Which term is about forming connections between new content and prior knowledge?

Which term is about forming connections between new content and prior knowledge?

• A. Meaningful learning
• B. Graphic organizers
• C. Social learning theory
• D. Rehearsal

Answer: (A)

Forming connections between new content and what learners already know is the hallmark of meaningful learning. This approach, rooted in Ausubel’s ideas, occurs when new information is related to existing ideas in the learner’s cognitive structure, so it can be subsumed and integrated rather than memorized in isolation. When students tie a new concept to prior knowledge, they build deeper understanding and are more able to transfer what they’ve learned to new situations. Tools like graphic organizers can support this process by visually linking ideas, but they are aids, not the term for the process itself. Other options describe different concepts: learning by observing others and modeling, or repeating information to memorize it, neither of which centers on connecting new material to what’s already known.

Forming connections between new content and what learners already know is the hallmark of meaningful learning. This approach, rooted in Ausubel’s ideas, occurs when new information is related to existing ideas in the learner’s cognitive structure, so it can be subsumed and integrated rather than memorized in isolation. When students tie a new concept to prior knowledge, they build deeper understanding and are more able to transfer what they’ve learned to new situations. Tools like graphic organizers can support this process by visually linking ideas, but they are aids, not the term for the process itself. Other options describe different concepts: learning by observing others and modeling, or repeating information to memorize it, neither of which centers on connecting new material to what’s already known.