2. Robert Gagne
1916-2002
• Born in North
Andover, Massachusetts
•Co-developer of “Instructional
Systems Design”
• Wrote The Conditions of
Learning, 1965
• Co-wrote Principles of
Instructional Design
3. • Gagne is considered to be an experimental
psychologist who is concerned with learning
and instruction.
• He’s known for the skills hierarchy which
present simple skills and builds to complex
ones
• His learning theory is summarized as The
Gagne Assumption which consists of five types
of learning and nine events of instruction.
4. Categories of Learning Outcomes
1) Verbal information- Learner can
state what has been learned
2) Intellectual skills- composed of
concrete and defined concepts-
leaner can discriminate between
facts, can identify colors, and can
follow directions
3) Cognitive Strategies- Learner
reads books
4) Motor Skills- Learner can use a
mouse or joystick
5) Attitudes- Learner prefers reading
to watching TV
5. Gagne developed three principles that he
felt was integral for successful instruction
1. Providing instruction on the set of
component tasks that build toward a final
task
2. Ensuring that each component task is
mastered
3. Sequencing the component tasks to ensure
optimal transfer to the final task
6. Nine Events of Instruction
1. Gaining Attention- Pique the learners
interest
2. Informing learners of objectives- discuss
what will be taught
3. Stimulating recall of prior learning- ask
questions to call upon what they already
know
4. Presenting the stimulus- teach the
lesson
5. Providing learning guidance- allow
teacher facilitated student practice
6. Eliciting performance- have learner
complete a task on what was taught
7. Providing feedback- let learner know
how they did on a task
8. Assessing performance- evaluate learner
on their knowledge of what was taught
9. Enhancing retention and transfer-
provide activity to help learners
remember what was taught
7. Eight Conditions of Learning
1. Signal learning- the learner makes a general response to a signal
2. Stimulus- response learning- the learner makes a precise response to a
signal
3. Chaining- the connection of a set of individual stimulus and responses in
a sequence
4. Verbal association- the learner makes associations using verbal
connections
5. Discrimination learning- the learner makes different responses to
different stimuli that are somewhat alike
6. Concept learning- the learner develops the ability to make a generalized
response based on a class of stimuli
7. Rule learning- a rule is a chain of concepts linked to a demonstrated
behavior
8. Problem solving- the learner discovers a combination of previously
learned rules and applies them to solve a novel situation
8. Classroom Implications and Personal
Feedback
• Under Gagne’s theory, the teachers need to observe and relate lessons to
students interests so it is easier for the students to understand. Teachers then
need to gain attention and this can be done by showing
PowerPoint's, diagrams, videos, etc. to help inform the students of what they will
be learning. The teacher will then present the stimulus and this can be done by
demonstrating how to perform the task(example: how to create a diagram). The
teacher will be there for guidance and then will assess the performance of the
students.
• The students will be active listeners and will learn how to perform various tasks.
The student will have established an interest and will use their prior knowledge to
perform a new task. The students will complete the task and then give feedback as
to what they have learned. The students will then be able to apply their new
acquired skills into their everyday lives.
• I really like this theory although I feel like he could have put all his sections of the
theory into one because they all seem to come together. And it will therefore be
less lengthy. I would definitely incorporate his theory into my teaching because I
think it is important to relate the lessons to the students interests and to make
them motivated and able to perform independent tasks with having the students
actually learn and be able to give feedback. I also think it is very important to
actually teach the students how to do various tasks and then let them do it on
their own so they can actually have a learning experience.
