4:2 Schema

Where and When Did I Find the Word?: ‘Schema’ came up in my reading in Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: If Not Me, Then Who? by Rachel Billmeyer and Mary Lee Barton.  The context where I found the word states, "A reader's schema (the singular form of schemata) comprises the total amount she has on a given subject" (p.62).

What It Means: ‘Schema’ is the knowledge a person has on a certain subject already stored in their head.  A person uses his or her schema to help seek out information they already have stored.  A person can use schema to help them make inferences, make predictions, organize information, and elaborate.

Level of Familiarity: I am very familiar was the term ‘schema.’  I feel that the term ‘schema’ was not introduced to me until I started taking education classes in undergraduate school.  When I was a student, I was always informed to use my prior knowledge to make inferences, make predictions, organize information, and elaborate.  I feel that I am pretty familiar with the term now a days but simply through my higher education.

Do I Want to Know This Word Well and Why?:  I feel that it is very necessary for me to know the term ‘schema’ well in my field of education. It may be more important to know how to activate and be aware of a student's schema than to actual know what the term itself means.

Do I Think Others Should Know This Word... If so Who and Why?: I feel that others should know this word especially in the field of education.  Teachers need to be aware of the importance of activating a student's prior knowledge and their schema when introducing new topics and information. 

Billmeyer, R. & Barton, M.L. (1998). Teaching reading in the content areas: If not me,
            then who? (2^nd ed.). Aurora, CO: Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory.