• Although Gagne’s theoretical framework covers many aspects of learning, "the focus of the theory is on intellectual skills" (Kearsley, 1994a) • Gagne’s theory is very prescriptive. In its original formulation, special attention was given to military training (Gagne 1962, as cited in Kearsley, 1994a). Prepared by Iris Tia (26.02.10) • five major types of learning levels are identified: a)verbal information b)intellectual skills c)cognitive strategies d)motor skills e)attitudes • Prepared by Iris Tia (26.02.10) Importance of the learning level • each learning level requires "different internal and external conditions" (Kearsley 1994a) i.e., each learning level requires different types of instruction. • examples: a)For cognitive strategies- there must be a chance to practice developing new solutions to problems b)to learn attitudes- the learner must be exposed to a credible role model or persuasive arguments Prepared by Iris Tia (26.02.10) • Hierarchy of learning tasks for intellectual skills according to complexity: a)stimulus recognition b)response generation c)procedure following d)use of terminology e)discriminations f) concept formation g)rule application h)problem solving Prepared by Iris Tia (26.02.10) • The primary significance of this hierarchy is to provide direction for instructors so that they can "identify prerequisites that should be completed to facilitate learning at each level" (Kearsley 1994a). • This learning hierarchy also provides a basis for sequencing instruction.
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• Gagne outlines the following 9 instructional events and corresponding cognitive processes (Kearsley 1994a): 1.gaining attention (reception) 2.informing learners of the objective (expectancy) 3.stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval) 4.presenting the stimulus (selective perception) Prepared by Iris Tia (26.02.10) 5. providing learning guidance (semantic encoding) 6. eliciting performance (responding) 7. providing feedback (reinforcement) 8. assessing performance (retrieval) 9. enhancing retention and transfer (generalization) Prepared by Iris Tia (26.02.10) Strength & Weaknesses of Gagne Theory • some goals were easy to classify into the learning outcome categories, but that many were not as easy to categorize • The objectives were more process oriented than product oriented. It was always very difficult to put these processes into performance terms using Gagne standard verbs. Corry , 1996
Prepared by Iris Tia (26.02.10)
References • Corry, M. (1996). Gagne’s theory of instruction. Available online: • Kearsley, G. (1994a). Conditions of learning (R. Gagne). [Online]. Available: http://www.gwu.edu/~tip/gagne.ht ml [December 1, 1999]. •
Determinants of Market Outlet Choice For Major Vegetables Crop: Evidence From Smallholder Farmers' of Ambo and Toke-Kutaye Districts, West Shewa, Ethiopia