In What Actual Classroom Situation can Subsumption Learning Theory be Applied?

In 1963, American psychologist David Ausubel put out the Subsumption Learning Theory. Ausubel’s idea places a strong emphasis on meaningful learning. According to Ausubel, one’s prior knowledge is the most important component of learning. When someone understands, connects, and absorbs new information with previously acquired knowledge and uses it to solve problems, they are said to be engaging in meaningful learning. The idea focuses on how people can absorb vast amounts of information and remember it.

Principles of Subsumption Learning Theory

With his theories, Ausubel has made significant contributions to the field of education. He believed that in order for pupils to learn effectively, they must relate their new information to what they already know. The following are the major tenets of the subsumption learning theory:

  • For easier comprehension and memorization, the learners should initially be introduced to the elementary ideas.
  • Both the new information and the learner’s prior knowledge should be included in the teaching materials. The new and the old ideas and concepts should be connected by teachers.
  • In order to keep the knowledge of the learners from being forgotten, the knowledge should be periodically brought back to memory.

In What Actual Classroom Situation can Subsumption Learning Theory be Applied?

To enhance a learner’s performance, the subsumption theory can be used in the following circumstances:

Start with the key lessons learned.

Start the lesson by going over the main points of the information being discussed. In this manner, the students will know what to expect and may use what they already know about the subject being covered. They will have a distinct notion and understanding of what they have learnt by the end.

Encourage students to use knowledge they have already learned.

The key idea of the subsumption theory is that learning involves applying one’s past knowledge to the new information. For better understanding of the new learning topic, the instructor should enable the pupils to draw on their prior knowledge. The learning process will be improved by doing this.

Make learning meaningful.

Making learning relevant should be the teachers’ main goal. When a person can connect what they have already learned with what they will learn, this is possible. The discussion’s subject matter will hold the students’ attention more keenly. In this approach, the students’ retention of the knowledge they are learning will also be prolonged.