The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
This theory has attracted extensive attention from the educational and scientific circles in various countries. The theory of meaningful learning involves the research vision of learning, teaching and curriculum, which provides sufficient psychological basis for the theory and practice of curriculum and teaching reform and has important guiding significance for teaching.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
First, the theory of meaningful learning and its value
(A) the premise of meaningful learning theory is to determine the learning characteristics of students.
Ausubel's learning theory is based on the understanding of human learning characteristics, especially students' learning characteristics. In the long-term research and experiments, Ausubel clearly pointed out that people's learning, especially students' learning, should highlight three characteristics. First, the learner's subjective initiative, students require teachers to attach importance to students' learning motivation and learning initiative and enthusiasm.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
The second is the intermediary role of language, which emphasizes that students' learning is mainly to accept systematic cultural and scientific knowledge accumulated by human beings, which is mainly expressed by words and symbols, and its content is not scattered and isolated, but processed systematic knowledge.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
Therefore, Ausubel calls students' classroom learning meaningful speech learning. Third, human learning is a process of mastering social and historical experience in the form of individual experience. Therefore, the most important factor affecting learning is what learners already know, that is, students' original knowledge.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
This original knowledge (personal experience) is the basis for learning new knowledge (social and historical experience). Without this foundation, the study of new knowledge cannot be effective. These three characteristics emphasized by Ausubel became the premise for him to establish a meaningful learning theory, which corrected the prejudice that the learning theory of the traditional behavioral school ignored people's subjective initiative, ignored people's subjective efforts and some people of the cognitive school overemphasized people's subjective initiative and ignored the role of objective factors.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
Grasping the relationship between subject and object not only attaches importance to people's subjective initiative in learning, but also does not ignore the due role of the object knowledge system in learning, and dialectically unifies the knowledge structure and cognitive structure, which is more scientific and practical.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
(2) The theory of meaningful learning correctly clarifies the relationship between accepting learning and discovering learning.
Most scholars believe that learning style refers to students' basic behavior and cognitive orientation when completing learning tasks. Ausubel divides students' learning into acceptance learning and discovery learning according to their learning styles, and correctly expounds the relationship between them.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
For a long time, some people have been critical of the traditional lecture teaching, thinking that it is "cramming" and "cramming", which leads to students learning little and memorizing blindly. Especially after Bruner strongly advocated the discovery method, this view became more popular. Many people think that all discovery learning is always meaningful, and all acceptance learning is always mechanical. This view still has certain influence until today's new curriculum reform.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
Ausubel holds a different attitude towards this, and writes a special article to express his views through discovery learning and classroom practice. Based on the characteristics of human learning and the reality of classroom teaching, he believes that discovery learning cannot completely replace receptive learning-lecture teaching.
The Significance of Learning Theory —— The Guiding Significance of Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory to Teaching
Because students mainly accept the basic knowledge of the system at school, it is impossible to find everything; In addition, as a kind of receptive learning, lecturing teaching does not necessarily lead to students' passive learning and mechanical memory. The key lies in the correct use of lecture-based teaching.
He believes that new knowledge is acquired through "accepting learning" and "discovering learning". The former is suitable for learning a lot of materials, especially theoretical materials, while the latter is more suitable for learning to solve practical problems. Because most of the teaching and learning materials in the classroom are presented in language and writing materials, students' learning is mainly based on accepting learning.
He also pointed out that discovery learning and acceptance learning may be meaningful or mechanical, and we advocate meaningful acceptance learning and guided discovery learning. Ausubel's analysis and exposition of acceptance learning and discovery learning are comprehensive and pertinent. Ausubel actively interprets and advocates lecture teaching, actively advocates meaningful acceptance learning and leads discovery learning. This view is commendable.
(3) The essence of meaningful learning theory is to let students establish non-artificial and substantive connections between old and new knowledge.
Ausubel's meaningful learning (meaningful receptive learning) is opposite to mechanical learning, and its essence lies in establishing non-artificial and substantive connections with the new knowledge represented by symbols (language and its symbols) and the existing appropriate concepts in learners' cognitive structure.
This connection is not only influenced by the original knowledge background of learners, but also restricted by the nature of learning materials. Appropriate concepts can be existing representations, meaningful symbols, concepts or propositions. Among them, impersonality and materialization are two key words, which are the signs that distinguish meaningful learning from mechanical learning. Non-artificial refers to the logical connection between new ideas and appropriate ideas in learners' cognitive structure, rather than arbitrary connection.
Essence refers to the connection between new concepts and appropriate concepts in learners' cognitive structure, which means that the same concept is expressed in different forms of equivalent language, and its psychological meaning (understanding) remains unchanged. As some scholars have put forward, learning is the formation of categories and coding systems.
