EDUC 5210 Unit2 Written Assignment

Gagne suggested that certain conditions must be present in order for knowledge acquisition,
retention, and retrieval to occur. His nine events are intended to describe learning conditions
which can then inform a teacher’s ability to unpack a lesson plan/unit. Review p. 222, Table
5.5 in the Shunk text.

 If you need a little more insight into Gagne’s approach, please access the site,
Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction and Robert Gagne's nine events of
instruction: https://www.niu.edu/facdev/_pdf/guide/learning/gagnes_nine_events_inst
ruction.pdf
 Gagne’s nine events include aspects of behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
Examine each of Gagne’s nine events and consider whether it best illustrates a
philosophy from the behaviorist approach or the cognitive approach. In your paper,
list the event and justify why you think it best fits a behaviorist or cognitive approach.
Then, create one strategy or one classroom practice that illustrates the event. The
strategy or practice you create should reflect the principles of the behaviorist or

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cognitive approach. It is not necessary to apply both approaches to each of the nine
steps; apply only one.

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Gagne’s Events of Instruction with Respect to Behaviorist and Cognitive Approach
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Department of Education, University of the People
EDUC 5210: Learning Theory and Implications for Instructions
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Dr. Neverson Heatley

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July 1, 2020
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Abstract
Gagne’s nine events of instruction deals with various learning conditions required for
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effective learning. There are three learning phases, preparation, acquisition, and transfer of
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learning. The instructional events offer strategies for effective instructional design. The
theory includes aspects of behaviorism and cognitivism, the two dominant learning
theories.
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Keywords: instructional design, learning, behaviorist, cognitivism, instructional events,

learning phases, learning conditions
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Gagne’s Events of Instruction with Respect to Behaviorist and Cognitive Approach

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Learning is a continuous process of building on the existing understanding that leads to new
or deepened understanding. Gagne’s instructional theory involves learning conditions that
prevail for learning to occur (Schunk, 2012). The theory includes aspects of the two dominant
learning theories, behaviorism, and cognitivism, and offers an organized and systematic
approach of instructional design. This essay will examine each of Gagne’s nine instructional
events and determine whether it illustrates behaviorism theory or cognitive theory.
Instructions are a set of external events to facilitate the internal process of learning. Two
crucial steps for designing instructions are identifying the learning outcomes and determining
the learning events or conditions (Schunk, 2012). Gagne’s approach identifies three learning

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 phases, preparation, acquisition, and transfer of learning, that decides the instructional events.
The sets of instructional events can be used in different domains of disciplines for training or
learning for a varied group of learners (Khadjooi, Rostami, & Ishaq, 2011).
The first learning event, Gaining Attention, is meant to ensure learners are ready and
prepared for learning (Schunk, 2012). A stimulus is presented to capture their attention, spark
curiosity, and motivate them to learn. Few strategies are planning for a surprise, posing a
relevant common question, or providing interesting visual or audio stimuli (Northern Illinois
University, n.d.). This step best fits with the behaviorist approach as it considers the external
stimulus provided by the environment and learners’ response to the same. In the context of
learning about conservation and non-renewable resources, a gallery of relevant images will
spark curiosity, trigger wonder questions and, lead to general discussions.
The second learning event, Expectancy, sets up the learning goals by informing
learners of the learning objectives or outcomes for the course (Schunk, 2012). Describing the
required performance and establishing and describing the criteria for the same will give
learners an overview of what they are going to learn and why they are learning (Northern
Illinois University, n.d.). This helps learners organize their own thought and direct their
attention to learning goals. This initiates the internal process that illustrates learning

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philosophy from the cognitive approach. Here, the teacher will introduce the central idea of
the unit, the lines of inquiry and possible learning outcomes, and will identify individual

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learning goals.
The third learning event, Retrieval, is meant to stimulate the recall of prior learning

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and personal experiences, connect to the current content, and facilitate learning (Northern
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Illinois University, n.d.). This triggers the internal thought process of comparing existing
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knowledge to include new information. Retrieval can be best illustrated by the cognitive
approach of information processing, reorganizing the data stored in the memory (McLeod,
2018). The teacher will lead brainstorming sessions, where learners will discuss and answer
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various relevant questions.

