Title
The Unanticipated Obstacle to Learning: Students' Prior Knowledge
Session Type
Workshop (up to 75 minutes)
Topic
Innovative Teaching Strategies, Critical Thinking
Session Abstract
While prior knowledge is essential for new learning, prior knowledge that is incomplete, confused, and/or flawed becomes a barrier to learning. Faculty and students themselves are often blind to these misconceptions and flawed understandings until tests or other major assessments reveal them. This blind spot is often explained by the gap between experts and novices. Thus faculty who develop strategies for identifying students’ prior knowledge and strategies for making visible students’ unstated misconceptions and flawed understanding can help remove barriers to learning and potentially accelerate student learning. This workshop will provide the opportunity to review the compelling literature on this topic, examine examples of prior knowledge assessments from a variety of disciplines, practice identifying common misconceptions in different disciplines, and develop assessments and learning activities for addressing these common misconceptions.
Activities:
- Participants will work on an activity as a student might on prior knowledge in particular disciplines
- Participants will work on an activity on how to identify common misconceptions novices bring to their specific discipline.
- These identified misconceptions will then be the focus for participants creating diagnostic instruments and active learning activities to clarify students’ confusion.
Keywords
prior knowledge, active learning, formative assessments, science of learning
Location
DiGiorgio Campus Center 220
Start Date
6-2-2016 10:25 AM
The Unanticipated Obstacle to Learning: Students' Prior Knowledge
DiGiorgio Campus Center 220
While prior knowledge is essential for new learning, prior knowledge that is incomplete, confused, and/or flawed becomes a barrier to learning. Faculty and students themselves are often blind to these misconceptions and flawed understandings until tests or other major assessments reveal them. This blind spot is often explained by the gap between experts and novices. Thus faculty who develop strategies for identifying students’ prior knowledge and strategies for making visible students’ unstated misconceptions and flawed understanding can help remove barriers to learning and potentially accelerate student learning. This workshop will provide the opportunity to review the compelling literature on this topic, examine examples of prior knowledge assessments from a variety of disciplines, practice identifying common misconceptions in different disciplines, and develop assessments and learning activities for addressing these common misconceptions.
Activities:
- Participants will work on an activity as a student might on prior knowledge in particular disciplines
- Participants will work on an activity on how to identify common misconceptions novices bring to their specific discipline.
- These identified misconceptions will then be the focus for participants creating diagnostic instruments and active learning activities to clarify students’ confusion.
