What method is often used to assess a learner’s prior knowledge?

The method that is often used to assess a learner's prior knowledge is pre-assessments. Pre-assessments are specifically designed to evaluate what learners already know before they engage with new content. This initial assessment helps educators tailor their instruction to meet the needs of the students by identifying existing gaps in knowledge or skills. Pre-assessments can take various forms, such as quizzes, discussions, or surveys, allowing instructors to gauge the starting point for each learner.

Formative assessments, while useful for monitoring student progress throughout the learning process, are more focused on feedback and improvement rather than solely on measuring prior knowledge. Summative assessments, on the other hand, take place at the end of an instructional period to evaluate overall learning and performance, making them less relevant for assessing prior knowledge specifically. Self-assessments allow learners to reflect on their own understanding and skills but do not provide an objective measure of their prior knowledge as a starting point for instruction. Thus, pre-assessments stand out as the most effective approach for determining what learners already know prior to instruction.