Chapter IV- Principles and Conditions of Learning and the Curriculum

Conditions of Learning
(Robert Gagne)

Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning are also known as Gagne's Nine Conditions of
Learning, Gagne's Taxonomy of Learning, and Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction.
Gagne’s book "The Conditions of Learning," first published in 1965, identified the mental
conditions that are necessary for effective learning. He created a nine-step process that
detailed each element required for effective learning.
Gagne's Nine Levels of Learning model gives trainers and educators a checklist to use
before they engage in teaching or training activities. Each step highlights a form of
communication that aids the learning process. When each step is completed in turn,
learners are much more likely to be engaged and to retain the information or skills that
they're being taught.
1. Gain attention (Reception)
In order for any learning to take place, you must first capture the attention of the
student. A multimedia program that begins with an animated title screen sequence
accompanied by sound effects or music startles the senses with auditory or visual
stimuli. An even better way to capture students' attention is to start each lesson with a
thought-provoking question or interesting fact. Curiosity motivates students to learn.
These are a few methods for capturing learners’ attention:
 Stimulate students with novelty, uncertainty, and surprise
 Pose thought-provoking questions to students
 Have students pose questions to be answered by other students
 Lead an ice breaker activity

2. Inform learners of objectives (Expectancy)

Early in each lesson students should encounter a list of learning objectives. This
initiates the internal process of expectancy and helps motivate the learner to complete
the lesson. These objectives should form the basis for assessment and possible
certification as well. Typically, learning objectives are presented in the form of "Upon
completing this lesson you will be able to. . . ." The phrasing of the objectives
themselves will be covered under Robert Mager's contributions later in this chapter.
Here are some methods for stating the outcomes:
 Describe required performance
 Describe criteria for standard performance
 Have learners establish criteria for standard performance
 Include course objectives on assessment prompts
 Inform students of the objectives or outcomes for the course and individual
lessons to help them understand what they are expected to learn and do.

3. Stimulate recall of prior learning (Retrieval)

Associating new information with prior knowledge can facilitate the learning process. It
is easier for learners to encode and store information in long-term memory when there
are links to personal experience and knowledge. A simple way to stimulate recall is to
ask questions about previous experiences, an understanding of previous concepts, or a
body of content.
There are numerous methods for stimulating recall:
 Ask questions about previous experiences
 Ask students about their understanding of previous concepts
 Relate previous course information to the current topic
 Have students incorporate prior learning into current activities
4. Present the content (Selective Perception)
This event of instruction is where the new content is actually presented to the learner.
Content should be chunked and organized meaningfully, and typically is explained and
then demonstrated. To appeal to different learning modalities, a variety of media should
be used if possible, including text, graphics, audio narration, and video.
The following are ways to present and cue lesson content:
 Present multiple versions of the same content (e.g. video, demonstration, lecture,
podcast, group work, etc.)
 Use a variety of media to engage students in learning
 Incorporate active learning strategies to keep students involved
 Provide access to content on Blackboard so students can access it outside of
class

5. Provide Learning Guidance" (Semantic Encoding)

To help learners encode information for long-term storage, additional guidance should
be provided along with the presentation of new content. Guidance strategies include the
use of examples, non-examples, case studies, graphical representations, mnemonics,
and analogies.
The following are examples of methods for providing learning guidance:
 Provide instructional support as needed – i.e. scaffolding that can be removed
slowly as the student learns and masters the task or content
 Model varied learning strategies – e.g. mnemonics, concept mapping, role
playing, visualizing
 Use examples and non-examples – examples help students see what to do,
while non-examples help students see what not to do
 Provide case studies, visual images, analogies, and metaphors – Case studies
provide real world application, visual images assist in making visual associations,
and analogies and metaphors use familiar content to help students connect with
new concepts

6. Elicit performance (Responding)

In this event of instruction, the learner is required to practice the new skill or behavior.
Eliciting performance provides an opportunity for learners to confirm their correct
understanding, and the repetition further increases the likelihood of retention. Here are
a few ways to activate learner processing:
 Facilitate student activities – e.g. ask deep-learning questions, have students
collaborate with their peers, facilitate practical laboratory exercises
 Provide formative assessment opportunities – e.g. written assignments,
individual or group projects, presentations
 Design effective quizzes and tests – i.e. test students in ways that allow them to
demonstrate their comprehension and application of course concepts (as
opposed to simply memorization and recall)

