In the Herbartian model of lesson planning, the 'Motivation or Preparation'…

Concept: Herbart's model of teaching arranges a lesson into a fixed sequence of formal steps, each with one specific instructional purpose. The commonly cited steps are Preparation (or Motivation), Presentation, Association, Generalisation, and Application, with many versions adding a closing Recapitulation/Evaluation step to consolidate and test what was learnt.

Application: The first step, called Preparation or Motivation, comes before any new content is taught. Its purpose is to link the upcoming topic to what learners already know and to arouse their interest, so this step is designed to facilitate prior knowledge activation.

Contrast:

• New concept introduction is the task of the Presentation step, not Preparation.

• Performance evaluation is carried out later, in the Recapitulation/Evaluation step, once the new material has been taught.

• Content summarisation also belongs to the Recapitulation step, where the lesson's key points are consolidated at the end.

Cross-check: Since Preparation occurs at the very start of the lesson before any new content is introduced, only prior-knowledge activation is consistent with its position and purpose in the sequence; the other three describe activities that occur at later stages.