Forming groups and and numbering the members Reading – each member reads the material Summarizing Questioning Clarifying Problem solving Predicting Process is repeated with # 2 as leader Class, Develop an schema of a concept. Choose subject area and concept.