Identifying a relationship between visitors and objects or events is the most powerful contextual interpretive strategy. It is also at the heart of constructivism.
“Relating” is learning in the context of one’s life experiences or pre-existing knowledge.
Teachers use
relating
when they link a new concept to something completely familiar to students, thus connecting what students already know to the new information. When the link is successful, students gain almost instant insight.
call this reaction “felt meaning” because of the “aha!” sensation that often accompanies the insight. Felt meaning can be momentous, as when a student first sees the solution to a problem that he or she has spent significant time and effort in solving. Felt meaning can also be subtle, as when insight leads to a milder reaction, such as, “Oh, that makes sense.”