Associational+Hooks


 * Associational hooks** are a means by which learners can make connections between new information and existing knowledge; allowing for easier assimilation and accommodation of the new knowledge. The following example highlights the use of associational hooks in a classroom environment:

A colleague was charged with teaching computer networking basics in a weekend workshop for kinesiology students. Networking was a relatively new concept at the time for most students, but especially so for those whose focus was on movement and the human body. She hit 'pay dirt' when she realized that in order to help the students grasp this 'foreign' concept she needed to relate the new concepts to those which they were comfortable. Throughout the workshop she referenced the networks within the human body, and drew clear analogies for the students between a computer network and the networks with the human body. She was explicit in her examples and linked new vocabulary to known vocabulary so that the new concepts became less foreign to the students. This is a brilliant example of utilizing an associational hook to draw the learner in and make the learner feel less anxious about the topic, thus enhancing their motivation to learn.