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Prior Knowledge

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Saved by Andy
on July 13, 2008 at 12:09:40 pm
 

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?

 

Return to Constructivism Overview

Click for Principle 3, Multiple Perspectives

 

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