Plain English Meaning
A schema is the mental map a person has built in their head about how something works. When new information comes in, the brain checks it against this map and either fits it in, updates the map, or builds a new one.
Full Definition
A mental framework or organized structure of knowledge that a learner builds from experience, used to interpret new information and connect it to what is already known. In instructional theory, schemas are the patterns the mind uses to recognize, categorize, and respond to situations.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation instructor training when explaining how students learn concepts, connect new lessons to earlier experience, and build understanding over time.
Derivation
From the Greek 'skhēma,' meaning 'form' or 'figure.' The word kept the sense of an underlying shape or pattern — in teaching, the shape of a learner's understanding.