Gagne’s Conditions of

Learning
INTRODUCITON

In his theory, Gagne specified several different types

or levels of learning. He stressed that different internal
and external conditions are needed for each type of
learning, thus his theory is called conditions of learning.
He also provided nine instruction events that serve as
basis for the sequencing of instruction.
 Gagne’s Condition of Learning

9 Events of Instruction
Categories of Learning
Gaining Attention

Informing the Learner of the Objective

Verbal Information
Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning

Intellectual Skills Presenting the Stimulus

Providing Learner Guidance

Cognitive Strategies Eliciting Performance

Giving Feedback
Attitudes

Assessing Performance

Motor Skills Enhancing Retention and Transfer

- Gagne’s theory deals with all aspects of learning. However, the focus of the
theory is on intellectual skills.

Gagne’s Principle

1. Different instruction is required for different learning outcomes

Gagne’s Five Categories of Learning

a. Verbal Information
b. Intellectual Skills
c. Cognitive Strategies
d. Motor Skills
e. Attitudes
 Category of Learning Example of Learning Outcome
Stating previously learned materials such as facts,
Verbal Information
concepts, principles and procedure, e.g. listing the 14
learner-centered psychological principles
Intellectual Skills; Discrimination; Distinguishing objects, features or
Discriminations, Concrete symbol, e.g., distinguishing an even and odd
Concepts, Defined number.
Concepts, Rules, Higher Concrete Concepts; Identifying classes of concrete
Order Rules objects, features or events, e.g., picking out all the
red beads from a bowl of beads.
Defined Concepts; Classifying new examples of
events or ideas by their definition, e.g., noting”she
sells sea shells” as alliteration.
Rules; Applying a single relationship to solve a class
or problems, e.g., computing average monthly
income of a company.
Order Rules; Applying a new combination of rules to
solve a complex problem, e.g., generating a
Conditions of Learning
1. Draw attention to distinctive features
by variation in print or speech
2. Present information so that it can be
made into chunks.
3. Provide a meaning ful context for
effective encoding of information.
4. Provide cues for effective recall and
generalization of information.
1. Call attention to distinct features.
2. Stay within the limits working memory
3. Stimulate the recall previously learned
component skills.
4. Present verbal cues to the ordering or
combination of component skills.
5. Schedule occasions for practice and
spaced review.
6. Use a variety of contexts promote
transfer
Cognitive Strategies Employing practical ways to guide learning,
thinking, acting and feeling, e.g., constructing
concept maps of topics being studied.
Attitudes Choosing personal actions based on internal states
of understanding and feeling, e.g., deciding to avoid
soft drinks and drinking at least 8 glasses of water
everyday.
Motor Skills Executing performances involving the use of
muscles, e.g., doing the steps of the singkil dance.
1. Describe or demonstrate the strategy.
2. Provide a variety of occasion for
practice using the strategy.
3. Provide informative feedback as to the
creativity or originality of the strategy
or outcome.
1. Establish an expectancy of success
associated with the desired attitude.
2. Assure student identification with an
admired human model.
3. Arrange for communication or
demonstration of choice of personal
action.
4. Give feedback for successful
performance or allow observation of
feedback in the human model.
1. Present verbal or other guidance to
cue the executive subroutine
2. Arrange repeated practice.
3. Furnish immediate feedback as to the
accuracy of performance.
4. Encourage the use of mental practice.
2. Learning hierarchies define what intellectual skills are to be learned and a sequence of instruction.
3. Events of learning operate on the learner in ways that constitute the conditions of learning.

9 Instructional Events and corresponding Cognitive Processes

1. Gaining Attention (Retention)
2. Informing Learners of the Objective (Expectancy)
3. Stimulating Recall or Prior Learning (Retrieval)
4. Presenting the Stimulus (Selective Perception)
5. Providing Learning Guidance (Semantic Encoding)
6. Eliciting Performance (Responding)
7. Proving Feedback (Reinforcement)
8. Assessing Performance (Retrieval)
9. Enhancing Retention and Transfer (Generalization)

