Using Recall of Prior Knowledge to Increase Learning
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Advantages of recall of prior knowledge. A major determinant of knowledge acquisition is what the mind already knows. It is far easier for the brain to build on coherently organizing existing knowledge than it is to learn new material. It has been established that current knowledge and understanding are the filter of new information and that new information that cannot be related to existing knowledge is quickly shed.
Knowledge Gaps
John Almarode, Assistant Professor at James Madison University and author of the book Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, Grades 6-12, writes that our brains will seek out and pay attention to things we already about in an effort to increase our personal knowledge base. But we do so only when the gap is bridgeable and can be spanned within the short term. This is critical. We strive to close worthwhile gaps, but not chasms. When this happens, we are unmotivated since the perceived knowledge gap is too high to stimulate interest.
Paradoxically, having some prior knowledge provides impetus for wanting to acquire even more knowledge. Almarode contends that this effect is strong if the new knowledge can be acquired in the short term with relatively low costs. We invest effort more strongly when our knowledge foundations are already securely laid down. But we show disinclination to start construction when there is nothing to build on.
Curiosity
We are naturally curious animals, motivated to find out more about our world. We are curiosity and motivated when the knowledge gap is relevant to us, and the means by which it can be closed. There is a high constrain placed upon motivation along with being highly selective in what we pay attention to. This selectivity creates a major problem whenever we expect another person to exert effort in learning or thinking.
Jean Piaget: First psychologist to make a systematic study of the acquisition of understanding in children.
Jean Piaget, is a Swiss psychologist most famously known for his theory of cognitive development which looked at how children developed throughout the course of childhood. Prior to Piaget's theory, children were often thought of simply as mini-adults. Instead, Piaget suggested that the way children think is fundamentally different from the way that adults think, according to Wikipedia.
Piaget is also credited for his constructivist theory, which has contributed greatly to the field of education. This theory assumes that all knowledge is constructed from the learner’s prior knowledge, regardless of how one is taught.
Piaget states that people actively construct their knowledge of the world based on the interactions between their ideas and their experiences. Accordingly, children do take an active role in the learning process, acting much like little scientists as they perform experiments, make observations, and learn about the world. As children interact with the world around them, they continually add new knowledge, build upon existing knowledge, and adapt previously held ideas to accommodate new information. From a neuroscientist’s viewpoint, as children are discovering new knowledge, their brains are forming new neural pathways or adding onto previously established pathways.
The brain is constantly trying to make sense out of the world by attempting to determine what is meaningful in what it experiences. Every encounter with something requires the brain to fit the new information into an existing memory category or network of neurons.
The brain uses prior knowledge to predict the best response to new experiences and learning. For this to occur, it is imperative for the brain to connect new content to prior knowledge. If this does not happen, the information will have no meaning, will not be converted to long-term memory, and in nearly all cases forgotten.
Following are methods to effectively integrate the recall of prior knowledge into instruction
One: Pattern recognition
One of the methods the brain uses to build upon existing knowledge through the use of prior knowledge, and adapt previously held ideas to accommodate new information is pattern recognition. Pattern recognition is a phenomenon describing how the brain attempts to match incoming sensory stimuli with information that is already stored in circuits or networks of neurons. The neural networks “check out” sensory stimuli as soon as they enter the brain to see if they form a familiar pattern to its stored prior knowledge. If they do, a match occurs, and the brain determines that the new information is familiar. In this case, we could say that the new information makes sense or has meaning.
If there is no match, the brain will attend to the new information for a short amount of time because it is novel, but after a short amount of time the brain cannot make sense out of the incoming stimuli, and it will not process them further.
Look at the illustration below. Initially you might not be able to see anything recognizable, but with a little diligence, you will eventually see the image of a Dalmatian.
Hint: the Dalmatian is a bit to the right of center. Its head is pointing down and it is sniffing the ground or drinking from a puddle. Once you have seen the dog, it will be almost impossible not to see it.
Let’s examine what just happened in your brain. Even though you cannot see the entire dog, your brain used the information that was there to allow you to recognize it. How did this happen? You were able to “see” it because you activated a previously established circuit of neurons in which that information is stored. You would never be able to detect this dog among the spots if you had never seen one or a picture of one, and if it was not already stored in your brain. A neural circuit or network cannot be be reconstructed if it was never activated in the first place.
We can now begin to understand the term “meaning” and the important role it plays in attention. If our brains can find no previously activated networks into which new information fits, they are much less likely to attend to it. Our species has not survived by attending to and storing meaningfulness information.
To further enhance this point, inspect the picture below and name the person circled.
No idea? Since your brain has not been exposed to this picture before and has not established any prior neural networks. He is the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
Let try another baby picture of a past president of the United States. Who is it?
Again, probably no neural networks can be activated, therefore no prior knowledge equaling no meaning. This is a baby picture of George W. Bush.
Consider students in the classroom confronted with information that doesn’t match anything previously stored. Their brains look for an appropriate network to help them make sense or meaning of the information. If nothing can be found, the information is discarded as meaningless. Is it possible that much of what we teach in schools fits this description? Then why should we be surprised that our students’ brains refuse to attend.
In addition, sustained attention on something that can’t be figured out or that makes no sense is not only boring, it’s almost impossible. However, many times this is what we expect our students to do. In addition, a bored student’s brain can be a springboard to disruptive behavior.
Two: Prompt Student’s Prior Knowledge of the Upcoming Topic at the Beginning of a Lesson
When designing lessons, educators should always remember that accessing prior knowledge is how children make sense of the world. By designing the learning environment to aid learners to take in new information that fits it into existing neural networks by using meaning, this enhances learning and memory. In short, educators must strive to enhance students’ memory by making information more accessible by making it more memorable.
Three: The Use of Schemas
Another effective process to activate prior knowledge is with the use of schemas, which are cognitive frameworks that guide memory, aide in the interpretation of events, and influence how we retrieve stored memories. A schema is an example of how the mind examines similarities and differences between sources of information.
The following videos illustrates and describe the usefulness of schemas.
Four: Compare and Contrast
When faced with a unique problem, the brain analyses the incoming information by comparing and contrasting (looking for similarities and differences) this knowledge with pre existing knowledge.
Five: Other Techniques to Activate Prior Knowledge
Concepts maps, KWLH technique (know, what, learn, how), graphic organizers, teacher real life stories or analogies, think-pair-share, and student’s link to a personal experience.
Summing up, just because a teacher is teaching does not mean that learning is occurring. New information will be greatly compromised if the information being presented is not connected to prior knowledge.