Because category refers to a kind of knowledge, and a kind of knowledge is summarized by concept, this sentence can also be said as "learning is the formation of a kind of knowledge" or "learning is the formation of concepts and conceptual systems". These three sentences are expressed in different forms, but the meaning is the same, that is, what is learning. study
If a student can express the same concept in the above three different forms of equivalent language, it means that he can turn new propositions into terms suitable for his own ideological foundation and truly understand what he has learned. Here, Ausubel emphasizes the essence of meaningful acceptance learning process, emphasizes the connection between old and new knowledge, and grasps the most essential characteristics of students' knowledge learning, which is obviously very correct.
(D) The psychological mechanism of meaningful learning theory is "assimilation theory"
Ausubel believes that the psychological mechanism of meaningful learning is assimilation, and the core of assimilation theory is that whether students can obtain new information mainly depends on the existing concepts in their cognitive structure; Meaningful learning can only happen through the interaction between new information and existing concepts in students' cognitive structure.
Because of this interaction, the meaning of old and new knowledge is assimilated. In his view, assimilation is the process of interaction between old and new knowledge, and the result is that new ideas with potential significance find suitable assimilation points (fixed points or contact points) in learners' cognitive structure, which leads to the transformation of potential meaning of new ideas into actual psychological meaning (understanding); At the same time, the original cognitive structure has been expanded and deepened due to the inclusion of new ideas, thus changing qualitatively and quantitatively.
The formation of students' cognitive structure is a process of continuous construction and continuous vertical and horizontal connection; The level of cognitive structure is that the concepts with high generalization level are located at the top of cognitive structure, and then the concepts with low generalization level are located at the bottom.
Students' learning is a process of constantly enriching, perfecting and constructing cognition, that is, the process of gradually transforming knowledge structure into cognitive structure. Ausubel explained the internal psychological mechanism of meaningful learning with assimilation theory, explained the formation of students' cognitive structure and how to promote the development of students' cognitive structure, which is his unique contribution.
In order to achieve this effective assimilation and promote students' meaningful learning and the development of cognitive structure, Ausubel believes that the principle of continuous differentiation and comprehensive integration must be implemented in the teaching process, and the teaching strategy of "first organizer" must be implemented. Constant differentiation means that when presenting the contents of new textbooks, teaching should follow the principles of from the whole to the part and from the general to the special according to the natural order of students' understanding of new things and the organizational order of cognitive structure.
That is, the knowledge with high generalization and inclusion is presented first, and then the knowledge with decreasing generalization is arranged in turn. The chapters of the textbook should be divided continuously, and the content of each topic should also be divided continuously.
In this way, it is not only beneficial for students to use what they have learned before to fix and assimilate what they have learned later, but also beneficial for the new knowledge they have learned later to further expand and consolidate what they have learned before, so as to prevent isolated learning and mechanical memory. The principle of continuous differentiation emphasizes the vertical connection between knowledge. The principle of comprehensive integration emphasizes strengthening the relationship between concepts, principles, rules, topics and even chapters in textbooks from a horizontal perspective, and promoting the integration of learning.
Both the knowledge structure of the object and the cognitive structure of the subject have the nature of vertical and horizontal connection. The principle of continuous differentiation and comprehensive integration put forward by Ausubel helps teachers to design teaching contents and arrange teaching sequences according to the organizational characteristics of students' cognitive structure, thus helping students to learn, maintain, transfer and apply knowledge.
In addition, in learning, students sometimes lack the appropriate concept to establish contact with new knowledge, or although they have the appropriate concept, it is difficult to become the fixed point of new knowledge because of instability and ambiguity. In this case, the assimilation of old and new knowledge is blocked, and students often memorize.
In order to avoid mechanically learning or memorizing knowledge, Ausubel suggested that before learning new knowledge, teachers can implement the teaching strategy of "first organizer", that is, first introduce some guiding materials to students that are generally higher in abstract generalization than new knowledge, but easy for students to accept.
Through this artificial measure, the highly generalized concepts that can best be associated with new knowledge are "transplanted" into students' cognitive structure, so that students can successfully use these concepts to master new knowledge when learning new knowledge and ensure the establishment of substantive and non-artificial connections between old and new knowledge. The "advance organizer" can present both written materials and audio-visual materials. It can be introduced not only in the form of statements, but also in the form of questions, charts and situations to prepare for learning and teaching and enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching.
Second, the guiding significance of meaningful learning theory to teaching
At present, the new curriculum reform of basic education in China is being carried out in depth, and curriculum implementation is the central link of the new curriculum reform, which is reflected in classroom teaching. Based on the above research, we find that Ausubel's meaningful learning theory has important guiding significance for reforming teaching, improving teaching quality and effect, and then promoting the new curriculum reform.
(A) pay attention to students' autonomy in learning.
Fundamentally speaking, the autonomy of students' learning is the independence, initiative, enthusiasm and innovation of students in the interaction between teachers and students, and it is the greatest play of students' subjective initiative. Paying attention to students' learning autonomy in teaching is a teaching behavior consistent with Ausubel's proposition that learners have subjective initiative, which is the primary feature of classroom learning.
To give full play to students' autonomy in learning, we must first use the teaching concept of "double subjectivity" to guide teaching. As far as teaching is concerned, "double subject" means that teachers are the subject of teaching and students are the subject of learning. Every subject has his own horizon, and ideas collide in his own horizon, so as to achieve "horizon fusion" and mutual understanding.
