Activating Strategies - What Are They

Brenda Hill
Oct 19, 2009

Activating Strategies are engaging strategies designed with a focus on learning that activates a student's prior knowledge on a particular topic or subject. Activating Strategies include a "hook" to motivate and "link" prior knowledge to new learning.

They are used by teachers to help students remember acquired knowledge on a topic. These strategies are designed to be used at the beginning of an acquisition lesson or an extending thinking lesson/activity. Educational research indicates that there is a direct correlation between background knowledge and a student's capacity to learn (Debra Pickering, Anaheim, ASCD Conference). Therefore, if there is no background knowledge it best behooves us to build that knowledge as part of the lesson activator. This provides the "link" needed by students to successfully understand the new content.

How do we actively engage students?

• By previewing key vocabulary
• By providing relevant experiences on the topic
• By developing a learning environment where students explore situations and develop background knowledge for themselves from these experiences. The importance and effectiveness of using activating strategies is reflected in the following statement and cited research.

Real Knowledge is CONSTRUCTED by the learner!

1. The National Research Council stresses that if students' prior assumptions are not engaged and tested, they may not fully comprehend new or related information that is presented; or they may learn the information for the short term, but not retain the information or learn it deeply for use in the future (NRC, 1999).
2. Good teaching must seek to determine what a student's existing knowledge is about a subject, so that opportunities can be given to support or challenge that knowledge. In other words, knowledge must be constructed by the learner, so that the learner can manipulate the knowledge and make it his or her own.
(From: The Learning-Focused Strategies Model Notebooks, Catching Kids Up with Acceleration, and Reading Comprehension for ELA Teachers 6-12)

The effectiveness of an activating strategy may be determined by reflecting on the following questions:

• Were the students mentally active?
• Did the students contribute ideas or relevant information on the topic/subject?
• Was new vocabulary used appropriately and in the right context?
• Were the students able to make learning connections - old knowledge to new knowledge?

Of course, the topic and content, along with the grade level you teach, will also be included in
the thoughtful selection and implementation of a particular activating strategy.

We'll explore more about specific activating strategies in future newsletters. Look for them in upcoming issues!!!  Refer to Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons for more information on Activating Strategies.