Research-Based Principles of Learning and Teaching Strategies
Research-Based Principles of Learning and Teaching Strategies
PRINCIPLES OF
LEARNING AND
TEACHING STRATEGIES
The following list presents the basic
principles and teaching strategies that
underlie effective learning. These principles
are distilled from research from a variety in
disciplines.
1. Students’ prior knowledge can help or
hinder learning.
Students come into our classes with knowledge, beliefs,
and attitudes gained from previous grade levels and
through daily life. As students bring this knowledge to
bear in our classrooms, it influences how they filter and
interpret what they are learning. If students’ prior
knowledge is robust and accurate and activated at the
appropriate time, it provides a strong foundation for
building new knowledge. However, when knowledge is
inert, insufficient for the task, activated inappropriately, or
inaccurate, it can interfere with or impede new learning.
To apply this principle, consider the following
teaching techniques: