4) Identify students’ current knowledge before instruction

The activity of identifying what a student alreadys know before a class (or lecture/lesson) starts is called a Prior Knowledge Probe (PKP).  It can be done with a simple questionnaire. It is a crucial step to take for learning, as each student comes into your class with a knowledge base about the subject – and each student’s view is very different. Learning what your students may or may not already know about the subject helps you all.

Benefits for the Professor:

• PKP helps you to identify where a student may need extra support resources or if another student needs an extra challenge to stay motivated.
• It helps you consider the starting point for your lessons, to make sure that all students are supported.
• It can feel like precious time to give up, but creating the foundation needed right away will eliminate the need for constant back tracking during the whole course.
• It could also reveal misconceptions students may have about the topic so you know where you can make shifts.
• The background knowledge probe could also help you determine study groups, assigning people with more prior knowledge as group leaders.

Benefits for the Student:

• PKP helps the student by providing context from their past to connect to future learning. It helps the student by bringing what they already know about the subject to the forefront of their minds. Having a recent “recall” from memory of what they already know helps the learning process.
  • A significant part of learning is taking what you already know about a topic and adding or connecting new information to it to make it more meaningful and relevant.
• You may discover that students know much less about the subject than you expected. You can then adjust your first week or two to provide the background knowledge they need and prevent frustration on your and their part that could impact teaching and learning. This can help reduce student anxiety, which is one of the greatest barriers to student success.

The Key to Success with this Strategy

Make Time for PKP Activity

Prior to or on the very first day of class dedicate time to an activity that helps draw out what students’ current knowledge of the topic is. Taking the time to do this activity will help your students personally draw connections to the topic they are about to learn. Having a connection warms them up to the activity and helps them see it from their own reference point and learning lens which is an integral part of learning. You will see specific activities in the How Do I Implement this Strategy section below.

Let Students Know the Purpose of PKP

Be clear with the students about the purpose of this activity. They need to know they are not being graded on what they may or may not know for this PKP. Let them know the activity will help you help them.  You can also help their learning journey by being explicit about the fact that connecting what they already know to new learning helps their brain develop meaningful connections with new content, and that this activity helps them bring that knowledge to the forefront of their mind.

Using this Strategy is Culturally Responsive because…

Values each student and their individual learning lens and references.

Creates an environment of psychological safety. 

Being clear about the purpose of this activity (seeing where students are at to better tailor lectures/lessons as needed) indicates you care about their individual learning needs.

The following articles discuss the impact of doing PKP activities:

• Pillars, Wendi. “What Neuroscience Tells Us About Deepening Learning.” Research for Better Teaching, 2012, rbteach.com/sites/default/files/pillars_what_neuroscience_tells_us_about_deepening_learning.pdf
• Sardo, Cassandra, and Anthony Sindelar. “Scaffolding Online Student Success | Faculty Focus.” Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning, 27 Mar. 2019, www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/scaffolding-online-student-success/.
• Weimer, M., PhD. (2019, November 25). Eight Lessons about Student Learning and What They Mean for You – Faculty Focus: Higher Ed Teaching & Learning, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/eight-lessons-about-student-learning-and-what-they-mean-for-you/ (Links to an external site.)

The following article discusses tactics to avoid when doing PKP.

• Hudson, PhD, Janet. “Prior Knowledge as an Unexpected Obstacle to Learning.” Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning, 27 July 2016, www.facultyfocus.com/articles/course-design-ideas/prior-knowledge-unexpected-obstacle-learning/

How do I Implement this Strategy?

Prior knowledge probes are done by using a questionnaire to solicit what knowledge or connections students have to the class (or lecture). When you implement these strategies,  remember the important step of letting your students know WHY you are doing a PKP as discussed above. Include questions that any student could have an answer to.

Let’s say you are teaching a Kite Flying Basics course.

Some questions you could ask are:

• What, if any, experience(s) do you have with kites? (examples, do you have any childhood or adult memories that include a kite? have you ever seen different types, or have you seen a movie or read a book where a kite was in the  story?)
• Have you ever flown or watched someone fly a kite?  (Yes/No)
• If you have, what was your experience like? (Nervous, Indifferent, Loved it!)
• What would you like to learn about Kite Flying? (open text box)
• How do you see Kite Flying as relevant to your future? (open text box)

Depending on your class delivery mode, here are a few ways you can conduct a PKP:

Asynchronously

• Quiz (Individual Responses): Before the first day of class (or assign as first day activity), create a quiz with multiple choice or fill-in the blanks in Canvas that has them reflect and connect on what their current level of knowledge of the class topic.
• Discussion (Group): Create a discussion post in Canvas that asks 1 or 2 open ended questions to have them reflect and connect on what their current level of knowledge of the class topic.

Synchronously

• Poll: Use a tool (such as Polls in Zoom, or PollEverywhere) to poll your students on their prior experiences and/or comfort level with topic. This will  give you and the students a visual reference to their varying answers. (This can be done anonymously, for their comfort level, but could be done in addition to other strategies where you can see individual responses.)
• Concept Maps: Have them create a concept map of what they know already about the topic and have them share with group as comfortable, and/or turn in to you.
• If you are in a classroom setting, you can write the questions on the board and provide them index cards to answer and turn in to you. Questions could be open ended:
  • What I already know about (the course subject area):
  • What I hope to learn about (course subject areas):
  • but also include more memory inducing questions as highlighted in Kite Flying Basics examples above.
• When they are on a quick break (or in small groups, perhaps introducing themselves to each other) take a look at the answers and use that to help guide the class discussions and lessons after the break. This is where you can start guiding discussion or lessons to help shift any misconceptions about topic, or provide varying levels of support.