Robert Gagné was an educational psychologist known for his theory of instruction called the "Conditions of Learning". The theory proposes that there are different types of learning (intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, verbal information, motor skills, attitudes) which require different instructional conditions. Gagné identified eight types of learning (signal, stimulus-response, chaining, verbal association, discrimination, concept, rule, problem solving) and nine events of instruction that are effective for different types. The theory provides guidance for designing instruction to optimize learning. However, it has been criticized for not accounting for self-learning or discovery-based learning.

1. Gagne
Jammu University
2 Year B.Ed.
Paper 202
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Dr. Atul Thakur

2. Robert M. Gagné
 Robert Mills Gagné (August 21, 1916 – April 28, 2002)
was an American educational psychologist best known for
his "Conditions of Learning".
 Gagné pioneered the science of instruction during World
War II when he worked with the Army Air Corps training
pilots.
 He went on to develop a series of studies and works that
simplified and explained what he and others believed to be
'good instruction.' Gagné was also involved in applying
concepts of instructional theory to the design of computer-
based training and multimedia-based learning.
 Gagné's work is sometimes summarized as the Gagné
assumption.
 The assumption is that different types of learning exist,
and that different instructional conditions are most likely
to bring about these different types of learning.

3. Learning process
Gagné's theory stipulates that there are several
types and levels of learning, and each of these
types and levels requires instruction that is
tailored to meet the needs of the pupil.
While Gagne's learning blueprint can cover all
aspects of learning, the focus of the theory is on
the retention and honing of intellectual skills.
The theory has been applied to the design of
instruction in all fields, though in its original
formulation special attention was given to
military training settings.

4. Five categories of learning
Intellectual skills: Create individual competence
and ability to respond to stimuli.
Cognitive strategies: Capability to learn, think,
and remember
Verbal information: Rote memorization of
names, faces, dates, phone numbers, etc.
Motor skills: Capability to learn to drive, ride a
bike, draw a straight line, etc.
Attitudes: Approach to ideas, people, or
situations, that affects how one acts towards
these things.
Each category requires different methods in
order for the particular skill set to be learned.

5. Eight ways to learn
 In 1956, based on the degree of complexity of the mental
process suggested a system of analyzing different conditions
or levels of learning from simple to complex.
 According to Gagne the higher order of learning in the
hierarchy is built upon the lower levels, requiring greater
amount of previous knowledge for progressing successfully.
 To analyze final capability into subordinate skills in an order
such that the lower- levels can be predicted for positive
transfer of higher level learning.
 The lower four orders focus on the behavioral aspects of
learning whilst the higher four focus on the cognitive aspects.
 In his original study on Instruction, through a study derived
from an analysis of learning of a task of constructing
formulas for the sums of number series.

6. Conditions of learning
 Signal Learning: A general response to a signal: Like a
dog responding to a command.
 Stimulus-Response Learning: A precise response to a
distinct stimulus.
 Chaining: A chain of two or more stimulus-response
connections is acquired.
 Verbal Association: The learning of chains that are verbal.
 Discrimination Learning: The ability to make different
responses to similar-appearing stimuli.
 Concept Learning: A common response to a class of
stimuli.
 Rule Learning: Learning a chain of two or more concepts.
 Problem Solving: A kind of learning that requires higher
order of thinking.

7. events of instruction
 Gain attention (reception) - The first step is to gain
students' attention and motivate him to engage with the
content.
 Inform objectives (expectancy) - Student needs to be
clarified what he can expect.
 Stimulate recall of prior knowledge (retrieval) - Prior
knowledge should be activated since it is important for
learning new materials.
 Present stimulus material (selective perception) - Present
the material to the students, possibly using various
learning styles.
 Provide learner guidance (semantic encoding) -
Guidance in terms of communication enables the teacher
to direct the students in their learning or enable them
easier information encoding through visual or other
materials.

8.  Elicit performance (responding) - Students need practice.
Practice should immediately follow instructions and be
well defined in terms of its nature, objectives and expected
student responses.
 Provide feedback (reinforcement) - Feedback is
additional guidance offering the student immediate
evaluation of his performance enabling him to realize his
mistakes and misconceptions.
 Assess performance (retrieval) - At the end of each course
student's knowledge should be assessed in order to check if
expected learning has occurred.
 Enhance retention and transfer (generalization) - The
learning process does not end when the class does. The
teacher should advise students how and in which context
to apply and transfer the just gained knowledge in the
world outside the classroom.

9. practical meaning of conditions of
learning
 Gain attention - Show students a short interesting
film related what they are about to learn, pose them an
intriguing question or give them a case study.
 Inform objectives - Tell students what they will learn
by the end of the course.
 Stimulate recall of prior knowledge - Activate
students' prior knowledge by posing related questions.
 Present stimulus material - Present the material to
the students and use additional materials like
timelines, various examples, concept maps, diagrams,
and encourage students to engage in the discussion.
 Provide learner guidance - Give students time for
discussion, answer their questions and offer them
additional materials on topic. Be available to the
students also when not in class.

10.  Elicit performance - Give students a brief test after
each unit to let them check their own knowledge and
see if they understand everything before moving on.
 Provide feedback - Discuss quiz results with students.
Answer students' questions, also ones posed through
e-mail, but instead of giving them a direct answer,
give them hints or guidelines that will lead them to the
answer.
 Assess performance - Either by a test at the end of
the course, seminar, case study, assess students'
performance to see if the course objectives defined at
the beginning have been accomplished.
 Enhance retention and transfer - Provide students
with real-life examples or contexts in which they can
use the acquired knowledge.

11. Criticisms
insufficient for self-learning (which resulted in
suggestions to supplement it with learner-
initiated strategies)
not particularly applicable to situations in which
incidental learning, discovery-based learning or
other forms of instruction are desired
assumes content can be sufficiently structured
and that enough activities can be provided for
the learners to acquire the desired knowledge
and skills
ineffective in adult teaching.