Connecting New & Old Ideas
Look for connections between new ideas and things you already know — how does this fit with what I've learned before?
What a learner can do afterwards
- elaborative encoding
- schema theory (Bartlett, Rumelhart)
The lesson
Your brain loves connections. When you learn something new, stop and ask yourself: does this remind me of anything I already know? Finding a match helps the new idea make sense and stick in your memory.
Sam already knows how to follow a recipe step by step to bake cookies. In science class, he learns to follow steps for an experiment. Sam thinks, that's like following a recipe! Now the new steps make more sense.
When you learn something new, ask yourself: what does this remind me of? Say it out loud, oh, that's like... It helps the idea stick in your brain.
New ideas make more sense when you connect them to something you already know.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.