In this article, I’ll be sharing with you what the Previous Knowledge In Lesson Plan actually means. Aspiring teachers have often asked to know what exactly is “previous knowledge” in a lesson plan. Some have also confused it with previous lessons. So, in this article, I explain, with examples, what actually is “previous knowledge” in a lesson plan or lesson note.
But before we look at that, let’s define what a lesson plan is and highlight some of its importance to the teacher and learner as well.
What Is A Lesson Plan In Education?
According to tophat.com, a lesson plan is a teacher’s guide for facilitating a lesson. It typically includes the goal (what students need to learn), how the goal will be achieved (the method of delivery and procedure), and a way to measure how well the goal was reached (usually via homework assignments or testing).
Englishhub.com defines a lesson plan as “a teacher’s plan for teaching a lesson.” It can exist in the teacher’s mind, on the back of an envelope, or on one or more beautifully formatted sheets of A4 paper. Its purpose is to outline the “programme” for a single lesson.
Therefore, a lesson plan can be defined as a detailed plan that outlines the objectives, goals, and strategies of a lesson. It helps teachers organize their materials and thoughts, and it helps learners understand what they’ll be learning and how they will be learning a given content.
What is Previous Knowledge in Lesson Plan
According to Israel Uchenna’s Basic Components of a Lesson Plan, “previous knowledge” refers to the knowledge and skills that students are expected to have already learned or acquired before starting the lesson. This may include content knowledge, conceptual understanding, skills, and experiences that the learners already had before the introduction of a new lesson.
As a teacher, it is important to consider the previous knowledge of your students when planning a lesson in order to build upon their existing understanding and ensure that they are ready to learn the new content. This may help to make the lesson more meaningful and engaging as students can connect new concepts to what they already know or have experienced.
Previous Knowledge is one of the basic components or elements of a lesson plan or note. It usually comes in between the Rationale and Set Induction sections in a lesson plan such as the ASEI Lesson Plan.
According to Julia G. Thompson, students’ prior knowledge is a gift that they bring to class each day. Before teachers can make final decisions about what they are going to teach, they must first determine what their students already know.
Thompson explained that determining students’ prior knowledge is crucial because it determines the approach the teachers will take with a unit of study. She believed that building on background knowledge is such an important component of successful instruction that determining the background or prior knowledge of the learner is necessary.
As teachers, you can use what you learn about your students’ prior knowledge in many different ways. For instance, if you discover that one student understands a particular concept and can explain it to the rest of the learners, that student’s success will motivate the others to want to succeed.
The “previous knowledge” in a lesson plan allows teachers to ensure that students have the necessary foundation to fully understand and engage with the new topic being presented. This component of a lesson plan is also important for identifying any misconceptions or gaps in students’ understanding that may need to be addressed before moving on to new things for the day.
By taking into account students’ prior knowledge, you can actually create a more effective and targeted lesson that will help students build on what they already know and make connections between new and existing subject matter.
Previous knowledge isn’t totally what teachers previously taught their students. It can be what they—the students—have learned from their parents, friends, or environment. My
How to Write Previous Knowledge in Lesson Plan
Before you write out your previous knowledge, you should ask yourself if the learners have any prior knowledge or ideas about the lesson. Depending on the topic, prior knowledge for any lesson plan may look like this: “The learners have been taught…”, “The pupils are conversant with…”, etc. The previous knowledge section usually follows after the rationale section in a lesson plan.
Importance of Previous Knowledge in Lesson Plan
One major merit of the Previous Knowledge In a lesson plan, it helps the students understand the lesson quicker since they can relate to it based on their prior knowledge about the lesson. This will greatly help to make the lesson more meaningful and engaging as students can connect new concepts to what they already know or have experienced.
The prerequisite Knowledge of a lesson plan is also important for identifying any misconceptions or gaps in students’ understanding that may need to be addressed before moving on to new things for the day.
Examples of Previous Knowledge in Lesson Plan
| SN | Topic/Subtopic | Previous Knowledge |
| 1 | Erosion/Wind Erosion: | Learners are familiar with how strong winds carry some materials, including sand particles, which often wear away the softer layer of the soil, leaving the harder parts sticking out. |
| 2 | Transportation/Road Transportation | Learners have seen and have traveled either by motorcycle, bus, and car. |
| 3 | Packaging Items/Packaging using Tin Cans, Bags, Bottles | The pupils are conversant with bags, tin tomatoes, and tin milk. |
| 4 | Noun/Types of Nouns | The learners have been taught what a noun is. |
| 5 | Vowels | The pupils are conversant with the 26 letters of the alphabet and can recite them. |
REFERENCES
What Is a Lesson Plan? | EnglishClub, www.englishclub.com/esl-lesson-plans/what-is-a-lesson-plan.htm. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
Thompson, Julia G., and View my complete profile. “Prior Knowledge and Great Online Lesson Plan Sites.” JULIA G. THOMPSON: Prior Knowledge and Great Online Lesson Plan Sites, 11 Sept. 2012, juliagthompson.blogspot.com/2012/09/prior-knowledge-and-great-online-lesson.html.
“Prior Knowledge Definition and Meaning | Top Hat.” Top Hat, tophat.com/glossary/p/prior-knowledge. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
Basic Components of a Lesson Plan: Modern Lesson Plan Format For Primary and Secondary Schools in Nigeria by Israel Uchenna, 2023.