Research School Network: Schema Development Deb Friis discusses how important it is that teachers have a strong understanding of schema development


Schema Development

Deb Friis discusses how important it is that teachers have a strong understanding of schema development

by Durrington Research School
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On Tuesday 29th March I will deliver a Durrington Research School twilight online session on Schema development. This blog will explain what schemas are and then briefly summarise the section on working with schemas from the EEF’s evidence review: Cognitive Science Approaches in the Classroom.

What is a schema?

A schema (or script, frame, or mental model) is a generalisation that organises knowledge in the mind. Schemas are thought to develop by linking individual elements together to form chunks, which are then in turn linked to form an interconnected web of information about a topic. They help to prevent us being overwhelmed by information by providing short-cuts for our minds. They are the building blocks of cognition” (Goleman, 1985). They were at the centre of Piaget’s work on developmental psychology in the 1920s and were linked to memory structures by Bartlett (1932). Schemas were applied to teaching practise by Anderson (1984) and Ghosh & Gliboa (2013) produced a handy list of their essential features:

- An associative network structure
- Based on multiple episodes
- Lack of unit detail
- Adaptability

These features are affected by:

- Chronological relationships
- Hierarchical organisation
- Cross connectivity
- Embedded response options

Teachers often want students to learn by connecting new knowledge, concepts and skills to existing ones in order to refine previous knowledge – making connections to previous knowledge will increase the students’ likelihood of remembering the information. It is thought that by making schemas clear and visible whilst teaching, students are supported in organising and extending their ideas.

Dfr schema
(image via Efrat Furst on Twitter @EfratFurst)

EEF Evidence review 1: Concept mapping / knowledge organisers

Knowledge organisers have become popular in recent years as a way of organising content onto a single A4 page. It is thought that this might help students to view a topic in a more efficient way and also to make connections. There is some evidence to suggest that concept mapping has a positive impact on learning, however new items should not be pitched too far beyond students’ level of prior knowledge. It is unclear which types of tasks work best with this type of organisation, and most studies took the form of mind maps. Concept mapping was most effective when teachers generated the map, as students can experience cognitive overload when trying to engage with and organise the material simultaneously. There are a range of strategies which could be effective including drawing, summarising, self-testing, self-explaining and filling in gaps. Care should be taken that the use of duel coding in schemas to draw pictures is appropriate and is actually reducing cognitive load, as irrelevant illustrations can distract and therefore add to cognitive load.

EEF Evidence review 2: Schema or concept comparison and cognitive conflict


This review examined studies that made comparisons and analogies to support learning, asking them to spot the differences. This might be linked to metacognitive questioning by the teacher. It is important to ensure that misconceptions do not arise through these comparisons. Evidence is mixed in this area with some neutral and negative studies as well as positive, and only a limited number of subjects were included (maths and science).

EEF Evidence review 3: Scaffolds, guidance and schema-based instruction


Covering a wide range of different practices, there is good evidence that using scaffolds and schema-based support are effective in helping pupils to learn complex tasks and solve problems. Studies come from a wide range of disciplines. Many focused on supporting students to learn or reorganise key information or to guide them through a process.

Look out for information on the Durrington Research School twilight session on Schema Development, where we will further explore this topic.

Deb Friis

Deb is a maths teacher at Durrington High School. She is also a Maths Research Associate for Durrington Research School and Sussex Maths Hub Secondary Co-Lead

References:


Dual Coding with Teachers. Oliver Caviglioli 2019
Understanding how we Learn. Weinstein & Sumeracki 2019
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/Cognitive_science_approaches_in_the_classroom_-_A_review_of_the_evidence.pdf

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