Write what you already know before reading a topic

Before reading anything new, write down everything you already believe about the topic.

Why it works

Prior knowledge writing activates the existing memory network for the domain, making it easier for the new material to find attachment points during encoding. It also surfaces misconceptions you hold, which are then explicitly corrected rather than simply co-existing alongside new accurate information. The generation of imperfect prior knowledge is itself a form of the pre-attempt mechanism that sensitizes memory.

How to do it

1. At the top of a blank page, write everything you believe you know about today’s topic — freely, without editing.
2. Read the source material.
3. Return to your prior-knowledge page and mark each item: correct, partially correct, or wrong.
4. The corrections are the most important learning targets for review.

Evidence

Activating prior knowledge before learning is supported by schema theory and studies of advance organizers. Pre-writing is a generation-based activation method; the retrieval of existing knowledge creates the scaffolding new information needs. (mechanistic)

If prior knowledge contains strong misconceptions, activating them without correction can strengthen incorrect beliefs. The correction step is not optional.

Common mistake

Using the prior-knowledge write as a passive brainstorm that goes unchecked — without returning to compare and correct, the write is enjoyable but fails to leverage its main benefit.