In 1963, the American psychologist David Ausubel developed the Subsumption Theory of Learning. The Ausubel Theory concentrates on how people absorb and learn substantial amounts of information from textual or visual sources.
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What Is David Ausubel’s Theory of Subsumption?
Even identical twins are not entirely similar to one another. Indeed, even two individuals with the very same genes, upbringing in precisely the same home, attending the same educational institutes, taking the same subjects taught by the same professors, and other similar circumstances, are not identical. This fact has two implications.
First, a significant portion of our academic performance is influenced by our genetics, with identical twins scoring relatively similarly in terms of accomplishment and learning. But again, even twins aren’t entirely alike if it concerns learning and success. Consider a “typical” class with approximately 30 diverse kids if that’s the case.
Because every student is unique and doesn’t possess the same degree of previous knowledge, learning new material can be challenging. The good news is that this issue has a remedy!
Consider what comes next. While walking inside a building or a business, you pass by a configuration with a bunch of beakers, tubes, and boiling liquids. If you’ve never taken chemistry, you almost certainly have no clue what’s happening, except for the possibility that they’re making a sci-fi film with a deranged scientist playing the lead role.
Now, suppose you took chemistry in your 11th and 12th classes. You will instantly recognize that this setup may have something to do with distilling, which is the method that involves separating more than two liquids (such as beer, vodka, or gasoline) using evaporative and condensing concepts.
If you majored in chemistry in university, however, you might realize that this particular distillation configuration is being utilized for a specific function since the temperature must be carefully controlled to stay below 100 degrees Celsius.
The temperature gauge indicates that ethanol has been distilled at 78.33 degrees Celsius. In other words, what you already know influences what you perceive in the present instead of the opposite way.
What Is the Main Focus of the Subsumption Theory?
The above situation is where the subsumption theory comes into play!
According to a 1960s paper by American psychologist David Ausubel, the learner’s prior knowledge significantly impacts what they can learn. Alternatively, the subsumption meaning relates to prior information. He believed that whatever new information we desire or require to understand must be connected to whatever we currently know.
Human beings’ long-term memory contains schemata, sometimes called schemas, representing the information we already possess. Schemata are essentially mental structures that allow us to incorporate new knowledge. They resemble hallway garment racks, allowing us to hang freshly washed clothes with the help of “hooks.”
If we relate this to learning, we do not have anything to which we can link the new knowledge minus these hooks. To facilitate the process of linking new facts to past knowledge, Ausubel developed the idea of employing “advance organizers.”
David Ausubel defines an advance organizer as a document or presentation delivered before a training session with a higher degree of generality, inclusivity, and abstraction. It creates a conceptual model for acquiring the new material.
More general to more specialized notions are organized hierarchically in our cerebral schemata. Assimilation refers to the method by which you incorporate newly acquired information into pre-existing brain structures.
This process also involves the alteration of existing schemata. Newly acquired knowledge or experiences ensure that our cranial frameworks absorb and integrate these facts. Jean Piaget advanced this concept while discussing how a child’s cognitive development occurs.
For instance, if students had previously studied how fuel automobiles operate and are now studying other types of cars, they will add those vehicles and their machines to their learning schema and their prior understanding of how cars work (assimilation).
Additionally, they will change those schemas since they now understand that, for instance, a diesel car is equivalent to a gas-powered vehicle, with the exception that the second includes glow plugs — that operate differently (accommodation). Therefore in this sense, knowledge acquisition involves a constant dialogue between what a person currently understands and what individuals learn.
We occasionally refer to this as the assimilation theory and, at other times, the Ausubel theory of subsumption. The accompanying diagram attempts to illustrate David Ausubel’s assimilation hypothesis.
1) Derivative Subsumption
Derivative subsumption involves the process of connecting new ideas to existing cognitive structures. Imagine your existing knowledge as a mental framework or scaffold. When you encounter new information, you actively link it to this pre-existing structure.
It’s akin to expanding on what you already know. For example, if you’re familiar with the concept of renewable energy sources, learning about a new type of sustainable technology, like solar-powered heating systems, engages derivative subsumption. Your brain assimilates this new information by associating it with the broader category of renewable energy.
2) Correlative Subsumption
Correlative subsumption occurs when you incorporate new information into your existing knowledge, particularly into higher-order concepts. In this process, you’re not just expanding your understanding; you’re making connections to more advanced or abstract ideas you already possess.
