It is a sort of framework, plan, or script. Schemata are created through experiences with, people, objects, and events in the world. They are packets of knowledge and schema theory is how packets are represented and how they facilitate the use of knowledge in particular ways. Thus, the schemata represent our knowledge about all concepts. Because schemata are active in influencing how people interpret events and solve problems, they have also been conceived as mental models.
Mental models are representations of reality that people use to understand specific phenomena s.
There are three processes that have been proposed to account for changes in existing schemata due to learning. They are accretion, tuning, and restructuring. These two theories believe in activating prior knowledge, emphasizing what learners bring to the learning situation and dictating what they will take away from it. These theories also identify that concepts are added to their cognitive structure or details elaborate the schema. The content and organization of instructional materials are important.