The research indicates that student achievement improves when teachers use students' existing knowledge and experience to make new content comprehensible. The more students already know about a subject, the easier it is for them to acquire new information about it. Children learn vocabulary better when the words they study are related to familiar experiences and to knowledge they already possess. Identification with aboriginal languages and tradition helps develop student esteem and cultural identity in ways that promote academic success.
Research also shows that children's imaginations can be powerful learning tools.
All children are readily engaged by myths, fantasy, legends, and folk tales, particularly if they pertain to their own cultures. Myths put meaning at center-stage. Curricula and lesson plans that use the story form to convey essential points can be effective teaching tools.