GESTALT

LEARNING THEORY
PREPARED BY: DIANNE BERMAS
BSED-ENGLISH 3A
PRE-TEST:
Direction: Encircle the letter of the correct answer. Each correct answer is equivalent into two (2)
points for a total of ten (10) points.
1. An idea that is suggested or presented as possibly true but that is not known or proven to be
true.
a. Myth
b. Legend
c. Theory
d. Short Story
2. Commonly known as the “Law of Simplicity”.
a. Gestalt Learning Theory
b. Cognitive Learning Theory
c. Socio-cultural Theory
d.Social Learning Theory
3. Which of the following theorists does not contribute to the creation of Gestalt
Learning Theory?
a. Max Wertheimer c. Kurt Koffler
b. Wolfgang Kohler d. Sigmund Freud
4. The focus of Gestalt Theory was the idea of __________?
a. Individualism c. Grouping
b. Simplicity d. Complexity
5. In which country does Gestalt Learning Theory originated?
a. U.S.A c. Philippines
b. Germany d. India
DISCUSSI
ON
PROPER
GESTALT FOUNDERS
 Max Wertheimer
 Kurt Koffka
 Wolfgang Kohler
 Max Wertheimer
He was born in Prague in 1880. After obtaining
his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of
Wurzburg in 1904, he taught at several universities
in Germany. He eventually ended up teaching at the
New school for Social Research in New York,
where he remained until his death in 1943. He is
one of 3 the founders of Gestalt Psychology and
was known for his work in productive Thinking, as
well as for his concept of Phi Phenomenon.
 Kurt Koffler
He was born in Berlin in 1886. He earned his
Ph.D. From the University of Berlin in 1908. In
1927, after emigrating to the U.S, he became a
professor at Smith College in Massachusetts. He had
a great interest in laws that govern the human
perception of the environment, as well as in
interpretation and developmental psychology. He
died in 1941.
 Wolfgang Kohler
He was born in Estonia in1887 and was an
eminent psychologist and phenomenilogist. He
earned his Ph.D. From the University of Berlin in
1909. He met Wertheimer and Koffka at the
University of Frankfurt. In the 1930’s he emigrated
to the United States and became a professor at
Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania until his death
in 1967.
THE GESTALT THEORY
(GESTALTISM)
Commonly known as the Law of Simplicity, every stimulus perceived by
humans in its most simple form.
 The main focus of the theory is “grouping”,i.e., characteristics of stimuli
cause us to structure or interpret a visual field or problem in a certain way.
(Wertheimer,1922)
 And the entire theory emphasizes on the fact that the whole of anything is
greater than the sum of its parts.
 The “gestalt” in German means the “shape of an entity’s complete form”.
Thus,the operational principle of the brain is holistic and has self-organizing
inclination.
 Gestalt is a German word which means pattern or form.
THE GESTALT
THEORY
This theory proposes that
learning consists of
grasping of a structural
whole and not just a
mechanistic response to a
stimulus.
THE FOUR (4) LAWS OF ORGANIZATION
 The factors that determine the principle of “grouping”- also known as the “Law
of Organization”- are the following:
1. PROXIMITY
Elements are typically grouped together based on their immediacy/nearness.
2. SIMILARITY
Elements similar to one another tend to be grouped together
3. CLOSURE
Elements are typically grouped together if they are part of an entity.
4. SIMPLICITY
Elements should be organized into simplistic figures, based on their symmetry, smoothness
and regularity.
 The primary goal of the Gestalt Theory is to encourage the brain to view
not just the whole, but also the parts that make up that whole.
For example: When someone is looking at a tree, is he just staring at this tree,
or does he also see the leaves, the branches, and the trunk?
 The whole and the sum of its parts are two entirely different things, and
learning can be achieved if learners are able to cognitively process how parts
cane make up this whole.
THE MAIN PRINCIPLES OF THE
GESTALT THEORY
1. Teachers should encourage their students to discover the relationship of the
elements that make up the problem.
2. Incongruities, gaps, or disturbances are essential stimuli in the learning
process.
3. Educational instruction should be based on the laws of organization:
Proximity, Similarity, Closure and Simplicity.

In a learning environment, the Gestalt Theory applies to problem solving

and perception. However, it can be used in all aspects of education.
HISTORY AND THEORIST OF
GESTALT THEORY
 The term “Gestalt” was created by German
theorist Graf Christian von Ehrenfels who
said that learning takes place as students
were able to comprehend a concept in its
entirety, rather than broken up into parts.
(Ehrenfels, 19370.
 Max Wertheimer was one of Ehrenfels’
students and with his two assistants
Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka studied
the use of tachistoscope and its effects.
POST-TEST:
Direction: Answer the following questions briefly.
I.
1. What is Gestalt theory of Learning?
2. Who are the theorists contributed in the creation of Gestalt Learning
Theory?
3. What is Gestalt esplained simply?
4. What are some real life applications of Gestalt Theory?
5. How do you apply Gestalt theory to teaching and learning?
REFERENCES
 Ellis, W.D.(1938). A Source of Book of Gestalt Psychology. New York: Harcourt, Brace &
World
 Scholarpedia. Gestalt Principles. Retrieved September29, 2013, from
http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gestalt_principles
 Wertheimer, M. (1923). Laws of Organization in Perceptual forms. First published as
Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt II in Psychologische Forschung, 4, 301-350.
translation published in Ellis, W. (1938). A source book of Gestalt psychology (pp.71-88).
London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
 Wertheimer, M. (1959). Productive Thinking (Enlarged Ed.). New York:Harper & Row.
 https://www.gestalttheory.com/
 https://www.gestalt.org/barlow.htm
 https://www.priceton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Gestalt_psychology.html
That would be all, Thank you so much!