Ausubel & Bruner

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Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching and Learning

EDUC 201

Name: Angelica P. Santos Prof. Manolita Perilla

Section: II-SEdE2

ASSIGNMENT:

1. Who is David Ausubel?


David Ausubel was an American psychologist and educator known for his contributions to the field of
educational psychology. He was born in 1918 and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He became a
psychiatrist and earned a Ph. D in Developmental Psychology. Then in 1994, at the age of 75, he
retired from professional life to devote himself fulltime to writing (resulting in 4 books published by him).

As there is criticism in today’s manner of teaching, David Ausubel is the one who proposed ways of
improving it. He suggested the use of advanced organizers; ideas contained in his theory of
Meaningful Verbal Learning. His theory of meaningful learning, which highlights the value of past
knowledge and the structuring of new information in the learning process, is what has made him most
famous. Ausubel thought that when new information is meaningfully connected to preexisting
knowledge and concepts, learning occurs most effectively. His beliefs have greatly influenced the
creation of curricula and teaching techniques in the field of education.

2. What is the focus of Ausubel's theory?


The knowledge is hierarchically organized and the new information is meaningful to the extent that it
can be related to what is already known is the main theme of Ausubel’s theory. That it is about how
individuals learn large amounts of meaningful material from verbal/textual presentation in a school
setting proposing the use of advanced organizers as a tool for learning.

Specifically, the most important factor influencing learning is the quantity, clarity and organization of
the learner’s present knowledge. Next, the cognitive structure which comprises one’s present
knowledge. Then, the meaningful learning that takes place when an idea to be learned is related in
some sensible way to ideas that the learner already possesses. Lastly, the use of advance organizers
which is the way to strengthen the student’s cognitive structure and is anchored on the principle of
subsumption.

3. What are the four (4) processes of meaningful learning according to Ausubel's?
The meaningful learning can take place through four (4) processes: the Derivative subsumption,
Correlative subsumption, Superordinate learning, and Combinatorial learning. Firstly, the Derivative
subsumption describes the situation in which the new information we learn is an example of a concept
that we have already learned. Next, the Correlative subsumption is a more “valuable” learning than
that of derivative subsumption, since it enriches the higher-level concept. Here, new knowledge is
absorbed alongside pre-existing ideas without changing or reorganizing the preexisting cognitive
framework. It is believed that the new material is directly tied to and associated with the preexisting
ideas. Then, the Superordinate learning where the child already knew a lot of examples of the
concept, but did not know the concept itself until it was taught to her/him. It entails the development
of new, comprehensive concepts that integrate and bring several pre existing concepts together. It
involves the development of a higher order cognitive structure that integrates and arranges relevant
information. Lastly, Combinatorial learning. This is when newly acquired knowledge combines with prior
knowledge to enrich the understanding of both concepts. It describes a process by which the new
idea is derived from another idea that is neither higher nor lower in the hierarchy, but at the same level
(in a different, but related, “branch”). It involves the active synthesis and combination of elements
from different domains of knowledge.

4. What is an advanced organizer?


An Advance Organizer is an instructional unit that is used before direct instruction, or before a new
topic; this is sometimes called a hook, set induction, or anticipatory set. It was popularized by David
Ausubel first in 1968 and introduced in advance of direct instruction. It has four (4) different types
including the Expository describes the new content, the Narrative presents the new information in the
form of a story to students, Skimming that is done by looking over the new material to gain a basic
overview and the Graphic organizer which is the visuals to set up or outline the new information. This
may include pictographs, descriptive patterns, concept patterns, concept maps, etc.

An advance organizer's primary purpose is to offer a summary or road map of the forthcoming course
material. It makes learning more relevant and cohesive by assisting students in organizing and
connecting new material to prior knowledge. By priming the learners' cognitive structure, the advance
organizer creates a framework that facilitates easier integration and connection-making with the
preceding content.

5. How is the application of Ausubel's principle?


In the application of Ausubel’s principle, the most general ideas of a subject should be presented first
and then progressively differentiated in terms of detail and specificity. He called this progressive
differentiation. According to Ausubel, the purpose of progressive differentiation is to increase the
stability and clarity of anchoring ideas. For instance, in teaching, rather than teaching one (1) specific
topic, the facilitator would take a spiral approach. So for the first pass through the material, teach the
“big” ideas. Then on successive passes, begin to elaborate the details.
Also, Instructional materials should attempt to integrate new material with previously presented
information through comparisons and cross-referencing of new and old ideas. By implementing
techniques, instructors can help students have meaningful learning experiences that promote greater
comprehension and retention of the material while also making it easier for them to integrate new
information with what they already know.

ACTIVITY:

Explain in your own words the Ausubel's subsumption theory.


The subsumption theory, also referred to as the idea of meaningful learning, was developed by David
Ausubel and contends that learning occurs most effectively when new information is meaningfully
related to preexisting knowledge. Ausubel contends that when students actively incorporate new
knowledge into their preexisting cognitive framework, genuine learning takes place.

