Definition
In instructional design, a connection that ties new information to something the learner already knows, allowing the new material to be understood, remembered, and applied more easily.
Plain English
A mental bridge between something familiar and something new. When an instructor 'links' a concept, they connect it to what the student already understands so the new idea sticks.
Context Anchor
Seen in instructor training discussions about how students learn skills step by step.
Derivation
From Old English 'hlence,' meaning a chain ring. The image is a chain — each new piece of knowledge is connected to the existing chain rather than left floating on its own.
Why Pilots Care
Instructors who link new material to a student's existing knowledge produce pilots who actually retain what they were taught. Information taught without a link tends to fade quickly and fail under pressure in the cockpit.
Analogy
A chain works only if each link connects to the next one. Learning a maneuver works the same way: each small step has to connect before the full action feels smooth.
Intuition Check
Do not read link here as a website link or a radio data connection. In this training context, it means one connected piece of learning in a larger sequence.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor used a link to connect the concept of angle of attack to the student's earlier lesson on lift.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors used the Link to introduce basic attitude instrument flying.