COGNITIVE THEORIES ;

Meaningful Reception Learning is a learning theory of instruction proposed

by Ausubel who believed that learners can learn best when the new
material being taught can be anchored into existing cognitive information in
the learners.

What is a reception learning?

Reception learning takes place in a classroom where a certain subject will
be discussed by the teacher in the class and the students will analyze it in
order to better grasp the lesson being discussed. David Ausubel proposed
Reception Learning (also referred as Expository Learning)

What are the 4 types of learning according to Ausubel?

Ausubel particularly defines and illustrates four processes in these
chapters. He outlines derivative subsumption, correlative subsumption,
superordinate learning, as well as combinatorial learning, and their role in
meaningful learning.

What is meaningful learning theory by David Ausubel?

David Ausubel says that meaningful learning is a crucial type of learning for
classroom instruction. So, meaningful learning involves new knowledge
that is related to what the learner already knows, and it can be easily
retained and applied.

Ausubel’s learning theory stresses the importance of relating new

information with existing knowledge. According to the theory, meaningful
learning occurs once the learners are able to make sense of and integrate
new information into the existing knowledge structures.
Ausbel’s Learning Theory

Ausubel’s learning theory is based on the idea that new knowledge

relies on what is already known. 
The construction of knowledge begins with our observation and recognition
of events and objects through concepts we already have. We learn by
constructing a network of concepts and adding to them.

Ausubel and Novak developed a useful instructional device called the

concept map to represent the relationships between ideas, images, or
words.

Ausubel also stresses the importance of reception rather than discovery

learning and meaningful rather than rote learning. He declares that his
theory applies only to reception learning in school settings. He did not say,
however, that discovery learning doesn’t work, but rather that it is not as
efficient.

Meaningful Learning

Ausubel’s theory also focuses on meaningful learning. According to his

theory, to learn meaningfully, individuals must relate new knowledge to
relevant concepts they already know. New knowledge must interact with
the learner’s knowledge structure.

 Meaningful learning involves recognition of the links between

concepts and can be contrasted with rote learning, which may
incorporate new information into the pre-existing knowledge structure,
but without interaction. 
 Rote memory is used to recall sequences of objects, such as phone
numbers, but it is of no use to the learner in understanding the
relationships between the objects.
 Because meaningful learning involves recognizing the links between
concepts, it has the privilege of being transferred to long-term
memory. 
 The most crucial element in meaningful learning is how the new
information is integrated into the old knowledge structure.
Accordingly, Ausubel believes that knowledge is hierarchically
organized and new information is meaningful to the extent that it can
be related to what is already known.
 Advance Organizers
 Ausubel advocates the use of advance organizers as a mechanism
to help link new learning material with existing related ideas.
Ausubel’s theory of advance organizers falls into two categories:
comparative
and expository.

 Comparative Organizers

 Comparative organizers are used as reminders to bring into working

memory what may not be realized as relevant. They activate
existing schemas and both integrate and discriminate. As Ausubel
wrote, comparative organizers “integrate new ideas with basically
similar concepts in cognitive structure, as well as increase
discriminability between new and existing ideas which are essentially
different but confusably similar” (Ausubel, 1968, p. 149).
 For example, you can use comparative organizers to teach the
“mammals”. To introduce the concept to your students, you could use
a comparative organizer to help your students understand what
distinguishes mammals from other types of animals.
 The comparative organizer might look something like this:
 Category Examples

Mammals Dogs, cats, humans

Birds Eagles, penguins, canaries

Fish Trout, salmon, goldfish

Reptiles Snakes, lizards, turtles

 Comparative Organizers In Ausubel’s Learning Theory

 By using a comparative organizer like this, you’re helping your
students to understand the similarities and differences between
different categories of animals.
 In this case, the organizer highlights the common characteristics of
mammals (warm-blooded, give birth to live young, etc.) and contrasts
them with other types of animals. This can make it easier for students
to remember the characteristics of mammals and to differentiate them
from other types of animals.
 Expository Organizers

 Expository organizers are often used when the new learning

material is unfamiliar to the learner. They relate what the learner
already knows with the new and unfamiliar material to make it more
plausible to the learner. It should be noted that the learner requires
some scaffolding to link the new concepts to what they already know.
 In English language teaching an example of an expository organizer
would be when the teacher intends to teach new animal vocabulary.
 The teacher may proceed by providing dividing the vocabulary into
subtopics such as domestic animals, wild animals, and sea animals.
 By using an expository organizer, learners can see the relationships
between the different subtopics and the main topic, which can help
them to better understand how the vocabulary is related.
 Additionally, by organizing the information in this way, learners can
more easily remember the new vocabulary and its associated details.
  Conclusion
 In conclusion, Ausubel’s learning theory provides valuable insights
into how learners acquire knowledge and how educators can facilitate
meaningful learning. Ausubel emphasizes that learning is not just a
process of acquiring new information. It is rather a process of
connecting new information with what learners already know.
 Meaningful learning is achieved when new information is integrated
into the learners’ knowledge structure, resulting in a lasting
understanding of the material. Advance organizers, both comparative
and expository, are valuable tools that educators can use to facilitate
the learning process and promote meaningful learning.

