Cognition, Education, and Deafness: Directions for Research and Instruction

Application of Ausubel's Theory of Meaningful Verbal Learning to Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning of Deaf Students

Application of Ausubel's Theory of Meaningful Verbal Learning to Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning of Deaf Students Eileen Biser Currently, if teachers advocate presentational methods of instruction (Le., lectures and reading), they are often challenged by educational theorists who claim that discovery methods, open education, and experience-based learning are far superior in enhancing student learning and retention. But many teachers cannot dismiss mastery of an academic discipline as an educational goal for deaf students, especially at the college level. So they continue to struggle with how to help students learn large bodies of information more effectively and efficiently. Sometimes teachers look to educational, psychological, and/or cognitive theories for guidance. But, unfortunately, there are few occasions when teachers can actually bridge the gap between theory and practice because researchers often fail to offer practical application of their theories or findings . In addition, traditional teacher-preparation courses have been sparse in cognitive psychology, basic statistics, and research interpretation; and sometimes teaching schedules or commitments allow little time for study and reflection. Despite these obstacles, the work of educational psychologist David P. Ausubel provides a bridge between theory and practice for many teachers. He stands out as one of the few theorists who simultaneously addresses curriculum, teaching, and learning issues (Weil & Joyce, 1978). He, like many teachers, believes that the acquisition of information is valid and essential, and he rejects the idea that such expository learning is in any way passive (Ausubel, 1968). Ausubel is one of the few educational theorists who has been concerned with helping teachers to convey large amounts of information as meaningfully as possible. Ausubel (1963b) described the mind's information-storage and processing system (cognitive structure) as being parallel to the conceptual structure of academic disciplines. That is, at the top of each discipline are a number of broad concepts, under which are subsumed less inclusive subconcepts. From this basic premise, Ausubel developed his theory of meaningful verbal learning. Ausubel (1968) contended that a parallel exists between cognitive structure and the way that curriculum should be organized to help students process new information meaningfully. Meaningful learning occurs, according to Ausubel, only when new ideas are anchored in or linked to what is already in the cognitive structure of a learner (1967, p. 222). This knowledge can also greatly influence teachers when they present new material to students (Ausubel, 1963a). The complete version of this paper is available in microfiche or hard copy from ERIC Document Reproduction Service. Ask for Document No. ED 247 712. 84 Some general implications of adopting Ausubel's theory include the following: 1. The task to be learned becomes more important than exploring the circumstances and conditions that previously have influenced learners. For example, finding out if a student is oral or manual, if a student has much usable hearing, or how the student became deaf are all secondary to the teaching/learning task. 2. By focusing on what the student already knows and can learn, developmental approaches to teaching/learning emerge. This contrasts with remediation, which traditionally has evoked a negative response from students because of an emphasis on what is not known. 3. As a result of implementing Ausubel's theory, the importance of sound diagnostic tools for assessing what is known and what a student can do become high priorities in the teaching task. Specifically in curriculum development, several implications are embedded in two principles of the theory: progressive differentiation and integrative reconciliation (Ausubel, 1963a). According to these principles, the teacher establishes the hierarchy of knowledge and makes decisions about definitions and meanings based on the discipline. Then, the most highly inclusive concepts of that discipline are presented first. Subsequent ideas of the discipline are presented downward on the hierarchy (Ausubel, 1968, p. 153). Also, the sequence Of the curriculum is organized so that each successive learning task is carefully related to what has been presented before. In curriculum development there is a great deal of emphasis on exploring relationships between ideas within the hierarchy (both similarities and differences ), as well as on making a conscious effort to help students reconcile inconsistencies between ideas both within the hierarchy and among hierarchies (Ausubel, 1968, p. 155). Within the realm of direct teaching application, we find a derivative of Ausubel's theory: the concept of the advance organizer. Advance organizers are previews or introductions that the student sees or reads before studying the main body of new material (Anderson & Faust, 1973). The principal function of the organizer is described as "bridging the gap...