Gagné’s Theory of Instruction

Where does this stuff come from??

Dr. Hurd

233

Theories to this place in time…

• Learning theory Instructional theory

• Radical behaviorism: performance analysis and improvement

• Situated cognition: authentic instruction and apprenticeship models of teaching

• Motivational design: motivation to learn

• Constructivist approach: knowledge construction

• Gagné: behaviorist cognitive information-processing

Instructional Psychology, Theories, and Models

• Instructional theory: methods that provide conditions for meeting learning goals

• Built upon existing theories

• Instruction: arrangement of learning conditions to meet an intended learning goal

• 4 part equation:

Instruction = learner + task + environment + context

• Activity: meaningful and relevant

• Model – dependent on context and learning goal

Robert M. Gagné and the Conditions of Learning

• The Conditions of Learning (1965…1985)

• Three major components:

• Taxonomy of learning outcomes

• Learning conditions

• Nine events of instruction

• Information-Processing Theory:

• Internal events

• External events

Taxonomy of Learning Outcomes

• Declarative statements: factual knowledge (what)

• Procedural knowledge: cognitive skills (how)

• Metacognitive knowledge: (when)

• Bloom’s Taxonomy (classifications):– Cognitive skills

– Psychomotor skills

– Affective knowledge

Five Major Learning Outcomes

• Verbal information – declarative knowledge

• Intellectual skills – procedural knowledge; learning hierarchy

• Cognitive strategies – self-guided conditional knowledge

• Attitudes – internal states personal action

• Motor skills – performance with use of muscles

Conditions for Learning

• Categorize learning goals by type of outcome

• Objectives: behaviorist basis

• Benefits: intense systematic instructional design

• Building blocks of instruction:

– Verbal information

– Intellectual skills

– Cognitive strategies

– Attitudes

– Motor skills

Verbal information

• Build on what learners know

• Internal: recall previous knowledge

• External: chunking, meaningful context, imagery, organizers

• Cues: encode = retrieval

• Information embedded in larger context

Intellectual skills

• Build on what learners know

• Incremental steps

• Limitations to short-term memory

• Learner’s attention to the task

• Appropriate practice- external to become internal

Cognitive strategies

• Internal: prior knowledge of concepts and rules

• External:? In your own words…

• Practice strategies in novel situations

• In-context practice

• Information feedback

• Encouragement and reflection

Learning Attitudes

• Receiving

• Responding

• Valuing

• Organizing

Motor skills

• Moving (autonomous or automatic)

• Manipulating

• Communicating

• Creating

9 Events of Instruction

• Event 1: Gaining Attention • Event 2: Informing the Learner of Objective • Event 3: Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning • Event 4: Presenting the Stimulus• Event 5: Providing Learner Guidance• Event 6: Eliciting Performance• Event 7: Providing Feedback• Event 8: Assessing Performance• Event 9: Enhancing Retention and Transfer

The Nine Events of Instruction

• Information transformations memory

• Instructional goal: activation of processes

• Order dependent on delivery system

• Internal process: Instructional event: Action

Event 1: Gaining Attention

• Keller’s model of motivational design

– Analyze the audience

– Define motivational objective

– Design a motivational strategy

– Try out and revise as necessary

• Learner oriented and receptive

• Stimulus change

Event 2: Informing the Learner of the Objective

• Self-expectations

• Simple statements – learning objectives

• Performance – what will be able to do

• Demonstrations – anticipated outcomes

• Instructional materials should = learning objectives

Event 3: Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning

• Knowledge transfer

• Instructor recalls relevant/prerequisite information

• Beginning reviews

• Persistence in problem solving

Event 4: Presenting the Stimulus

• Declarative: textbook, lecture, film

• Intellectual skill learning: distinctive features of the concept

• Cognitive strategy or motor skill: verbal directions or demonstration

• Attitude learning: modeled behavior

• Distinctive features for pattern recognition and selective perception

Event 5: Providing Learner Guidance

• Semantic encoding

• Instructional activity long-term memory

• Guidance:

– Ability of learner

– Available time

– Complexity of learning goals

• Discovery learning

Event 6: Eliciting Performance

• Events 1-5 = learning has occurred (encoded and stored in LTM)

• Learner confirmation

• Learning inferred from behavior

• Safe environment

Event 7: Providing Feedback

• Feedback to detect and correct errors

• Learners’ confidence:

– Focusing on correct response

– Re-teaching or extended elaboration

• Motor skills – grace

• Cognitive strategies – more strategic or creative

Event 8: Assessing Performance

• Learning: change in behavior or performance over time

• Dependability

• Formal assessments

• Final grades

• Rubrics

Event 9: Enhancing Retention and Transfer

• Formative retention and transfer

• Integral part of:

– Event 5 – providing learning guidance

– Event 6 – eliciting performance

– Event 7 – providing feedback

• Attitude learning – not in context

– Role plays, discussions, simulations, CAI

Summary: Planning Instructional Events

• Choice of instructional events – nature of learning situation

• Balance – boredom vs. misdirected or inadequate learning

• Failure - not all 9 included

• Based on student needs