One of the challenges for students is activating their appropriate knowledge to deal with novel situations. Instructors help students learn how to apply their existing knowledge to new problems.
Misconceptions and gaps in student knowledge can greatly impact student learning. Knowing what those gaps are can help you guide students to greater success in your class by enabling you to:
- Gauge overall preparedness of the students
- Target specific knowledge weaknesses
- Address misconceptions so students can try to move beyond them
- Construct a picture of the diverse student backgrounds in your class
- Bridge the gap between prior knowledge and new material