Lesson 12: Ausubel's Subsumption Theory

The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this
and teach him accordingly.

- David Ausubel

DAVID P. AUSEBEL

- David P. Ausubel was born in 1918 and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. He attended the University of
Pennsylvania, taking the pre-medical course and majoring in Psychology.
- A series of psychological professorships ensued at schools of education: the University of Illinois,
University of Toronto, and in the European universities at Berne, the Salesian University at
Rome, and the Officer's Training College at Munich. He received a Fulbright Research Grant in
1957-58 to do a comparative study of the vocational motivation of Maoris and Europeans.

SUBSUMPTION THEORY

Knowledge is hierarchically organized

New information is meaningful if it is related (attached, anchored) to previous knowledge

It is about how individuals learn large amounts of meaningful material from verbal/textual presentations
into school setting

He proposed the use of graphic organizer

FOCUS OF AUSEBEL'S THEORY

1. The most important factor influencing learning is the quantity, clarity, and organization of the
learner's present knowledge. This comprise his/her cognitive structured
2. Meaningful learning is achieved if new idea is related in some sensible way to ideas that the
learner already possesses. Foundation of knowledge should be strong. The use of graphic
organizer strengthens cognitive structure as it allows the learner have a bird's eye view of the
big picture.

FOUR PROCESSES OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING

a. Derivative Subsumption- the new information you learn is derived or anchored on your prior
knowledge. Example, a concept of 'virus', you know what virus can do to the body and how it is
usually transmitted.
b. Correlative assumption- it is a learning process which relates new knowledge and expands its
meaning to the person.
c. Superordinate learning- when an individual has learned the different specific concepts and is
introduced to the general concept of his/her specific knowledge.
 d. Combinatorial learning- this is when newly acquired knowledge combines with prior knowledge
to enrich the understanding of both concepts.

TYPES OF ADVANCE ORGANIZERS

1. Expository-describes the new content

2. Narrative- presents the new information in the form of a story to students
3. Skimming- is done by looking over the new material to gain a basic overview
4. Graphic organizer-visuals to set up or outline the new information. This may include
pictographs, descriptive patterns, concept patterns, concept map