Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement By Robert Marzano

Importance of Academic Background Knowledge –What students already know about academic content is one of the strongest indicators of how well they will learn new information relative to the content –Academic background knowledge affects more than just “school learning.”

Acquiring Background Knowledge Background Knowledge is acquired through the interaction of two factors: Background Knowledge is acquired through the interaction of two factors: –Ability to process and store information— FLUID INTELLIGENCE (innate) –The number and frequency of our academically oriented experiences

Enhancing Academic Background Knowledge There are two approaches to enhancing background knowledge: There are two approaches to enhancing background knowledge: –Direct –Indirect

Direct Approaches –Field trips to museums, art galleries, etc –School-sponsored travel and exchange programs –Mentoring programs with members of the community –Service learning

Indirect Approaches –Reading –Talking / Listening to others –Educational television –Educational videos

In an optimal situation, the best way to build background knowledge is through a DIRECT approach. But with limited resources, the answer becomes the utilization of an INDIRECT approach.