Core idea:
Priming prepares students for upcoming content or activities so they process information faster and learn more effectively. It leverages cognitive schemas in long-term memory so related ideas are easier to access when new material appears.
Why it works (cognitive basis):
Activating stored schemas increases the accessibility of related knowledge, speeding recognition, understanding, and application.
Three pillars of priming (with quick tactics):
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Pre-exposure – Give a preview framework so new information “fits.”
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Tactics: welcome email/video, short pretest/quiz or poll, preview slides/workbook, color-coded key points, a starter problem, brief reading.
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Activate prior knowledge – Connect new content to what students already know.
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Tactics: quick recall quizzes, “what I know” brain dump, concept/knowledge maps, explain-to-a-peer, relevance discussion, find-what-I-don’t-know list.
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Retrieval practice – Make students pull information from memory to strengthen retention.
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Tactics: low-stakes quizzes, flashcards, attempt before solution, challenge questions, brain dumps, worksheets with partial info, frequent practice tests.
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Benefits:
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Better retention and transfer, quicker processing, smoother transitions between activities, clearer focus on gaps/misconceptions, and greater student ownership of learning.
Illustrative examples:
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Pre-course welcome sequence (psych course).
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Ungraded unit self-tests with feedback (history).
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Weekly reflective summaries (labor relations).
Bottom line:
Integrate short previews, explicit connections to prior knowledge, and regular retrieval to prime students—especially for topics they typically struggle with.