Connecting Old Knowledge to New Knowledge
Activating prior knowledge when learning new topics helps deepen understanding by linking new information to existing mental frameworks.
THE IDEA
Connecting new material to related knowledge can help you understand a topic.
For instance, a trainee nurse thinking deliberately about wound care might recall a first aid seminar from a few years earlier. Connecting the new material to that memory can help the nurse understand it.
When to use it
A student learning a new programming language recalls concepts from a previous language to accelerate understanding.
A manager attending a leadership workshop draws on past team management experiences to internalize new strategies.
A chef learning a new cuisine uses foundational cooking techniques learned years ago to adapt recipes.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Nurse Training Example
A trainee nurse learning wound care recalls a past first aid seminar. By connecting the new wound-handling knowledge to the prior seminar experience, the nurse grasps the material more deeply.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a recent learning experience. What prior knowledge did you activate to understand it better?
How can you deliberately connect new information to things you already know when studying a new subject?
Describe a situation where failing to activate old knowledge made learning harder. What could you have done differently?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Thinking in Systems and Mental Models Think Like a Super Thinker (Dawson, Marcus P)