Gagne’s Hierarchy of Learning – Eight types of learning

Gagne’s Hierarchy of Learning – Eight types of learning

1. Gagne’s hierarchy of learning Suresh Babu G Assistant Professor CTE CPAS Paippad , Kottayam

2. Robert Mills Gagn e Robert Mills Gagne (August 21, 1916 – April 28, 2002) was an American educational psychologist best known for his "Conditions of Learning ". In 1965 Robert Gagne published his book entitled The Conditions of Learning. In his book, Gagne (1965) described the analysis of learning objectives, and how these different classes of learning objectives relate to the appropriate instructional designs.

3. Gagne’s Theory of Instruction

4. Gagne’s hierarchy of learning Gagne defined learning as a change in human disposition or capacity, which can be retained and which is not simply ascribable to the process of growth. According to him, there are eight types of learning arranged in a hierarchical order beginning with simple from and ending with a complex form. In his view learning of a new capability requires the prior learning of the subordinate capacities that are involved in the new capability.

5. 1. Signal Learning ( Classical Conditioning ) Here the individual learns to make a diffuse response to a signal or stimulus. Eg , An infant smiles at the sight of its mother. mam

6. 2. Stimulus Response Learning ( Operant Conditioning ) Involves the connection between a stimulus and a response. The leaner is learning to make precise movement of muscle in response to specific stimulus. Eg , A child says papa at the sight of his father. papa

7. 3. Chain Learning. This is a more advanced form of learning in which the subject develops the ability to connect two or more previously- learned stimulus-response bonds into a linked sequence. It is the process whereby most complex psychomotor skills ( eg riding a bicycle or playing the piano) are learned.

8. 4. Verbal Association This is a sub- veriety of chaining that occurs when the stimuli and responses in chain learning consists of words Example : A child learns the Malayalam equivalent of English words Malayalam to English

9. 5. Discrimination Learning Here the leaner acquires the ability to distinguish two set of stimuli or situations so as to make the response appropriate to each member of the set. Example : The child learn to distinguish between his mother and his aunt. It’s my Mother

10. 6. Concept Learning The learner acquires a capacity to respond to stimuli that a class of objects share in common. Here generalization within classes and discrimination between classes are learned by identifying abstract characteristics like colour , shape, position etc. Example : The child learns the concept bird. He distinguishes a birds from a mammal. Birds

11. 7. Principle Learning It includes the acquiring of knowledge and understanding of a relationship between concepts. Example : A child learns the principle – metals expand on heating. It’s expanding

12. 8. Problem Solving It is the highest stage in the hierarchy of learning process. It involves the application of the principles that have already learnt, in order to achieve some goal. Example : A boy proves theorems in geometry.

13. Educational Implications The teaching-learning activities should be arranged in accordance with mental abilities of the learner at each level of the learning hierarchy. The formal education should be planned hierarchically on the basis of the increasing complexities of the different types of learning. Teachers can analyze any significant learning based on the learning order acquired by leaner in to a progression of subordinate learning.

14. The teacher should ensure that the leaner has acquired the necessary initial state of learning before he is introduced to subsequent levels of learning. Due weightage should be given to the learning hierarchy while framing curriculum. According to Gagne, for each phase of learning certain internal processes occurs in the learner’s central nervous system. The role of the teacher is to plan and control these external events. Gagne considers a teacher as a designer and manager of instruction and an evaluator of student learner Educational Implications

15. Gagne’s Five Verities of Human Capacity 1. Intellectual skills that permit the symbolic control of the learning process. 2. Cognitive strategies that allows the learner to control his/her own learning process. 3. Verbal information – the cognitive/informational basis for employment. 4. Attitudes which positively or negatively influence the learner’s movement towards or away from that which is to be learned. 5. Motor skill, which allows the physical movement necessary to perform the act

16. Gagne’s Principle Contributions Place emphasis on the psychology of learning in instructional design. Saw learning as categorized in terms of learning outcome or knowledge type. Saw the acquisition different internal and instructional processes. Represented learning outcomes in terms of their component parts arranged in a predictable prerequisite relationship. Identified routine instructional steps that stimulate the varieties stages of the learning process.

17. Help learns to reach the higher level