Name Bekah Bryant

Date __________________
EDUG 514 Curriculum Unit Planning
Module Assessment

Ausubel Rote vs Meaningful Learning

Burden & Byrd Chapter 8 (Managing Parts of the Lesson Beginning, Middle, or End;
Managing Student Work, Managing Whole-Group Instruction; Applying the SIOP Model
to Lesson Delivery)
Developing an Initial Unit Sketch - Wiggins & McTighe (CMR)

Explain how they deepen your understanding of the following TPEs:

TPE 2:
TPE 3:
TPE 4:
TPE 5:
TPE 6:
TPE 7:
TPE 8:
TPE 9:

Monitoring Student Learning During Instruction

Interpretation and Use of Assessments
Making Content Accessible
Student Engagement
Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices
Teaching English Learners
Learning About Students
Instructional Planning

1.) The major theory of this module was Ausubel and his focus on meaningful versus Rote
learning. To him, learning that was new would be meaningful if it could be related in a
non-arbitrary fashion to which a person already knew. That is, meaning happens when
new information being learned is soaked into a persons existing cognitive structure and
is related to any previously learned content and making connections with the new
content. Rote learning is the opposite. This happens when the information cannot be
related, or if the learner lacks the relevant prior knowledge necessary for making the
learning task potentially meaningful (Ausubel, 1968). He stresses the importance of
meaningful learning, because it is something that is continuous and relatable, while rote
learning is usually meaningless and does not stick in a persons cognitive structure. This
theory relates perfectly with Chapter 8 in Methods for Effective Teaching in Managing
Parts of the Lesson. For the beginning of the lesson it is important that teachers establish
a set induction. This is the initial activity at the beginning of the lesson that is used to
induce students to a state of wanting to learn. This activity helps establish the context for
learning that is to follow and helps students engage in the learning (Burden & Byrd,
2013). This is designed to help students see what the topic of the lesson is, how it is
related to their interests, as well as their previously learned knowledge. Through making
connections to previous knowledge, teachers can make the learning process of new
information meaningful for students.

2.) To apply this theory of meaningful to the classroom, I would create a set induction or
anticipatory set with each lesson that makes learning relevant and connected for my
students. For example, in my inquiry lesson that I taught with my second graders, I begin
the lesson by asking why they thought experiments were important in our lives. This
brings about the topic we will be focusing on and relates it to their own lives. Next, I
asked what they remember about force and motion. This activated their prior knowledge
and began connecting it to the lesson. This helped create an interest in the lesson in a way
that students can not only relate to previously learned content, but their own lives as well.
This created a learning experience that was meaningful and memorable for my students.
3.) This theory and way of managing beginning instruction in the classroom both deepen my
understanding of TPE 5.6 in that candidates use community resources, student
experiences, and applied learning activities to make instruction relevant. This TPE calls
for instruction to be made relevant to our students. Ausubel discusses the benefits of this.
He explicitly states that meaningful learning and relevant learning sticks, while rote
learning does not. It is crucial for teachers to connect any new information to previously
learned content for students to see how it relates, as well as give real-world application so
that students gain meaning from their learning.