Meaningful Learning and its Implications in the Classroom

Learning is a term that has been studied in the field of education and psychology over the years. Following these studies, different theories related to human learning and the various ways in which the brain learns have emerged.

Still, before continuing, we must define the meaning of the learning concept. We can define learning as the lasting acquisition of knowledge, behaviors, skills, or abilities through practice, study, or experience. In the same way, learning is a natural and continuous process that we carry out daily throughout our lives.

There are several types of learning, including meaningful learning based on the theory of meaningful learning by American psychologist David Ausubel.

David Ausubel was a constructivist psychologist and pedagogue. He was born in New York on October 25, 1918. Studied psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and medicine at the University of Middlesex. He was the creator of the theory of meaningful learning, which is part of the constructivist current as relational learning. In 1976 he was awarded the Edward Thorndike Prize by the American Psychological Association (APA) for his contributions to educational psychology. Ausubel passed away on July 9, 2008, in New York.

WHAT IS MEANINGFUL LEARNING?

Meaningful learning was a term developed during the 1960s and is within the constructivist current. It differs from rote learning in that a connection is obtained between the previous knowledge of the students and the newly acquired knowledge, while rote learning consists of memorizing concepts without the need for understanding.

Meaningful learning allows students to associate acquired material with previous knowledge or experiences that serve as an anchor when obtaining new knowledge. This will enable the student to make connections that will allow learning to be a comprehensive and lasting one throughout their life.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING?

There are three types of meaningful learning. All make up the process of obtaining lasting knowledge and connect IT to prior knowledge. Next, we describe them.

Representation Learning

• It is the elementary learning on which other learning depends. It is based on learning symbols and words.

Concept learning

• It is produced as the vocabulary of the students expands. It is the learning of words or concepts. It can be acquired through the discovery or instruction of the teacher.

Proposition Learning

• It is the union of previous learning. The image is associated with the word and its meaning so that an expressed idea is generated.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING

The teacher needs to have in mind the previous knowledge of the students before starting to impart new material. In this way, you can make use of symbols, phrases, concepts, images, ideas, and propositions that connect with new knowledge. Through these connections, students will have the opportunity to associate their previous knowledge with the new concepts taught in the classroom. Through these connections, the acquired knowledge will be stored in long-term memory, causing personalized and constant learning.

Student motivation is essential to obtain meaningful learning. This is why the teacher must use examples during the instruction of new material, having in mind the students’ previous knowledge. The use of resources and materials that facilitate this type of learning is also recommended.

BENEFITS OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING

1. Active learning by students.

2. Personalized learning based on students’ previous experiences.

3. Information stored in long-term memory.

4. More significant and lasting retention of knowledge.

5. Successful connection of new knowledge with prior knowledge.

TIPS TO PROMOTE MEANINGFUL LEARNING

1. Take into account the previous knowledge of the students.

2. Make use of activities that are of interest to students.

3. Create a motivational environment to learn.

4. Make use of debates, group work, games, analogies, illustrations, and previous organizers.

5. Use examples at all times.

6. Be a facilitator of the learning process, clarify doubts, and allow students to be an active entity during the process.

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You may be interested: Eight Ways of Learning

References

Ausubel, D. (1968). Psicología educativa, un punto de vista cognoscitivo. México: Trillas, 1976.

Bobadilla, I., Díaz, L., Grawe, A., & Maripangui, M. (2016). Teoría del Aprendizaje Significativo Ausubel [PDF]. Curicó: Universidad Católica del Maule. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/26847490/Trabajo_de_Investigacion_-_Aprendizaje_Significativo_04.06?auto=download

Meaningful Learning: Definition and Characteristics — Exploring your mind. (2018). Retrieved on November  11, 2019, on https://exploringyourmind.com/meaningful-learning-definition-characteristics/

Moreira, M. A. (1997). Aprendizaje significativo: un concepto subyacente. Actas del encuentro internacional sobre el aprendizaje significativo, 19, 44.

Rodríguez-Palmero, M. (2008). La Teoría del Aprendizaje Significativo en la Perspectiva de la Psicología Cognitiva [Ebook] (1st ed.). Barcelona: Ediciones Octaedro, S.L. Retrieved from https://campusvirtual.univalle.edu.co/moodle/pluginfile.php/1187873/mod_folder/content/0/DIG003.pdf?forcedownload=1