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a ready-to-run workshopActivating Prior Knowledge
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Activating Prior Knowledge & Advance Organizers (Workshop)

New learning sticks when it connects to what students already know. Deliberately activating prior knowledge, and using advance organizers to give students a framework before new content, primes the brain to absorb and organize new ideas, rather than having them float unattached.

Key takeaway

New learning sticks when it connects to existing knowledge; activating prior knowledge and using advance organizers before new content primes students to absorb and organize new ideas rather than leaving them unattached.

Format
PLC / team meeting
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 4-40)
Who can run it
Any teacher-leader
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutAn upcoming lessonA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Rigorous ContentInTASC 8: Instructional StrategiesResearch on prior knowledge and advance organizers
Share / assign

Why it works

Learning is a process of connecting new information to existing knowledge, and research shows that deliberately activating relevant prior knowledge before new learning, and providing advance organizers (a framework, overview, or conceptual map given before the content), helps students integrate and remember new material. Without a framework to attach to, new information is harder to organize and recall. Activating prior knowledge also surfaces gaps and misconceptions to address. The move is quick and high-leverage at the start of learning.

The research: Ausubel on advance organizers; research on prior knowledge.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

    The core activity: prime learning with prior knowledge and a framework

    Teachers leave with a lesson opening that activates prior knowledge and provides a framework.

    Connect new to known, with a frameworkNew learning sticks when it attaches to prior knowledge within a framework. Activate what students know and give an advance organizer before the content.

    Facilitator notes

    Unattached new information is hard to learnDropping new content with no connection to prior knowledge or framework leaves it floating and hard to recall. Activate prior knowledge and provide a structure.

    Adapt it

    Participant handout

    One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

    K12 Academics · Professional Learning

    Activating Prior Knowledge: connect and frame

    <b>Prime the learning:</b> activate relevant prior knowledge and give a framework before new content.

    1. The upcoming lesson:
    2. How I activate relevant prior knowledge:
    3. The advance organizer or framework I provide:
    4. How students connect new learning to it:
    5. The gaps or misconceptions I surface:

    Make it stick

    Connect and frame:

    Common questions

    Why activate prior knowledge before teaching?
    New learning attaches to existing knowledge. Activating what students already know (and surfacing gaps) primes them to integrate and remember the new material, and shows you where to start.
    What is an advance organizer?
    A framework, overview, or conceptual map given before the content, so students have a structure to attach new information to as they learn it.
    Isn't this just a warm-up?
    It is more purposeful: deliberately connecting to prior knowledge and providing a framework, which research links to better integration and recall, not just getting started.

    Go deeper

    Build it into a bigger day

    Workshop
    Building Background Knowledge
    Workshop
    Elaboration
    Workshop
    Graphic Organizers & Note-Taking