https://www.myenglishpages.com/blog/ausubels-learning-theory/#ausbels-
learning-theory
References
 Ausubel, D.P. (1960). The use of advance organizers in the learning and retention
of meaningful verbal material. Journal of Educational Psychology, 51, 267-272.
 Ausubel, D. (1963). The Psychology of Meaningful Verbal Learning. New York:
Grune & Stratton.
 Ausubel, D. (1978). In defense of advance organizers: A reply to the critics. Review
of Educational Research, 48, 251-257.
 Ausubel, D., Novak, J., & Hanesian, H. (1978). Educational Psychology: A Cognitive
View (2nd Ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston

David Ausubel
Subsumption Theory
Learning | Tenets | History | Instruction

Definition
Ausubel's theory is concerned with how individuals learn large
amounts of meaningful material from verbal/textual presentations
in a school setting (in contrast to theories developed in the
context of laboratory experiments).
Assumptions about Learning
According to Ausubel, learning is based upon the kinds of
superordinate, representational, and combinatorial processes that
occur during the reception of information. A primary process in
learning is subsumption in which new material is related to
relevant ideas in the existing cognitive structure on a substantive,
nonverbatim basis. Cognitive structures represent the residue of
all learning experiences; forgetting occurs because certain details
get integrated and lose their individual identity.

Major Tenets
A major instructional mechanism proposed by Ausubel is the use
of advance organizers:
"These organizers are introduced in advance of learning itself,
and are also presented at a higher level of abstraction, generality,
and inclusiveness; and since the substantive content of a given
organizer or series of organizers is selected on the basis of its
suitability for explaining, integrating, and interrelating the
material they precede, this strategy simultaneously satisfies the
substantive as well as the programming criteria for enhancing the
organization strength of cognitive structure." (1963, p. 81).
Ausubel emphasizes that advance organizers are different from
overviews and summaries which simply emphasize key ideas and
are presented at the same level of abstraction and generality as
the rest of the material. Organizers act as a subsuming bridge
between new learning material and existing related ideas.

History and Proponents

Ausubel's theory has commonalities with Gestalt theories and
those that involve schema (e.g., Bartlett) as a central principle.
There are also similarities with Bruner's "spiral learning" model,
although Ausubel emphasizes that subsumption involves
reorganization of existing cognitive structures not the
development of new structures as constructivist theories suggest.

Role of the Learner/Teacher

Ausubel clearly indicates that his theory applies only to reception
(expository) learning in school settings. He distinguishes
reception learning from rote and discovery learning; the former
because it doesn't involve subsumption (i.e., meaningful
materials) and the latter because the learner must discover
information through problem solving. A large number of studies
have been conducted on the effects of advance organizers in
learning (see Ausubel, 1968, 1978).

Principles applied to instruction

1. The most general ideas of a subject should

be presented first and then progressively
differentiated in terms of detail and
specificity.
2. Instructional materials should attempt to
integrate new material with previously
presented information through
comparisons and cross-referencing of new
and old ideas.

References
Ausubel, D. (1963). The psychology of meaningful verbal
learning. New York: Grune & Stratton.
Ausubel, D. (1978). In defense of advance organizers: A reply to
the critics. Review of Educational Research, 48, 251-257.
Ausubel, D., Novak, J., & Hanesian, H. (1978). Educational
psychology: A cognitive view (2nd Ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart
& Winston

https://www.uwyo.edu/aded5050/5050unit8/ausubel.asp
Types of Learning (Ausubel)
1.Correlative Subsumption-
According to Ausubel's Subsumption Theory, a learner absorbs new
information by tying it to existing concepts and ideas that they have already
acquired. Rather than building an entirely new cognitive structure, they are
able to relate it to information that is already present within their minds.Nov
18, 2015
What is a correlative subsumption?

Correlative subsumption is when you add new details to what the you
already know, usually a higher-order concept. Superordinate subsumption
introduces a new higher-level concept into which already existing
categories can be integrated.May 21, 2019

What is an example of a correlative subsumption?

Correlative subsumption refers to the elaboration, extension, or

modification of the previously learned concept or propositions by the
subsumptions of the incoming idea (Driscoll, 2000). Example: Learners
during the derivative subsumption process might have a general concept
about “mammal” in mind.

2.Superordinate -This type of learning takes place when a learner learns an

inclusive new concept under which ideas in the cognitive structure are
absorbed. That is learner knew a lot of examples of the concept, but you
did not know the concept until it was taught to pupils.

Example :a word that includes the meaning of more specific words. For
example, 'vehicle' is the superordinate of words such as 'car' and 'truck'.

Superordinate learning. This kind of learning occurs when several

concepts or propositions are recognized as really subordinate units of
some larger, more inclusive idea. For example, children learn that there are
pigs, cows, dogs, and similar animals.

3. Combinatorial
 4.Representational -

 It is the elementary learning on which other learning depends. It is based on

learning symbols and words.

TIPS TO PROMOTE MEANINGFUL LEARNING

1. Take into account the previous knowledge of the students.

2. Make use of activities that are of interest to students.

3. Create a motivational environment to learn.

4. Make use of debates, group work, games, analogies, illustrations, and

previous organizers.

5. Use examples at all times.

6. Be a facilitator of the learning process, clarify doubts, and allow students

to be an active entity during the process.