7. Provide feedback (Reinforcement)

As learners practice new behavior it is important to provide specific and immediate
feedback of their performance. Unlike questions in a post-test, exercises within tutorials
should be used for comprehension and encoding purposes, not for formal scoring.
Additional guidance and answers provided at this stage are called formative feedback.
The following are some types of feedback you may provide to students:
 Confirmatory feedback informs the student that they did what they were
supposed to do. This type of feedback does not tell the student what she needs
to improve, but it encourages the learner.
 Evaluative feedback apprises the student of the accuracy of their performance
or response but does not provide guidance on how to progress.
 Remedial feedback directs students to find the correct answer but does not
provide the correct answer.
 Descriptive or analytic feedback provides the student with suggestions,
directives, and information to help them improve their performance.
 Peer-evaluation and self-evaluation help learners identify learning gaps and
performance shortcomings in their own and peers’ work.

8. Assess performance (Retrieval)

Upon completing instructional modules, students should be given the opportunity to
take (or be required to take) a post-test or final assessment. This assessment should be
completed without the ability to receive additional coaching, feedback, or hints. Mastery
of material, or certification, is typically granted after achieving a certain score or percent
correct. A commonly accepted level of mastery is 80% to 90% correct.
Some methods for testing learning include the following:
 Administer pre- and post-tests to check for progression of competency in content
or skills
 Embed formative assessment opportunities throughout instruction using oral
questioning, short active learning activities, or quizzes
 Implement a variety of assessment methods to provide students with multiple
opportunities to demonstrate proficiency
 Craft objective, effective rubrics to assess written assignments, projects, or
presentations

9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job (Generalization)

Determining whether or not the skills learned from a training program are ever
applied back on the job often remains a mystery to training managers - and a source
of consternation for senior executives. Effective training programs have a
"performance" focus, incorporating design and media that facilitate retention and
transfer to the job. The repetition of learned concepts is a tried-and-true means of
aiding retention, although often disliked by students. (There was a reason for writing
spelling words ten times as grade school student.)
The following are methods to help learners internalize new knowledge:

 Avoid isolating course content. Associate course concepts with prior (and
future) concepts and build upon prior (and preview future) learning to
reinforce connections.
 Continually incorporate questions from previous tests in subsequent
examinations to reinforce course information.
 Have students convert information learned in one format into another format
(e.g. verbal or visuospatial). For instance, requiring students to create a
concept map to represent connections between ideas (Halpern & Hakel,
2003, p. 39).
 To promote deep learning, clearly articulate your lesson goals, use your
specific goals to guide your instructional design, and align learning activities
to lesson goals (Halpern & Hakel, 2003, p. 41).
References:
1. https://www.academia.edu/8219664/Conditions_of_Learning_R_Gagne
2. https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/gagnes-nine-events-
of-instruction.shtml
mastery of learning author
eferencesApplying mastery learning techniques. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2010, from
www.centerii.org/handbook/.../8_F_Applying_mastery_technique s.pdfBastable, S. B.
(2008). Nurse as educator principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice (3rd
ed.). Sudbury, MA : Jones and Bartlett.Guskey, T. R. (2005, April). Formative classroom
assessment and Benjamin S. Bloom: theory, research, and implications. Paper
presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association,
Montreal, Canada.Kazu, I. Y., Kazu, H., & Ozdemir, O. (2005). The effects of mastery
learning model on the success of the students who attended usage of basic information
technologies course. Educational Technology & Society, 8(4), 233-243.Ormrod, J. E.
(2008). Educational psychology developing learners (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.

Pros to mastery learning cont.

More appropriate quality of instruction

Reduces the variation in students achievement

levels

Helps teachers close achievement gaps in

learning goals

Yields a distribution of achievement

Students are given extended time to master the

learning objectives

This type of learning enables the student to

relate his/her learning to many problems in day
to day activities

Learn more and quicker in later units

Students have prerequisite skills to move to the

next unit

Requires teachers to do task analysis, becoming

better prepared to teach each unit

Requires teachers to state objectives before

designating activities

Can break cycle of failure (especially for

minority and disadvantaged students)
https://www.powershow.com/viewfl/418594-ZWM1M/
MASTERY_LEARNING_powerpoint_ppt_presentation
Cons to Mastery Learning