Example
1. Gain Attention – Show variety of computer-generated triangles.
2. Identify Objective – pose question “What is an equilateral triangle?”
3. Recall Prior Learning – review definitions of triangles
4. Present Stimulus – give definition of equilateral triangle
5.Guide Learning – show example of how to create an equilateral triangle
6. Elicit Performance – ask students to create 5 different triangles
7. Provide Feedback – check all examples as correct/incorrect
8. Assess Performance – provide scores and remediation
9. Enhance Retention/Transfer – show pictures of objects and ask students to identify equilaterals
 Event of Instruction
1. Gaining Attention
2. Informing the Learner of
the Objective
3. Simulating Recall of Prior
Learning
4. Presenting the Stimulus
5. Providing Learner
Guidance
Lesson Example/Conditions of Learning
Teacher tells learners how she has used
Powerpoint in the classroom .Shows an example of
a powerpoint. Asks learners questions about using
powerpoint.
Teacher says “ Today we are going to work on using
a multimedia presentation software, Microsoft
Powerpoint.
For this particular group of learners, they have
learned previously about Microsoft Windows,
particularly Microsoft Word. Teacher associates
this knowledge with lesson at hand.
Teacher gives students hands-on, step-by-step
tutorial in using Microsoft Powerpoint.
Teacher demonstrates how to create a presentation.
Teacher moves around and shows students how to use
the tools to type in text, add links and symbols and clip
art, insert videos and diagrams, use sounds, etc. Learners
are allowed to try the tools demonstrated n partners on
their computer.
Rationale
Giving background information creates
validity.
The use of multimedia grabs the audience’s
attention.
Asking questions in the beginning creates an
interactive atmosphere.
Make learners aware of what to expect so
that they are aware and prepared to receive
information.
When learning something new, accessing
prior knowledge is a major factor in the
process of acquiring new information.
The goal is information acquisition,
therefore, the stimulus employed is written
content and the actual software program.
Teacher uses “discovery learning” because learners are
adult and it gives them the freedom to explore . Teacher
facilitates the learning process by giving hints and cues
when needed. Since the audience are pre-service with
some basic level of technology skills and the software
program is easy to follow and understand guidance is
minimal.
6. Eliciting Performance Teacher asks students to demonstrate powerpoint Requiring the learner to produce based on
tools what has been taught enables the learner to
confirm his/her learning.
Regular feedback enhances learning.
7. Giving Feedback Teacher gives immediate feedback to learners
after eliciting responses.
8. Assessing Performance Assign a practice activity. Create an electronic Independent practice force students to use
story book using Microsoft Powerpoint. Teacher what they learned and apply it. Assessing
checks work such gives instructors a means os testing
student learning outcomes.
9. Enhancing Retention and Teacher asks learners to create activities using Applying learning in real-life situations is a
Transfer Powerpoint presentation for 6th grade pupils. step toward Mastery Learning
Teacher also assigns learner to teach another
learner how to make powepoint presentation.
 Ausubel’s Meaningful Verbal
Learning/Subsumption Theory
Introduction

Many educational psychology theories often criticize the

expository or presentational manner of teaching. They say that
teachers assumes such as major role in learning as providers of
information, while students remain as passive receivers of
information. David Ausubel, instead of criticizing this manner of
teaching, proposed ways of improving it. He suggested the use
of advance organizers. His ideas are combined in his theory of
Meaningful Verbal Learning.
 Ausubel’s Subsumption
Theory

Meaningful Reception of Four Processes for Advance Organizers

Information Meaningful Leaning

Learner’s Cognitive Derivative Subsumption Expository

Structure

Correlative
Narrative
Use of Advance Subsumption
Graphic Organizer

Superordinate Learning Skimming

Subsumption

Combinatorial Learning Graphic Organizers

- The main theme of Ausubel’s theory is that knowledge is hierarchically organized; that new information is meaningful to the
extent that it can be related (attached, anchored) to what is already known. It is about how individuals learn amounts of
meaningful material from verbal textual presentations in a school setting. He proposed the use of advance organizers as a
tool for learning.

Focus of Ausubel’s Theory

1. The most important factor influencing learning is the quantity, clarity and organization of the learner’s present knowledge.
2. The way to strengthen the student’s cognitive structure is by using advance organizers that allow students to already have a
bird’s eye view or to see the “big picture” of the topic to be learned even before going to the details.

Ausubel’s belief of the use of advance organizers is anchored on the principle of subsumption. He taught that the
primary way of learning was subsumption : a process by which new material is related to relevant ideas in the existing cognitive
structure.

Four Processes of Meaningful Learning

1. Derivative Subsumption – this describes the situation in which the new information you learn in an example of a concept
that you have already learned.
2. Correlative Subsumption
3. Superordinate Subsumption
4. Combinatorial Subsumption
Advance Organizers

The advance organizer is a major instructional tool proposed by Ausubel. The advance organizer , gives you two
beneifits: (1) You will find it easier to connect new information with what you already know about the topic, and (2) you can
readily see how the concepts in a certain topic are related to each other. As such, advance organizers facilitate learning by
helping you organize and strengthen your cognitive structure.

Types of advance organizers

1. Expository – describes the new content.

2. Narrative – presents the new information in the form of a story to students.
3. Skimming – is done by looking over the new material to gain a basic overview.
4. Graphic organizer – visuals to set up ir outline the new information. This may include pictographs, descriptive
patterns, concept maps.

Application if Principles

1. The most general ideas of a subject should be presented first and the progressively diffentiated in terms of detail
and specificity. He called this progressive differentiation. According to Ausubel, the purpose of progressive differentiation is to
increase the stability and clarity of anchoring ideas.
2. Instructional materials should attempt to integrate new material with previously presented information through
comparisons and cross-referencing of new and old ideas.