Annotated Bibliography 1 EDUC 523 Dr.Nadia Awaida References Costley, K. C., & West, H. G. (2012). Teaching practice: A perspective on inter-text and prior knowledge. STRATE Journal, 21(2), 21–25. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ990632.pdf Hailikari, T., Katajavuori, N., & Lindblom-Ylanne, S. (2008). The relevance of prior knowledge in learning and instructional design. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 72(5), 113. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj7205113 Wessels, Stephanie, "The Importance of Activating and Building Knowledge" (2012). Faculty Publications: Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. 145. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/teachlearnfacpub/145 Title of Article 1: Activating students’ prior knowledge of basic science concepts on animal and human system organ Title of Article 2: The Relevance of Prior Knowledge in Learning and Instructional Design Title of Article 3: The Importance of Activating and Building Knowledge Prior Knowledge According to Costley & West, prior knowledge is defined as a knowledge that students use to define, analyze, and attain. It is used to determine whether the learner’s previous knowledge is low, weak, incomplete, or based on any misconception .It has been proved that learners who have background knowledge can better understand new concepts than the groups that do not have prior knowledge. By activating students' background knowledge, all information and knowledge are ready to be applied, stimulate questions, and decide conclusions. Moreover, as per to Hailikari, it is important to recognize students' prior knowledge base at the beginning of the learning process. Therefore, the focus should not only be on what students know but also on how well they know it. Prior-knowledge assessment that happens at the beginning of the course may be an important tool for instructional support. By assessing prior knowledge, it is possible to identify students who are struggling with their studies. Prior-knowledge assessment results can be used for various purposes: provision of feedback to students; bridging the gap between instructors' expectations and students' actual knowledge base; and grouping students according to their abilities. It is important to acknowledge that different types of prior knowledge have different relevance to student achievement. In addition to all of the above mentioned, Stephanie Wessels declared that activating students' background knowledge allows the information to be brought to the surface where it’s ready to be applied, used to stimulate questions, guide and help students’ misconceptions, and build interest throughout the lesson. In my opinion, trying to learn something without having the appropriate prior knowledge may result in rote memorization. Activating prior knowledge serves as a hook up for the students to simulate their interest. It allows students to combine their life experiences, memories, and activities. Consequently, building and creating such connections and personal experiences imprint on the students differently and uniquely. Additionally, it links the new knowledge to the old knowledge and allows me as a teacher to identify the gaps, weaknesses, preconceptions, and the misconceptions. Inadequate or fragmented prior knowledge is a significant issue to consider because if there is a mismatch between the instructors' expectations of student knowledge and the students' actual knowledge base, learning may be obstructed from the start of the studies. Discussions including whole class or pair discussions and challenging the students to explain their thinking after discussions all influence both knowledge acquisition and the ability to apply higher-order cognitive problem-solving skills. Using various ways of assessing prior knowledge can be questioning, visuals and sounds, charts and diagrams. These tools are great to attract the students’ attention and serve to meet different needs and styles of the students. To sum it up, students' prior knowledge must be stimulated continually in every initial learning process for students to comprehend the new concepts during learning activities. All the studies aimed to analyzing student's prior knowledge and all agreed that it builds on students' existing knowledge and help the students see interrelations between the lesson and the ideas presented.
