Background knowledge plays an important role in learning, especially for multilingual learners (MLLs) who may not have had some of the experiences that the curricula assume students have had. This knowledge—also known as prior knowledge or content knowledge—refers to the information and experiences that students possess and bring to your classroom. It covers a wide range of cultural, social, and historical contexts, all of which are crucial for understanding language and learning new content.
Background knowledge serves as a foundation for reading comprehension. Numerous research studies show that the more knowledge you have, the better you are able to understanding what you read.
Reading across subject areas isn’t just about being able to read or decode words; it’s also about understanding what those words mean in context. Often, MLLs struggle with comprehension because they haven’t had much exposure to the subjects they’re reading about. For example, what is the following topic based on these terms: pigskin, whistle, helmet and flag? For some, you would immediately recognize things associated with a football game because of your background knowledge. For others, the terms and topic are completely new. The words and ideas they represent would likely be harder for you to remember if you don’t have any background on the topic.
When learners have prior knowledge of a topic, it makes it much easier for them to grasp and engage with the text. Teacher can build on what MLLs already know and then build on that knowledge with new information. The more we know, the more knowledge we possess to connect to new learning.
Knowledge levels the playing field. Being able to think critically and solve problems comes down to how much we know.
In our work with the SIOP Model, we’ve organized ways that teachers can facilitate knowledge building into the following three features:
- Connecting the lesson’s information and concepts to students’ own knowledge and experience.
Background knowledge refers to the lived experiences and information that students bring to bear on the learning process. This encompasses their knowledge of the world as well as cultural and social knowledge, all of which play a role in making sense of new information. For multilingual learners, expansion of their background knowledge is paramount not only for learning content but also for enhancing language proficiency.
To effectively teach new content, teachers should connect the lesson to students’ existing knowledge. For instance, before reading the story, Front Desk, about a girl who works at a motel after school, the teacher might ask students about a time when they faced challenges, linking these personal experiences to the character’s struggles. This same approach can be used in other subjects such as social studies, math, or science. In a science lesson on solar energy, the teacher might ask students to think about how many things in their homes require electricity, helping them understand the concept of energy use in daily life.
These concepts are part of students’ daily experiences or common knowledge and integrating them helps bridge the gap between their current understanding and the new material. This is the first step in knowledge transfer, which is the ability to apply past learning to new concepts.
Knowledge Transfer
2. Explicitly linking past learning and new concepts.
The previous feature referred to students’ own knowledge and experiences whereas this second feature refers to previous learning in school. We can’t assume that students, especially multilingual learners who are learning in a new language, retain and connect past academic learning to current lessons, i.e., transferring knowledge. Teachers must make an explicit link between the two. For example, teachers might refer to a previous lesson’s PowerPoint slides, a text that was read, or other visuals related to the topic. By preserving and explicitly referring to photos, word banks, illustrations, charts, maps and graphic organizers, teachers have tools for helping students make those connections between previous learning and new learning. The review of previous learning may be brief but should focus on key information that students need to remember and academic vocabulary from prior lessons.
3. Building vocabulary
Students need labels – or vocabulary — for the concepts they are learning. Background knowledge and vocabulary are interconnected. This means that as students learn new language, they are simultaneously learning new concepts. Teachers play a pivotal role in fostering the development of vocabulary knowledge among multilingual learners. For instance, when discussing mathematical concepts, teachers might emphasize terms like “base,” “height,” “dimensions,” and “area” so that they learn the terms but also the concepts the terms represent.
When multilingual learners are exposed to a variety of experiences and information, they can better understand the subtle differences in how words are used, which allows them to express themselves more clearly and accurately. The more background knowledge they have, the easier it is for them to pick up on the multiple meanings that words can have, depending on the context, boosting their overall language skills.
The most effective way for students to learn new vocabulary is for teachers to be explicit, meaning that each word is introduced, written, repeated, practiced with peers, and highlighted in context. The teacher would provide a visual of each word, use the words repeatedly during the lesson and point out their meaning when the words are encountered in text. Students may work together on an activity in which they practice using the words. In this way, students not only learn new words, but they are also developing an understanding of the concepts that the words represent and how to use them in context, such as finding the area of an object.
Another way to foster vocabulary learning is to make students more aware of words and encourage them to become word learners. In early grades, this might include teaching students the different forms of a base word, such as “please,” “pleased,” or “pleasant.” By revisiting these words regularly and showing how they change in different contexts, students gain a deeper understanding of the English language.
In conclusion, the importance of developing background knowledge with multilingual learners cannot be overstated. It’s the foundation for not only understanding what they read and learn about but also for building vocabulary and improving overall language skills, giving them the tools they need to thrive.