CENTER FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE . UTPA
IMPACT OF STUDENTS’ PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE ON LEARNING
T E A C H
O U R
R E S E A R C H
A N D
R E S E A R C H
O U R
T E A C H I N G
DEBBIE COLE
VALERIE TERRY
JACOB NEUMANN
COLIN CHARLTON
WELCOME :-)
1. GET YOUR FOOD
2. MEET YOUR
COLLEAGUES
3. FINISH YOUR SELFASSESSMENT
THE NEW CTE
WORKSHOPS
• We designed materials for you to prepare beforehand.
• We designed more interactive workshops with
information and activities.
• We want you to have a takeaway -> an immediately
useful teaching product.
• We will get your feedback later through a Qualtrics
survey.
HOW LEARNING WORKS
SEVEN RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES FOR SMART
TEACHING
• Today’s workshop is built out of How Learning Works:
Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching
(Ambrose, et al.)
• How Learning Works is our CTE BOOK CLUB
selection -> Sign up today at www.utpa.edu/cte; this is
our last call for participants!
• What will you find in How Learning Works?
HOW LEARNING WORKS
SEVEN RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES FOR SMART
TEACHING
But they said they knew this!
I recently taught Research Methods in Decision Sciences for the first
time. On the first day of class, I asked my students what kinds of
statistical tests they had learned in the introductory statistics course
that is a prerequisite for my course. Given what they told me, I was
pretty confident that my first assignment was pitched at the appropriate
level. It seemed pretty basic, but I was shocked at the way they
handled it. Some students chose a completely inappropriate test while
others chose the right test but did not have the foggiest idea how to
apply it. Still others could not not interpret the results. What I can’t
figure out is why they told me they knew this stuff when it’s clear
from their work that most of them don’t have a clue.
—Professor Soo Yon Won (10)
HOW LEARNING WORKS
SEVEN RESEARCH-BASED PRINCIPLES FOR SMART
TEACHING
Why is this so hard for them to understand?
Every year in my introductory psychology class I teach my students about
classic learning theory, particularly the concepts of positive and negative
reinforcement. I know that these can be tough concepts for students to
grasp, so I spell out very clearly that reinforcement always refers
to increasing a behavior and punishment always refers to decreasing a
behavior. I also emphasize that, contrary to what they might
assume, negative reinforcement, does not mean punishment; it means
removing something aversive to increase a desired behavior. But it seems
that no matter how much I explain the concept, students continue to
think of negative reinforcement as punishment. In fact, when I asked
about negative reinforcement on a recent exam, almost 60 percent of the
class got it wrong. Why is this so hard for students to understand?
—Professor Anatole Dione (11)
TODAY’S OVERVIEW
• Table Discussion on Self-Assessment
• Overview of Prior Knowledge Research & Practical
Ideas (orange)
• Planning Worksheet (yellow)
• Large Group Discussion
TABLE DISCUSSION
Share your self assessment with the people at your table.
• What surprised you?
• What did you learn?
• What do you want to do now?
4
STUDENTS’ PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
RESEARCH & PRACTICAL IDEAS
• Activating Prior Knowledge
• Accurate But Insufficient Prior Knowledge
• Inappropriate Prior Knowledge
• Inaccurate Prior Knowledge
ACTIVATING PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
RESEARCH says…
• Connecting prior to new knowledge helps new knowledge
“stick”
• Activating prior knowledge isn’t necessarily spontaneous
• Asking trigger or elaboration questions helps recall (Tell me
why…)
• Asking students to generate knowledge from previous courses
or personal experiences helps integration of new knowledge
ACTIVATING PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
A PRACTICAL STRATEGY is…SCAFFOLDING.
• Explicitly Link New Material to Knowledge from Previous
Courses: Ask students to specifically write about how
their last paper/project in an intro class connects to the
first chapter in a supplemental class.
• Use Analogies and Examples That Connect to Students’
Everyday Knowledge: Ask students to explain how a new
concept works in an everyday situation, like comparing
cooking and lab science.
ACCURATE BUT INSUFFICIENT
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
RESEARCH says…
• Some relevant knowledge does not ensure subsequent
learning.
• Declarative knowledge (of facts/concepts) is different from
procedural knowledge (application/procedure).
• Students can know concepts and fail application; students
can perform accurate processes without articulating what
they do or why.
ACCURATE BUT INSUFFICIENT
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
A PRACTICAL STRATEGY is…SHOWING THE
KNOWING.
• Identify for your students if you are asking them to
know what, know how, or know when: In syllabi
descriptions of outcomes and/or assignments,
identify whether you’re asking for (and evaluating)
concepts, procedures, applications, or
combinations.
INAPPROPRIATE PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
Research says…
• The misapplication of accurate prior knowledge in a
new learning context can hinder student learning.
• Faculty can help students avoid this by explicitly
teaching the conditions and contexts in which prior
knowledge is (in)applicable and deliberately activating
relevant prior knowledge.
INAPPROPRIATE PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
PRACTICAL STRATEGIES are…EXPLAINING THE CONTEXTS OF
THE RULES.
• Provide students with “rules of thumb” to help them avoid common
misapplications: “When you see ‘negative’ in the context of negative
reinforcement, think of subtraction.”
• Explicitly identify discipline-specific conventions: “Lab reports are
written without the use of ‘I’ and procedures are described in the
passive voice.”
• Show students where analogies breakdown: “Neighborhood
associations in Indonesia are like insurance companies in the United
States, but nobody’s making a profit.”
INACCURATE PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
Research says…
• Inaccurate prior knowledge distorts new knowledge
because we strive for consistency.
• Isolated ideas can be corrected with explicit refutation
and evidence.
• Misconceptions are integrated and stubborn.
INACCURATE PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
A PRACTICAL STRATEGY is…TESTING & TEACHING THE LONG
GAME.
• Ask students to make and test predictions: physics and testing how
forces act on stationary and moving objects.
• Ask students to justify their reasoning: pointing out internal
contradictions in student summary of an writer’s argument.
• Provide multiple and linked opportunities for testing.
• Undoing inaccurate knowledge is critical thinking, and critical thinking
takes time: Build more time into syllabi for recurring areas of
inaccurate knowledge.
MAKE A PLAN (YELLOW)
• Describe an assignment or topic that usually works well
in one of your classes.
• Describe an assignment or topic that often doesn’t
work well in one of your classes.
• Map out a plan for working with students’ prior
knowledge.
FINAL THOUGHTS
How will our work with students’ prior knowledge
today affect what you do the next time you walk into
your classroom?
LOOKING BACK
LOOKING FORWARD
• We’ve self-assessed and discussed our understanding of
students’ prior knowledge.
• We reviewed research and practical ideas related to four
different types of prior knowledge.
• You made a plan for taking ideas and strategies from this
workshop forward into your classroom.
• And don’t forget — we want your feedback on our new
workshop design. Please keep a look out for our Qualtrics
survey.
CENTER FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE . UTPA
IMPACT OF STUDENTS’ PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE ON LEARNING
T E A C H
O U R
R E S E A R C H
A N D
R E S E A R C H
O U R
T E A C H I N G
DEBBIE COLE
VALERIE TERRY
JACOB NEUMANN
COLIN CHARLTON