Suppose you have a solid grasp of basic economic principles, and you then delve into understanding complex financial derivatives. The assimilation of information about financial derivatives into your existing understanding of economics exemplifies correlative subsumption.
3) Superordinate Subsumption
Superordinate subsumption introduces a new higher-level concept that facilitates the integration of pre-existing categories. It’s like introducing an overarching idea that unifies and organizes your existing knowledge.
For instance, if you have a comprehensive understanding of various programming languages, superordinate subsumption might involve learning a new paradigm, such as object-oriented programming. This higher-level concept integrates and organizes your existing knowledge of different programming languages under a broader category, enhancing your overall understanding of programming.
4) Combinatorial Subsumption
Combinatorial subsumption involves linking ideas across higher-level notions, creating combinations that enhance understanding. It’s a process of synthesizing information from different domains to gain a more comprehensive perspective.
To illustrate, consider your knowledge of insulation properties in physics and your understanding of how fur or animal hair functions as insulation. Combinatorial subsumption occurs when you combine these ideas. By knowing that immobile air-space insulation works in physics, you can better comprehend the role of fur or animal hair in keeping certain species warm—creating a connection that goes beyond individual concepts and forms a more holistic understanding.
The Core of the David Ausubel Theory in eLearning Design
The Ausubel theory was initially designed purely for instructional design, in contrast to numerous other educational hypotheses, which are psychology-based concepts adapted to curriculum design. It outlines a process for producing educational materials that aid in helping students arrange their learning in a way that makes it relevant for transmission.
The objective of David Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory is for employees in organizational settings to acquire and keep the knowledge they need to handle any situation.
The Ausubel theory holds that we acquire information through the actual procedures that occur throughout learning. The main cognitive activity that occurs in trainees is subsumption, in which new information is non-verbatim connected to related concepts already existing in the trainee’s current mental framework.
After the forgetting curve eventually sets in, cognitive structures are the remnants of the human mind from all educational experiences. As a result, certain specifics, facts, or circumstances are incorporated into a general idea when they start losing their uniqueness.
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What Are the 4 Core Elements of Ausubel’s Theory?
The following are the central tenets of the Ausubel theory of subsumption:
- The most fundamental ideas should be introduced to learners first, followed by their analysis.
- The course contents should cover both previously learned subjects and additional knowledge.
- Comparisons of new and old ideas are essential.
- Instead of developing new cognitive structures, the instructor should aim to simply rearrange the learner’s memories.
The instructor’s job is to fill in the knowledge gaps between what has already been learned and what they will teach.
The Four Categories of Expert Organizers
The four sorts of advanced organizers—who should always have prior instruction—are as follows:
- Expository organizers describe new information.
- Narrative organizers tell a story while presenting new facts
- Skimming organizers quickly scan the data
- Pictographs, logical or explanatory patterns, and mind-mapping are examples of graphic organizers.
The Advantages of Professional Organizers
Advanced organizers are helpful learning aids that enable employees to mentally integrate new information with facts they’ve already learned. In contrast to the “parrot-like” method of memorizing, this results in what is described as “meaningful learning.”
Therefore, this technology prepares participants’ cognitive structures for the upcoming learning activity using schemas and mental patterns, enabling new knowledge to be effortlessly assimilated into the existing frameworks.
Learners will become capable of starting with the large picture and then connecting fresh concepts, ideas, and theories to current cognitive maps of the linked subject if instructors give a brief overview or a teaser of the content that will be taught.
How Can You Apply the Subsumption Theory in eLearning?
It’s not as difficult as it might sound to incorporate Ausubel’s subsumption theory into your training programs. Using these four suggestions, you’ll be ready to see your participants’ performance soar!
1) Begin With the Main Points to Remember
Start your instructional approach with a broad overview, emphasizing everything your employees require to know by the conclusion, and then sequence the online content from broad to narrow—a strategy David Ausubel refers to as “progressive differentiation.” It will allow the participant to categorize the eLearning material automatically and determine where it fits into their mental structures.
They can directly access their understanding of animal categorization to grow on it and implement it when taking the online class, for instance, if you inform them that it includes animal genus principles.
As the training module progresses, provide more precise details so that your trainees can start distinguishing it from any other facts they already have gathered. Remember that building connections between ideas and distinguishing them from others can help you retain knowledge and prevent forgetting.
