Robert Gagne developed a theory which I have come to cherish. It is a theory which best describes how I have learnt in the past. This method may seem conventional because “Gagne has developed events of instruction in a nine step sequential process.” However for the creative, adventurous teacher these steps can be used in an unconventional manner. It may appear to be straight and rigid but it is not. It brings out ingenuity and flexibility.
The first step, Gain attention is critical to the learner. In my learning experience teachers who gained my attention with something creative which had to do with the lesson had me wrapped with excitement for new learning. Let us take an example here. If a teacher is about to teach a lesson on natural features to gain attention which is Gagne’s first step decides to post this picture on a screen
Pictures of natural features in Dominica
The teacher may tell the student to observe the pictures on the screen. Then close his or her eyes and imagine standing right next to any of those sights and tell all the sounds that he or she can hear. This certainly will gain the student’s attention. The teacher may then ask the student to open his eyes now and may inform him of what is about to be learnt .This should help shaped the mind to focus on natural features in his or her environment.
The teacher may have a student mimic or role play an aspect of prior learning. This is third step in Gagne’s theory. A stimulus material such as a movie of a group on a visit to several natural features can be presented. With such stimulus material the teacher will certainly be able to have student generate or illicit good response and ideas from the video presentation. This aspect actually has a link to behaviorism and cognitivism. Constructivism can also be linked to this method particularly after learner guidance is provided and performance is elicited.
The teacher can have students write a poem on natural features or compose a song on natural features based on the movie shown and his or her experience. Having done this the teacher will provide feedback and conclude the presentation
One may ask; why should Robert’s theory be cherished? First it has met the three essential criteria for any theory. According to Clark Hull(1935) in Ormrod,J Schunk,D & Gredler Magaret (2008) Gagne’s condition of learning is the acquisition of increasingly complex structures of learned capabilities that build on prior learning.”p6 In addition, it is advised that no one set of characteristics can describe all human learning. However Gagne identified five clear varieties.
Gagne theory can work and learning can be effective using his theory.
Knowing how students learn is indeed very critical. When an instructional designer understands how students learn performance will improve.
Robert Gagne developed a theory which I have come to cherish. It is a theory which best describes how I have learnt in the past. This method may seem conventional because “Gagne has developed events of instruction in a nine step sequential process.” However for the creative, adventurous teacher these steps can be used in an unconventional manner. It may appear to be straight and rigid but it is not. It brings out ingenuity and flexibility.
The first step, Gain attention is critical to the learner. In my learning experience teachers who gained my attention with something creative which had to do with the lesson had me wrapped with excitement for new learning. Let us take an example here. If a teacher is about to teach a lesson on natural features to gain attention which is Gagne’s first step decides to post this picture on a screen
Pictures of natural features in Dominica
The teacher may tell the student to observe the pictures on the screen. Then close his or her eyes and imagine standing right next to any of those sights and tell all the sounds that he or she can hear. This certainly will gain the student’s attention. The teacher may then ask the student to open his eyes now and may inform him of what is about to be learnt .This should help shaped the mind to focus on natural features in his or her environment.
The teacher may have a student mimic or role play an aspect of prior learning. This is third step in Gagne’s theory. A stimulus material such as a movie of a group on a visit to several natural features can be presented. With such stimulus material the teacher will certainly be able to have student generate or illicit good response and ideas from the video presentation. This aspect actually has a link to behaviorism and cognitivism. Constructivism can also be linked to this method particularly after learner guidance is provided and performance is elicited.
The teacher can have students write a poem on natural features or compose a song on natural features based on the movie shown and his or her experience. Having done this the teacher will provide feedback and conclude the presentation
One may ask; why should Robert’s theory be cherished? First it has met the three essential criteria for any theory. According to Clark Hull(1935) in Ormrod,J Schunk,D & Gredler Magaret (2008) Gagne’s condition of learning is the acquisition of increasingly complex structures of learned capabilities that build on prior learning.”p6 In addition, it is advised that no one set of characteristics can describe all human learning. However Gagne identified five clear varieties.
Gagne theory can work and learning can be effective using his theory.
Knowing how students learn is indeed very critical. When an instructional designer understands how students learn performance will improve.
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