2+-+Six+Principles+for+Building+an+Indirect+Approach

=**Six Principles for Building an Indirect Approach**= = =
 * 1) Background Knowledge is stored in bimodal packets
 * 2) The process of storing experiences in permanent memory can be enhanced
 * 3) Background knowledge is multidimensional and its value is contextual
 * 4) Even surface-level background knowledge is useful
 * 5) Background knowledge manifests itself as vocabulary knowledge
 * 6) Virtual experiences can enhance background knowledge.

=Background Knowledge is stored in bimodal packets.= ==
 * The bimodal nature of these packets refers to LINGUISTIC and NON-LINGUISTIC modes
 * Logogens - Episodic and semantic
 * Imagens - non-linguistic representations that include more than images but associated sounds, smells, and sensations of touch or movement.

=The process of storing experiences in permanent memory can be enhanced.= =Background knowledge is multidimensional and its value is contextual.= = =
 * Students require about 4 exposures to information to adequately integrate it into their background knowledge and these exposures should be no more than two days apart.
 * No general set of background knowledge helps us learn in every situation
 * Enhancement must be done subject by subject
 * All students have background knowledge even though not all of them have //academic// background knowledge necessary to do well in school.

=Even surface-level background knowledge is useful= = =
 * Background knowledge does not have to be detailed to be useful.
 * Background knowledge exists at different levels.
 * Lowest levels of BK students have never heard of a topic or don't recall ever hearing about a topic.
 * The second level of BK students understand the key components of a topic
 * The highest level of BK students understand general or abstract ideas about the topic and students will convert the ideas from episodic to semantic memory.
 * The second level appears to be sufficient for BK to be useful.

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=Background knowledge manifests itself as vocabulary knowledge=


 * It is estimated that there is a 4,700 word difference in vocabulary knowledge between high and low SES students
 * What is word?
 * Tags or labels for our packets of knowledge - Words are understanding.
 * Words refer to a group or class of objects
 * Each word is a generalization.

=Virtual experiences can enhance background knowledge.=
 * Reading is a form of virtual experience
 * Reading extensively increases students' storehouse of experiences.
 * There is a great discrepancy in the amount of reading students do
 * Less motivate in middle grades might read 100,000 word per year
 * Average middle grades might read 1,000,000 word per year
 * Voracious readers in middle grades might be 10,000,000 to 50,000,000 words per year (pg 37)
 * Language interaction is a form on virtual experience
 * Consists of talking and listening to others.
 * There is a great discrepancy in the amount of language experiences students from different backgrounds have.
 * Welfare families accumulate 13 million words by the age of 4.
 * Working class families accumulate 26 million words by the age of 4.
 * Professional families accumulate 45 million words by the age of 4. (pg 39)
 * Educational TV is a form of virtual experience
 * Just watching TV does nothing to enhance the development of background knowledge
 * Educational TV can have an impact
 * Watching a movie on a topic had the same effect as listening to a lecture or reading about the topic.

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