This paper discusses the evolution, development, and thinking behind eight lesson plan formats. A Herbartian 5-step lesson plan (1980) involves teachers' understanding and use of students' previous knowledge. It includes preparation of previous learning, presentation of new materials, association of old and new ideas, generalization, and…

This conference presentation describes how students develop the cognitive processes through which they acquire knowledge from their classroom experiences. The data were taken from five studies of individual students' classroom experience and its relationship to the learning of curriculum content in typical science and social studies units in the…

This paper addresses the role of prior knowledge in the comprehension of narrative and expository text, two major categories of discourse. The paper reviews some of the differences in the essence of prior knowledge required to comprehend each text type and then examines research on prior knowledge and conceptual change that deals with both text…

The traditional K-3 social studies curriculum has focused on food, clothing, shelter, communication, transportation, and other cultural universals. Very little information exists about children's prior knowledge and thinking about these topics. This study was designed to provide such information with respect to the topic of family living, and in…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the roles of interest, knowledge, and learning strategies on recall within a specific subject domain at an early stage of learning. Students (n=17) at two levels in a postgraduate music therapy course were assessed for their levels of prior knowledge, interest, and the number of strategies they used to…

This paper examines the relationship between preservice teachers' epistemological beliefs and their perceptions of their college preparatory work as being instrumental to their futures, arguing that preservice teachers often find little relevance in the theoretical, philosophical, and historical content presented in their preparatory classes. Nor…

The science achievement scores of 1,284 adults on a test of science knowledge were regressed on three composite independent variables: motivation, and prior and current educative experiences. Early educative experience predicts current activities of motivation; all three factors contribute to the prediction of achievement. (Author/LC)

Presents methods to stimulate students to use their background knowledge in reading content area texts. Offers a technique to teach students common text structures by having them write to a model. (FL)

Mobilizing relevant preexisting knowledge significantly facilitated retention of information inconsistent with prior knowledge but did not affect retention of congruous information. A topically organized passage was not better remembered than a topically disorganized one. (Author/PN)

Higher education is seen as an investment in human capital that generates benefits to individuals and to society. Assessment of prior learning constitutes a sound individual and public investment because it lowers costs and adds value to experience. (MLW)

Results of a case study (one graduate physics tutor) demonstrate that a person's conceptions, which include metaphysical commitments, play a significant role in the way s/he understands complex subject matter such as Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. (Author/SK)

The School of Education at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee has refined its method of granting college credit for community experience. Prior Professional Educational Experience (PPEE) credits are granted for knowledge in competency areas offered by the department. The program has given students a sense of accomplishment about learning…

The historic sources of graduate study in the United States, specifically the German influence, are examined, and the relationship of current experiential learning to past traditions of graduate study is discussed. Greater flexibility in the use of experience in graduate instruction and research is suggested. (MLW)

Four experiments were conducted to determine the source of difficulty of Wason's THOG problem. The THOG problem permits examination of the way people tackle a novel hypothetico-deductive problem. The results are interpreted as demonstrating the importance of problem presentation in problem solving. (Author/PN)

A study determined that simulation-gaming was a more effective teaching technique for students with low prior knowledge of economics, low Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and no high school economics instruction. Lecture-discussion was more effective for those with high precourse economic knowledge, SAT scores, and high school economics…