The significance of prior information in the learning process is emphasized by Ausubel's theory. He
proposes that students build their knowledge by connecting newly learned material to pertinent ideas
and structuring it logically. New information gains greater significance and is simpler to comprehend
and remember when it is linked to previously acquired knowledge.

Additionally, four processes/subtypes of learning are described by Ausubel's theory, which show
various integration strategies of new information into pre-existing cognitive structures: Subsumption of
new information under a more broad, higher-order notion or principle that the learner already
understands is known as Derivative subsumption. The new knowledge is regarded as a particular
example or use of the larger idea or principle. Then, the Correlative subsumption when new
knowledge is absorbed alongside pre-existing ideas without reorganizing or changing the cognitive
framework. It is believed that the new material is directly tied to and associated with the preexisting
ideas. Next, the creation of new, overarching concepts that incorporate and harmonize with several
preexisting concepts is a component of Superordinate learning. It entails the development of a higher
order cognitive structure that integrates and arranges relevant information. Lastly, Combinatorial
learning is the process of creating new and original thoughts or structures by fusing or integrating new
information with previously acquired knowledge. It entails the active synthesis and blending of
components from several knowledge disciplines.

In conclusion, David Ausubel's idea of subsumption highlights the significance of meaningfully tying
new knowledge to preexisting knowledge. In order to connect new material to what they already
know, learners actively arrange and incorporate it. A meaningful learning process improves new
knowledge comprehension, retention, and application.
ASSIGNMENT:

1. Who is Jerome Bruner?


American psychologist and educator Jerome Bruner was a prominent figure in the fields of cognitive
psychology, cognitive development, and educational theory. His contributions to cognitive
psychology, particularly his theories on learning and cognitive growth, have made him most
recognized.

Jerome Bruner was born in New York City on October 1, 1915. He received his A.B. degree from Duke
University in 1937 and his Ph.D in 1947 from Harvard. He was on the faculty in the Department of
Psychology at Harvard University, Oxford, and later joined the New York University of Law. And in 1960,
Bruner published The Process of Education which was a landmark book that led to much
experimentation and a broad range of educational programs in the same year.

Jerome Bruner's theories and ideas, which emphasize the value of active learning, discovery, and the
learner's role in creating knowledge, have had a significant influence on educational methods. The
disciplines of cognitive psychology and education are still being shaped by his work.

2. Describe the development of the child's ability to represent knowledge.


A theory of cognitive development put out by Jerome Bruner concentrated on how children learn
and represent information. According to Bruner, children actively create their perception of the world
through a sequence of stages, each of which builds on the one before it. One of the most important
aspects of this cognitive development process is the development of a child's capacity to represent
knowledge. Three levels of knowledge representation were proposed by Bruner. Enactive, iconic, and
symbolic are the three stages that also happen to be the three ways that knowledge is represented.

First, is the Enactive representation. At the earliest ages, children learn about the world through actions
on physical objects and the outcomes of these actions. Children represent objects in terms of their
immediate sensation of them. They are represented in the muscles and involve motor responses, or
ways to manipulate the environment. The second stage is the Iconic representation. This is when
learning can be obtained through using models and pictures. The learner can now use mental images
to stand for certain objects or events. Iconic representation allows one to recognize objects when they
are changed in minor ways. Lastly, the Symbolic representation. In this third stage, the learner has
developed the ability to think in abstract terms. This uses a symbol system to encode knowledge. The
most common symbol systems are language and mathematical notation.
ACTIVITY:

Explain how the spiral curriculum works.

Bruner emphasized that instruction should constantly aim to advance students' cognitive growth. If
teachers want to teach a concept based solely on their own level of comprehension, students will not
comprehend it. The foundation of instruction must be the cognitive capacities of the student. The
instructor's job is to convert the material to be learnt into a form that fits the student's level of
comprehension at that moment. The curriculum ought to be set up in a spiral fashion so that students
can keep building on their prior knowledge.

Jerome Bruner created the spiral curriculum, an educational approach that emphasizes exposing
learners to important ideas and concepts gradually over the course of several years of study. The spiral
curriculum is intended to support students in gaining a thorough comprehension of foundational ideas
and gradually building on their existing knowledge. The spiral curriculum revisits and reinforces
important topics in a cyclical approach as opposed to teaching subjects in a linear and one-time
manner.

With a spiral curriculum, educators have to go over the material again, presenting it in various ways to
students based on their developmental stages. This is the reason some subjects are taught in
elementary school in a way that is suitable for elementary school students, and then the same subject
is covered in high school, but at a much more in-depth level. A subject may come up again in the
same semester or academic year. Gaining a better knowledge facilitates learning more successfully.

The overarching objectives of the spiral curriculum are to give learners a strong foundation in the
subjects they are studying and assist them in deeply comprehending key ideas. The curriculum aids in
the development of knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities by going over and reiterating
important concepts over time. The spiral method seeks to support lifelong learning and intellectual
development by acknowledging that learning is a continuous process.

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