 One to two weeks of class instructional time on

mastery learning model
 Time consuming
  
 No single method of instruction works for all
  
 Teachers must increase variation in their
teaching to decrease variation in results
  
 Must provide students who need it with an
alternative approach
  
 Students may need additional time to learn
  
 Implementation of mastery learning will require
more time at first
 Activities must be planned to give students
opportunities to practice and actively engage in
skills
  
 Each learning goal must be mastered before moving
onto the next goal
  
 Must be flexible
  
 If only objective tests are uses, can lead to
memorizing and learning specifics rather that
higher levels of learning
 Must have several tests for each unit
  
 Must have variety of materials for remediation
  
 Not all students progress at same pace

Mastery Learning Process and Adaptation

 Unit One
 Formative Assessment A
 Correctives
Enrichment Activities
 Formative Assessment B
 Unit two
 This teaching strategy is all about adaptation.
The teacher must be able to be flexible in their
teaching methods to assure each student achieves
mastery of each lesson. This may require
creativity on the teachers part in the
correctives and formative assessment B sections.
Each student may need individualized correctives
and formative assessment B. Also the teacher must
be creative in keeping the other students
stimulated in their enrichment activities. This
requires patients and extra work on the teachers
part
Conclusion Mastery Learning

 In Mastery Learning, learning can be transformed

from a virtually adventitious features of
programmed instruction to a major desirable
characteristic of instruction. There can become
strong reasons why instruction should abandon a
standard like of 70 passing. The aim of mastery
learning is to achieve all objectives
learned/mastered. Mastery learning is not only
used at school but during the students entire
life. The aim of education should be accepted by
the individual, and the student should not attend
school only for the purpose of obtaining a
diploma. The student should accept knowledge and
skills related to the chosen profession
voluntarily and be more motivated to strive for
it.

References
Applying mastery learning techniques. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 20, 2010, from
www.centerii.org/handbook/.../8_F_Applying_ma
stery_technique s.pdf
Bastable, S. B. (2008). Nurse as educator
principles of teaching and learning for nursing
practice (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA Jones and
Bartlett.
Guskey, T. R. (2005, April). Formative classroom
assessment and Benjamin S. Bloom theory,
research, and implications. Paper presented at
the Annual Meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, Montreal, Canada.
Kazu, I. Y., Kazu, H., Ozdemir, O. (2005). The
effects of mastery learning model on the success
of the students who attended usage of basic
information technologies course. Educational
Technology Society, 8(4), 233-243.
Ormrod, J. E. (2008). Educational psychology
developing learners (6th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ Pearson.
Mastery learning (or, as it was initially called, "learning for mastery") is an
instructional strategy and educational philosophy, first formally proposed by
Benjamin Bloom in 1968. Mastery learning maintains that students must achieve
a level of mastery (e.g., 90% on a knowledge test) in prerequisite knowledge
before moving forward to learn subsequent information. If a student does not
achieve mastery on the test, they are given additional support in learning and
reviewing the information and then tested again. This cycle continues until the
learner accomplishes mastery, and they may then move on to the next stage.

Mastery learning methods suggest that the focus of instruction should be the
time required for different students to learn the same material and achieve the
same level of mastery. This is very much in contrast with classic models of
teaching, which focus more on differences in students' ability and where all
students are given approximately the same amount of time to learn and the same
set of instructions.

In mastery learning, there is a shift in responsibilities, so that student's failure is

more due to the instruction and not necessarily lack of ability on his or her part.
Therefore, in a mastery learning environment, the challenge becomes providing
enough time and employing instructional strategies so that all students can
achieve the same level of learning

What is meant by mastery learning?

In mastery learning, students must attain a given level set by their instructor in
order to move forward. ... Mastery learning refers to a shift in responsibilities, so
that a student's success or failure is more reliant on the instruction and not
necessarily a student's ability.
Gagne’s conditions of learning have its own pros and cons. People
who have learning issues may respond better to this regime that is clearly very
systematic where learners are provided with resources and a blueprint for
learning. It can also be adjusted to suit their needs. However, it also requires a
great deal of assistance overall where critical thinking and instructions can’t be
avoided. This practice may restrict learners’ imagination and exploration instinct.
But overall, these 9 steps are nine events of instruction, systematically designed
as foundation blocks of learning in modern classrooms.

References

https://www.ukessays.com/courses/education/approaches/gagnes/lecture.php

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/gagne.htm