David Ausubel, an American psychologist, developed the Subsumption Learning Theory. Subsumption falls under the umbrella of Cognitive Learning Theory, which focuses on how people think and gain knowledge. Ausubel was influenced by Jean Piaget, who was the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development. "Cognitivists were interested in modeling the mental structures and processes that operated in the mind in order to explain behavior (Harasim, p. 47).
Ausubel's Subsumption Theory was particularly relevant for educators since it applied to learning in a school setting, rather than laboratory experiments. "Subsumption is the process by which new previously unencountered information is brought into a student's existing cognitive structure and systematically compared and contrasted with prior knowledge and subsequently this new knowledge takes on meaning and becomes anchored within that person's cognitive structure" (Hannum, p. 2, 2015).
The focus of the Subsumption Theory is that it involves meaningful learning where the students subsume or organize new knowledge into prior knowledge, which involves reorganization of cognitive structures. This theory suggests that this is done in the brain in a hierarchical manner.
His emphasis was on meaningful verbal leaning, rather than rote learning. Meaningful learning is when new information is taken into the learner's existing cognitive structure and is related to already learned content, forming new connections between this new information and the existing information. Once prior knowledge is determined, the teacher needs to help the students maximize meaningful learning and ensures that there is growth and that the learner is able to use the knowledge to solve problems.
The Subsumption Theory components are as follows:
1. Correlative Subsumption - The new material is an extension of the already grasped knowledge.
2. Derivative Subsumption - The new material derives from the existing structure, and can be linked to other concepts or lead to new interpretations.
The use of Advance organizers, which should be given prior to instruction, helps students organize facts and ideas.
Types of Advance Organizers
1. Expository organizers provides learners with a description of new knowledge.
2. Comparative organizers provides information that is somewhat familiar to the learner.
3. Narrative organizers provides students with new information in a story format.
4. Skimming organizers provides students with the opportunity to look over the new material.
5. Graphic organizers may include pictographs, descriptive or conceptual patterns, and concept maps.
Key Principles
1. Students are first presented with the most general concepts and then their analyses.
2. Instructional materials should include new as well as formerly learned information. Comparisons between new and old concepts are significant.
Example of Subsumption Learning Theory in the Classroom
In a classroom setting, the teacher can do a science lesson on plant transportation. The teacher will show students pictures of plants and pictures of different types of transportation. Students will brainstorm and make circle maps of anything they can think of that is related to plants and transportation. Teacher will ask the students, "How do you think plants and transportation are related?" Students will access their prior knowledge about the basic concept that plants are living things and about plant cells and their organelles. Further, students will have prior knowledge about transportation. They know transport means to move.
The teacher writes the essential question on the board, "How do plants transport water, nutrients, and minerals to stay alive?" Students will make a prediction in their science journals. They will see a real plant. Students will are given an Advance organizer on the basic part of a plant,which includes, roots, stems, and leaves. Students are asked to brainstorm with their groups about what plants need to stay alive. They will read background information in their textbook and on the Internet to learn that materials move through parts of a plant. Students are to take notes and define key terms. They are also required to reflect on what they have learned in their science journal.
Students are given familiar facts such as the parts of a plant, roots, stems, and leaves. They learn about the vascular system in plants, the xylem, and the phloem. In this lesson, general to more specific information works its way up the hierarchy. New knowledge of plants is attached to the concept that plants are living things. This is Derivative Subsumption. When students learn that nonvascular plants exist, such as moss and liverwort, students will then develop Correlative Subsumption. Through teacher scaffolding, they will understand that most plants have vascular systems, but there are a few that do not. Students will illustrate and label a diagram for vascular plants. Students will prepare a celery investigation to show plant transportation. This is done with food coloring and a stalk of celery. The lesson can be further extended to compare and contrast the transportation system between plants and animals.
Links
This is a detailed article about David Ausubel's Learning Theories. Click on the link below to learn more about David Ausubel's Notion of Meaningful Learning.
David Ausubel's Learning Theories
This is a detailed article about what teachers should know about learning theories. Click on the link below.
What Teachers Should Know About Learning Theories
This is a youtube video that focuses on teaching comprehension and meaningful learning. Click on the link below.
Teaching Comprehension and Meaningful Learning
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| David Ausubel |
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| http://www.slideshare.net/niena7/learning-theory-by-ausubel |
References
Cooper, S. (2000). Meaningful Verbal Learning Subsumption Theory. In Theories of Learning in
Educational Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/learningtheories/
constructivism/ausubel.html
Culatta, R. (2013). Subsumption theor (David Ausubel). In Instructional Design. Retrieved from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/index.html.
Hannum, W. (2014). David Ausubel's Theory. In Learning Theory, Retrieved from
http://www.theoryfundamentals.com/ausubel.htm.
Hannum, W. (2015). David Ausubel's Theory. In Learning Theory Fundamentals. Retrieved from
http://www.theoryfundamentalscom/ausubel.htm.
Harasim, L. (2012). Learning theory and online technologies (p. 47). New York, NY: Routledge..
Pappas, C. (2015). Instructional design models and theories: Subsumption theory. In eLearning
Industry. Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/subsumption-theory.
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