Only by establishing teachers' dominant position in the teaching process and giving full play to teachers' leading role can we better highlight students' dominant position and give play to students' autonomy in learning, and the two complement each other.
Therefore, we should correct the bias of emphasizing students' dominant position in teaching and ignoring teachers' dominant position and leading role since the new curriculum reform. Secondly, we should stimulate students' learning motivation. Including cognitive internal drive (curiosity, thirst for knowledge), self-improvement internal drive (hope to gain honor and become advanced through learning) and affiliated internal drive (students' need for learning in order to gain the approval of teachers or parents).
Teachers should stimulate students' learning motivation and promote students' learning autonomy by combining subject characteristics, textbook arrangement and teaching plan. Thirdly, teachers should build a platform and space for students' development, help students study and explore under the guidance of teachers, and let them actively acquire knowledge and form their abilities.
(2) Focus on "accepting learning" and strive to diversify learning methods.
Ausubel tells us that school education is mainly to impart human cultural knowledge to students. The knowledge and experience that students want to learn are mainly based on book knowledge and indirect experience, so lecturing teaching and accepting learning are the main ways of teaching and learning. This emphasis on different learning methods and different functions has obvious guiding significance for teaching reform.
The new curriculum reform puts forward to attach importance to students' direct experience and change the simplification of learning methods, which is correct. However, in teaching practice, due to the biased understanding, some people overemphasize students' direct experience and ignore students' systematic and complete knowledge learning; Too much emphasis on the independent, cooperative and inquiry learning methods advocated by the new curriculum standard, equating receptive learning with mechanical learning, and rote learning have led to some shyness in teaching.
In the reform of teaching content, we should not only give priority to indirect experience, but also pay attention to the connection between teaching and students' life.
In the reform of learning methods, we should insist on meaningful acceptance learning, actively combine with autonomous learning, inquiry learning (discovery learning) and cooperative learning, and strive to realize the diversification of learning methods. These learning methods are not isolated, but interactive and inclusive.
When choosing learning methods, we should consider the characteristics of teaching objectives and teaching contents. No matter which learning method is adopted, it is an effective learning method as long as it helps students to master the knowledge they have learned quickly and accurately and form a good cognitive structure.
(C) to guide students to conduct fruitful and meaningful learning.
Ausubel believes that the essence of meaningful learning theory is to let students establish non-artificial and substantive connections between old and new knowledge. In order to carry out meaningful learning in an orderly and effective way, teachers must understand "what learners already know" in various ways before teaching new knowledge, that is, students' original cognitive structure, knowledge status, learning foundation, learning potential and needs, which is the starting point of teaching.
In particular, the knowledge and experience (including life experience) and ability level that students already have related to the content they are talking about determine the positioning of the starting point of learning. Only in this way can teachers find the breakthrough point between students' existing experience and new knowledge.
Teachers should also actively guide students to actively associate new knowledge with the original appropriate knowledge in the cognitive structure, fully reveal the connection and difference between old and new knowledge by various methods (including educational technology), present new knowledge, and help students master and understand knowledge.
Only in this way can we effectively promote the smooth convergence and assimilation of old and new knowledge and complete the non-artificial and substantive convergence of old and new knowledge. In teaching practice, some teachers do not clearly understand the intention of middle school students to study meaningfully, the starting point of teaching and the connection point between old and new knowledge, and blindly teach, which makes students unable to effectively master knowledge and develop their abilities. This is an urgent problem to be solved in today's teaching reform.
(D) to promote the improvement of students' cognitive structure
As mentioned above, the psychological mechanism of meaningful learning is assimilation, which is the process of interaction between old and new knowledge, and the process of constantly enriching, perfecting and constructing cognition, that is, the process in which students gradually realize the transformation from knowledge structure to cognitive structure. Cognitive structure refers to the quantity, clarity and organization of students' existing knowledge, which is composed of facts, concepts, propositions and theories that students can recall at present.
In order to achieve effective assimilation and promote the development of students' cognitive structure, Ausubel asked teachers to implement three models, two principles and one strategy in teaching. The three modes are: lower learning, upper learning and parallel learning; These two principles are: the principle of continuous differentiation and comprehensive integration; One strategy is the "advance organizer" strategy (advance organizer can include providing various forms of materials and setting different situations).
At the same time, it is necessary to create an interactive teaching atmosphere between teachers and students and create conditions for the development of students' cognitive structure. Because teaching is a communicative activity between subjects mediated by language, harmonious interaction and pleasant atmosphere between teachers and students are important factors that make students' cognitive structure play a positive role.
To sum up, Ausubel's meaningful learning theory attaches importance to meaningful receptive learning and the important role of students' cognitive structure in knowledge acquisition, which provides us with the basis and motivation for curriculum and teaching reform and has important guiding significance for improving teachers' teaching behavior, improving teaching quality and efficiency and promoting students' development.