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The fourth learning event, Presenting the content, deals with selective perception as
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“sensory registers recognize relevant stimulus features and transfer them to working
memory”
(Schunk, 2012). A well organized, meaningful, and differentiated content, demonstrations,
and explanations, and active learning strategies engage and involve learners in advancing
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own learning (Northern Illinois University, n.d.). This event, mostly, occurs in the cognitive
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domain, as this addresses individual thinking creating individual perceptions. Teachers will
provide various reading materials, artifacts, use google classroom for online discussions on
renewable and non-renewable resources and identify individual learning goals
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The fifth event, Providing Guidance, presents various strategies and methods to
support the learners and guide them on “learning how to learn” (Northern Illinois University,
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n.d.). Strategies include instructional support, visual images, case studies, learning strategies
like mind maps, role play, etc. This step deals with semantic encoding, where new knowledge
is transferred to long term memory. This event best fits the cognitive approach. Here, learners
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will compare and analyze various before-after images related to conservation and read case
studies. With teacher support, learners will work on concept mapping to get a clear
understanding of the concerns, factors, and human responsibility and work on problem-
solving.
The sixth instructional event, Elicit Performance, accompanies the learning phase of
retrieval and responding and focuses on practice (Berkeley Lab, n.d.). Teachers provide
actual situations for students to learn by doing and apply their learning. This event illustrates
the cognitive approach related to discovery learning (McLeod, 2018). Few strategies to
activate learning are group discussions, laboratory exercises, collaboration with peers, group

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 projects, writing assignments, creating models, etc. Learners will work on their individual
and group projects or models, like solar cookers, rainwater harvesting, wind-powered fan,
etc.
The seventh event, Providing Feedback, addresses the learning phase of reinforcement
of learning. Specific constructive feedback supports the children identify any learning gaps in
understanding and promote learning by working on the same. The feedback can take the form
of confirmatory, evaluative, remedial, descriptive, or analytic (Northern Illinois University,
n.d.). This event best illustrates the behaviorist approach of the use of reinforcement in
shaping the behavior. Teachers will assess learners’ understanding and give feedback based
on their research and the use of renewable resources.
The eighth event, Assessing Performance, deals with cueing retrieval, where teachers
administer various tests to check achievement results based on the expected outcomes
(Northern Illinois University, n.d.). The assessment should include pre-tests, post-tests, and
rubrics. This event should fall in the behavioral domain as it follows the learning hierarchy
and is measurable (Schunk, 2012). The teacher will assess the final project based on the set
criteria and give an assessment where learners will write a paper describing the resource used
in the project and evaluate the working of the same.

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The ninth event deals with enhancing retention and transfer of learning and
accompanies the learning phase of generalizability (Schunk, 2012). Teachers provide various

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opportunities for learners to internalize the learning and connect to the real-world. Transfer of
learning is an internal process that supports students in applying their learning with different

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content and under different situations. Therefore, this event best fits the cognitive approach.
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Learners will create posters to spread awareness of non-renewable and renewable resources.
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As is seen here, a blending of both behavioral and cognitive approach support
meaningful learning and contextual application of knowledge and skills, as both recognize
the importance of motivation and prior experience in learning (Deubel, 2003). The models
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differ in the approach of understanding human behavior; behaviorism considers human

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behavior as predictable, measurable, and observable; whereas the cognitive approach is based
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on the unmeasurable and unobservable parts of the human behavior related to mental and
emotional processes. Both models can be applied to Gagne’s nine instructional events to offer
a systematic approach in designing effective instructions for effective learning.
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References
Berkeley Lab. (n.d.). Robert Gagne's nine events of instruction. Retrieved
from: http://training.lbl.gov/Resources/NineSteps.html
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Deubel, P. (2003). An investigation of behaviorist and cognitive approaches to instructional

multimedia design. Retrieved June 28, 2020, from
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https://www.itma.vt.edu/courses/tel/resources/deubel(2003)_gagne_ID.pdf
Khadjooi, K., Rostami, K., & Ishaq, S. (2011). How to use Gagne’s model of instructional
design
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in teaching psychomotor skills. Gastroenterol Hepatol Bed Bench 2011;4(3):116-119.

Retrieved June 28, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4017416/
McLeod, Saul. (2018, June 6). Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development. Retrieved
June
28, 2020, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/simplypsychology.org-Jean-Piaget.pdf
Northern Illinois University. (n.d.). Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction. Retrieved June 28, 2020,
from
https://www.niu.edu/facdev/_pdf/guide/learning/gagnes_nine_events_instruction.pdf
Schunk, D. H. (2012). Learning theories: An educational perspective (6th ed.). Boston, MA:

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 Pearson.

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