Pre-Training Principle
Overview
The pre-training principle was first introduced by Ruth C. Clark and Richard E. Mayer (2011). The pre-training principle is used to prevent overwhelming the learner’s cognitive system especially when the content is complex and new. The pre-training principle ensures that learners know the names and characteristics of the key concepts in the lesson prior beginning a lesson.
The pre-training principle was first introduced by Ruth C. Clark and Richard E. Mayer (2011). The pre-training principle is used to prevent overwhelming the learner’s cognitive system especially when the content is complex and new. The pre-training principle ensures that learners know the names and characteristics of the key concepts in the lesson prior beginning a lesson.
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Guidelines for Use
Guideline 1 - Evaluate the Material
Guideline 1 - Evaluate the Material
- Key concepts in the lesson are identified and presented prior to teaching the lesson. This includes key terms or characteristics of the content. The learner will have some background information about what he/she is studying.
- To identify whether the contents being learned are academically appropriate for the learner.
- Having a pre-module helps the educators understand what knowledge the learner already has and what are the next steps and approaches in the lesson.
- Including hover texts and pop-ups of definitions will help learners learn vocabularies and key terms involved in the lesson.
Good Examples of Use
Example 1- Digestion Tutorial
Example 1- Digestion Tutorial
- The tool provides the names and characteristics of each part/ organ involved in the digestive system. The learner then views the “Digestion: Start to Finish” and follow the digestive system process. The learner will have prior knowledge of the characteristics and the function of parts in the digestive system before piecing the whole digestive system process together.
- This example provides all the parts involved in the car brakes and what specifically each part does. It then explains what happens when the brake pedal is pressed. The learner has some background knowledge of the parts involved in the process and prevents learner to be cognitively overloaded when reading the process, in particularly if there are new terms and parts they don’t know.
Helpful Resources
Resource 1 - Pre-Training is Essential to a Complete Training Package
Resource 1 - Pre-Training is Essential to a Complete Training Package
- An article explaining why pre-training principle is essential to learning.
- This research paper investigates how far pre-training eye movements can facilitate knowledge acquisition in multimedia.
- This research paper looks at the effects of using screencasting as a multimedia pre-training tool to manage the intrinsic cognitive load of chemical equilibrium instruction of high school chemistry students.
Research
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning
(3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Huang, Z. (n.d.). Pre-training principle. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/cognitivetheorymmlearning/pre-training-principle
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning
(3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Huang, Z. (n.d.). Pre-training principle. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/cognitivetheorymmlearning/pre-training-principle
Author
Submitted by: Shirley Thang
Contact Info: [email protected]
Bio: Shirley is a Master of Education student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. She is currently a science and math high school teacher in the Greater Toronto Area.
Submitted by: Shirley Thang
Contact Info: [email protected]
Bio: Shirley is a Master of Education student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. She is currently a science and math high school teacher in the Greater Toronto Area.