2) Encourage Employees to Put Their Knowledge to Use
Speaking of connections, the Ausubel theory emphasizes the notion that learning occurs best when new ideas are connected to pre-existing cognitive frameworks. But it functions in both directions. They also can put what they’ve already learned into practice to increase understanding and memory.
In many aspects, this is a two-way highway that gives trainees the opportunity to pick up new information while storing “old” information in the long-term memory vaults. When possible, incorporate eLearning simulations and scenarios that let trainees apply their skills while acquiring new knowledge and concepts.
Additionally, emphasize the similarities and differences between new and well-known concepts to help students make the crucial cognitive connection.
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3) Incorporate Both Discovery-based and Receptive Activities
It is an excellent idea to incorporate both receptive and discovery-based virtual tasks into your online course design because each represents a different eLearning purpose, even though Ausubel noticed no unique benefits of discovery-learning because he thought it accomplishes the exact outcome of creating learning takes more time.
Whereas receptive online exercises aid in acquiring and retaining new knowledge, discovery-based activities enable employees to comprehend how learning can be used in many contexts and circumstances.
Learners will not be taking written examinations to gauge their understanding of the actual world. Instead, to overcome obstacles and address difficulties encountered in everyday life, learners will need to use knowledge in various contexts. As a result, you ought to ensure that employees apply what they are studying beyond the online classroom.
4) Make it Significant
David Ausubel’s theory’s main objective is to produce authentic learning experiences, even if it mainly focuses on rote learning concepts. When people can link their mental cognitive system between what they’ve acquired and the information they already remember, they have learned something meaningfully.
In essence, they connect it to previously learned material and memorize it to be able to refer to it afterward. Making your eLearning course personalized is among the best ways to give it significance.
Include online tasks for fixing issues that leverage prior experiences, as well as emotional-provoking stories. Use concrete examples to assist your audience in relating to concepts and notions while highlighting the advantages of knowing the subject.
5) Facilitate Reflective Practices
Beyond merely presenting information, encourage learners to engage in reflective practices. Provide prompts for journaling, online discussions, or reflective essays where learners can connect new concepts to their personal experiences. This reflective process aids in creating cognitive links between theoretical knowledge and real-life situations, fostering a deeper and more meaningful understanding.
6) Provide Varied Learning Resources
Recognize the diverse learning preferences among your audience. Offer a range of learning resources, including video lectures, written articles, infographics, and interactive modules.
This approach accommodates different learning styles, allowing individuals to subsume information in a way that aligns with their preferred mode of learning. The varied format also reinforces key concepts through repetition in different modalities.
7) Promote Collaborative Learning
David Ausubel’s emphasis on social interaction aligns with the benefits of collaborative learning. Integrate group activities, discussion forums, or collaborative projects where learners can collectively construct knowledge.
Engaging with peers provides additional perspectives and cognitive hooks, enriching the learning experience. Collaborative learning encourages active participation and reinforces the organization of information through collective sense-making.
8) Implement Continuous Feedback Loops
Implementing continuous feedback loops is crucial for reinforcing correct connections and addressing misconceptions. Incorporate formative assessments, quizzes, and discussion feedback to guide learners in refining their mental structures. Immediate feedback not only aids in correcting errors but also serves as a positive reinforcement mechanism, strengthening the connections formed during the learning process.
9) Include Adaptive Learning Paths
Leverage technology to create adaptive learning paths tailored to individual learners. An adaptive system assesses learners’ performance and adjusts the complexity of the content accordingly. This personalized approach ensures that each learner progresses through the material at a pace aligned with their existing knowledge.
Adaptive learning paths contribute to a more efficient and targeted learning experience, aligning with David Ausubel’s focus on meaningful learning.
10) Incorporate Real-world Application Scenarios
Enhance the authenticity of the learning experience by incorporating real-world application scenarios. Present practical examples, case studies, or simulations that illustrate how the acquired knowledge is relevant to actual situations.
Connecting theoretical concepts to real-world applications reinforces the meaningfulness of the learning content. Learners can see the immediate value of their newly acquired knowledge, facilitating the transfer of information from the eLearning environment to their day-to-day roles.
Conclusion
The instructional design of any eLearning course must consider as much as feasible about how your staff members learn and retain information. You can use the Ausubel theory of subsumption to make a meaningful relationship between new concepts and previously acquired knowledge, giving your learners the best chance to recall the essential lessons and profit from your instructional strategy.
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