Principle 2. Prior knowledge:
According to Rochelle (1995), pre-existing knowledge has a greater impact on what is
learned than from the presentation of new information itself. How is this significant given
the latitude learners have in constructivist learning environments to select, organize, and
integrate new information within their pre-existing knowledge base (Mayer, 1999)? Will
students know which information is important and is deserving of learning effort? Will
students be able to organize the information into a coherent whole? In short, will students’
prior-knowledge accommodate new learning?
Mayer, (2004) stated that while learners’ active participation is a key characteristic of the
constructivist classroom, it is not a goal in and of itself. Rather, students’ participation in
knowledge building requires purposeful attempts to process incoming information in light of
what is already known, and this requires instructor support. Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2005) echoed
this sentiment in their article, Why Minimally Guided Instruction Does Not Work: An
Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem Based, Experiential and Inquiry Based Teaching.
They stated that guided, rather than unguided instructor support enhance student learning.
How best to account for learners’ prior knowledge to facilitate meaning making is not an easy task.
What opportunities do web 2.0 technologies enable? Considerations include: How can web 2.0 tools
be used to elicit prior knowledge? What role can web 2.0 technologies play in facilitating the integration of
new and prior knowledge?
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