Is prior knowledge always a good thing?
Does having prior knowledge about a particular subject help to engage learners in an activity, increase their chances of retaining information and make connections to future learning?
Research suggests that this is likely to occur. At a recent field trip to Spittal Pond Nature Reserve with the Bermuda National Trust Education Team and St. George’s Preparatory primary two students, the outcome proved that what research tells us is correct.
Prior to the field trip, teachers Natalie Roberts and Tamara Coleman’s students were learning about living things in their environment. Cindy Corday, Director of Education for the Bermuda National Trust Axis Education Programme, visited the school and led the young learners in an activity which showed them images of the habitats that can be found at the reserve. Students were introduced to the rocky coast, pond, upland coastal forest and upland forest and the animals and plants they might see on their trip a few days later. Seeing the images helped to build excitement and prepare students for the trip ahead.
Students arrived at the reserve excited to begin their walk with Mrs. Corday and Education Officer, Dr. Dorte Horsfield. As they entered through the east gate a few children shouted “Look, there’s the Morning Glory, it has a purple flower!” Others were quick to point out, “There’s the pond!” The classes were split into two groups, one to explore the pond, while the other hiked out to the rocky coast. Each group was shown the habitat and had a chance to draw what they saw and to reflect on the things they could feel and hear. They were also able to hold items such as a West Indian Top Shell, a limpet, a section of Sargassum (seaweed) and see pictures of animals that live within the reserve but were not able to be seen that day. Later, both groups had a chance to walk through the upland coastal forest and upland forest habitats and see the differences between them. One student noticed that the upland forest had more trees and shady parts — interesting for a six year old.
A few days later back in the classroom, Mrs. Corday led the students in a follow-up activity providing a review of the individual habitats and what children saw while on their visit to the reserve. The students’ memory of the habitats, animals and plants was quite significant. When images appeared in a presentation on a Smartboard, each student was given a chance to lead the way, tapping the interactive board so that the name of each animal or plant would appear. Students were then given pictures of animals and plants to cut out and place in their correct habitat. As both classes worked at tables, you could hear their excited conversation buzzing around the room as the children shared their work with their peers.
In Robert Marzano’s Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement, 2004, he notes ‘Although it is true that the extent to which students will learn new content is dependent on factors such as the skill of the teacher, the interest of the student, and the complexity of the content, the research literature supports one compelling fact: what students already know about the content is one of the strongest indicators of how well they will learn new information relative to the content.’ He also notes ‘Teachers play a key role in helping students build and use their background knowledge. When students are actively building their background knowledge, they are more likely to experience success in academic achievement.’
The introduction and follow-up classroom activities combined with a site visit, known as ‘Three-Part Learning’ helps to connect students to information that is specific to Trust nature reserves and historic properties. Each experience is catered to the grade level and what students are studying. All activities link to the Cambridge International Curriculum.
‘I have taken my students on a few field trips with the Bermuda National Trust in my eight years of teaching and they keep on getting better and better. The students were intrigued by the pre lesson and while on the field trip were engaged in Scientific enquiry in observing the different habitats and being able to see firsthand some of these living things in action. The follow up lesson was terrific and very age appropriate. The end product was an excellent keepsake booklet of the four different habitats at Spittal Pond.’ Natalie Roberts.
‘The primary two classes have learned a great deal from these experiences. They are excited about their new-found knowledge and share pieces of information whenever they can. I would highly recommend the experience of having the Bermuda National Trust teach a series of three classes. The students get to know the educators and anxiously look forward to their next visit. It is also great that the experience is lengthened, and therefore more memorable than a stand-alone field trip.’ Tamara Coleman.
Teachers can contact Cindy Corday education@bnt.bm to schedule classroom activities and site visits.