ABSTRACT
Schema theory holds that knowledge is interconnected in the mind in a design. This being true, the interconnections, or nodes, of this network are of interest to the teacher. Though the content of each person’s knowledge schema is different, some interconnecting points can be held in common. What might these be and how might they be taught? In general terms, the nodes in a network of knowledge vary in nature and are specific to the category. They are concepts, facts, events, generalizations, attitudes, strategies, or skills: in math—properties, theorems, patterns, formulas, problem-solving strategies; in language—words, quotes, genres, skills, themes; in social studies—events, people, facts, case studies, concepts, generalizations; in science—experiments, hypotheses, theories, phenomena; in the arts—styles, genres, skills, people, media. Each of these knowledge connectors is a place to which the learners can return to remember, expand, adjust, and use knowledge. They are connectors that will not always stay the same, changing in accuracy and importance as the individual’s schema develops. The teacher’s role is to help shape this development by recognizing the structural nature of knowledge, making available some of the connectors, teaching the students how to use them, and emphasizing the Big Ideas, a term popularized by Jay McTighe (see Glossary).
