ELT365 · Day 159 — Schema Theory: Why Background Knowledge Beats Vocabulary

Idea — Schema theory (Bartlett) holds that we interpret new information through existing mental frameworks. A learner with rich background knowledge outperforms one with more vocabulary but no schema.

Example — Cricket fans decode a match report faster than fluent English speakers who have never seen the game, despite equal reading ability.

Try — Before a reading, give learners two minutes to write what they already know about the topic. Activated schema reduces processing load measurably.

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