I ALREADY KNOW: SEARCHING FOR CONNECTIONS

Starting a conversation with someone you like can be slow and uncomfortable. And searching for topics of conversation can be a challenge. Have you ever experienced an awkward silence because you have no idea what to say?

Don’t look now but your “someone special” is coming over to talk with you! Stop worrying, you look fabulous but what are you going to say? The quicker you make connections, the easier it will be to talk. If you’ve flirted correctly, you should be well on your way to making connections. Take a deep breath, smile, and ask yourself, “What do I already know about this person?” As you use this information to chat about the last class you both attended, you’ll find yourself saying, “Me too!, I know!, I remember when I…”

Just like flirting, you need to search for connections before you read. Mature readers make connections between their previous experiences and the text features to support their memory. The amount of connections you make determines how efficient and effective you will learn the printed material. Before you read, ask yourself, “What do I already know about this topic, author, or genre?”

BREAKING IT DOWN:

Schema (pronounced skhēma) is a Greek word meaning plan. Schema is the mind’s way of being organized so you can quickly recall information. Throughout your life your mind has been storing and organizing two different types of knowledge: background knowledge and prior knowledge.

Background knowledge contains stored memories you have personally experienced. Examples include: trips to the beach, sporting events, and experiences with family. You use background knowledge schema when you make text to self connections and text to world connections. (See CUT IT OUT for more information about connections).

Prior knowledge contains all the factual information you have learned. Examples include: historical, scientific, and mathematical concepts learned in school. You use prior knowledge schema when you make text to text connections and text within a text connections. (See CUT IT OUT for more information about connections.)

Not all ideas are created equal. The amount of background knowledge and prior knowledge your schema contains is different for every topic, concept, and vocabulary term. As a result, the connections you make between the text and your previous experiences will vary.

Your mind doesn’t automatically remember new information unless it can be connected to existing schema. Cognitive researchers have found schema is not like a single filing cabinet, it’s more like Velcro (Heath, 2007). “The Velcro Theory” suggests new information enters short-term memory for a few seconds. If the mind cannot “hook” old information to new information, the new information is discarded. In other words, you are only capable of retaining information relevant to existing experiences. How do you activate these hooks?

Before you read, FLIRT with the text by looking at the text features and asking yourself, “What do I already know about the topic?” By activating your schema, you alert your mind to useful information already stored in your long-term memory. This information will help make meaningful connections between your mind and the author’s message.

Each time you learn or experience a new concept, your schema has three different types of reactions: assimilation, accommodation, or elimination.

Assimilation is when the mind perceives the new information as meaningful and creates new connections. For example, Fred knows tusks are long, white, external teeth used for protection. From his visits to the zoo, Fred has seen walruses with tusks. During a unit on African Elephants, Fred learns elephants also have tusks. Fred’s schema added or assimilated connections between walrus-tusk-elephant.

Accommodation is when the mind alters or changes existing schema. For example, after Fred’s new discovery of elephant tusks, Fred applied this information incorrectly to all elephants. While he was doing a research project on different types of elephants, he discovered only certain elephants have tusks. Fred’s schema changed or accommodated by removing some of the connections between “all elephants have tusks” to “not all elephants have tusks.”

Elimination occurs when new information is perceived as irrelevant or when old schema connections are not used regularly. Your mind naturally eliminates or prunes away neurological connections that aren’t used to make room for new connections. This is why it is important to read, study, or talk about factual information every day. If you don’t use the new connections you built while reading, your mind will eliminate them.

CUT IT OUT:

Your personal life has everything to do with what you are reading.

Mature readers know their amount of schema strongly influences their ability to make meaning from the text. Don’t waste your time trying to memorize concepts in isolation. Without connecting new knowledge to your previous knowledge, your mind may not be able to recall it for future conversations or tests. Even worse, your mind may perceive the new information as irrelevant and discard it. Why take the chance? Support your mind by taking time to determine what you already know.

You have a lot of useful information in your mind. Some of the information you have personally experienced. Other times you heard it or saw it on TV. You may have read about it on the Internet, book, or magazine. Some information you may have just learned by looking at the text features. You can keep your mind interested by making connections to four different areas of knowledge.

Text to Self connections arise when you make connections to your background knowledge, or stored memories you have personally experienced. Ask yourself, “When have I been there, done that, or felt that way?” If you discover a connection, jot the idea in the margin or on a post-it note right by the text feature that stimulated the memory. Start your sentence with, “I already know…”

Text to World connections occur when you make a connection to something you remember but haven’t personally experienced. Maybe your Uncle was in Iraq or you heard about the topic on the news. Ask yourself, “When has someone else been there, done that, or felt that way?” If you make a text to world connection, start your sentence with, “This reminds me of…”

Text to Text connections happen when you recall similar information from a text you have read in the past. Ask yourself, “Where have I read about the topic, the place, or a person’s feelings?” Begin your text to text connection with, “I remember when…”

Text within a Text connections are made when you recall information you just read. Maybe you previewed the introduction and summary paragraphs of the chapter or a topic from another page was discussed again. Ask yourself, “Has the author left any clues about the topic, the place, or the person’s feelings?” When you make a text within a text connection, start your sentence with, “From what I read in the text…”

As soon as you take time to check all four areas of your schema, you create a deeper understanding and remember more. Making connections helps you transfer the new information into long-term memory so you can ACE your test.

REALITY CHECK

It’s time to ask yourself, “What do I already know about the genre, author, and topic?” Open up your textbook and look at the text features. Notice your mental thoughts as you scan the text. Write down any memories that pop into your mind. Pay attention to your inner voice as it compares the text feature information to your schema.

As you FLIRT with the information advertised by the author, establish a plan for your reading. This will help you determine which sections will be difficult to read. For example, if you have an abundance of prior knowledge, you will find the section easy to read and your pace fast. However, if the topic is new or you have very little prior knowledge, be prepared to read the section with a slower pace, stopping often to make sure your mind has time to make new connections within your schema.

The next time you pick up a text, take into consideration your previous knowledge about the topic so your mind can build strong neurological connections. FLIRTing with the text alerts the mind to focus on critical features and anticipate specific connections.

Check out Chip Heath and Dan Heath's book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Other Die at http://www.madetostick.com/