Learning Theories: Meaningful, Mechanical, and Eclectic Approaches

Meaningful Learning

Occurs when new information connects to a relevant pre-existing cognitive structure. This implies that new ideas, concepts, and propositions can be learned significantly as other relevant ideas, concepts, or proposals are adequately clear and available in an individual's cognitive structure and function as an anchor point to the former.

Mechanical Learning

Occurs when there are inadequate pre-existing cognitive structures, so the new information is stored arbitrarily, without interacting with pre-existing knowledge.

Learning by Discovery

Involves students sorting information, integrating it with their cognitive structure, and reorganizing or transforming the integrated combination to produce the desired learning.

Reception Learning

The learning content is presented to students in its final form, requiring them only to internalize or incorporate the material so they can retrieve or recall it at a later time.

Eclectic Learning Theory (Robert Gagne)

Based on a model of information processing, which in turn is based on a cognitive approach. Gagne's approach is organized into four specific parts:

1. Includes processes of learning, how individuals learn, and the hypothetical assumptions on which to build theory.
2. Analyzes the results of learning or what types of skills the student learns:

• Basic shapes
• Intellectual skills
• Verbal information
• Cognitive strategies
• Motor skills
• Attitudes

Conditions of learning, i.e., learning facilitators and events. Applications of the theory.

Internal Mechanisms of Learning (Robert Gagne)

1. Grounds
2. Care and selective perception
3. Acquisition
4. Retention or accumulation in memory
5. Information retrieval
6. Generalization
7. Generation of responses or performance phase
8. Feedback

Varieties That Influence Learning

• Motor skills (learning skills of the muscular system).
• Verbal information (learning a wealth of information).
• Intellectual skills (acquiring simple discrimination and chains, reaching concepts and rules).
• Attitudes (capabilities that influence the choice of personal actions).
• Cognitive strategies (internally organized skills that govern the behavior of the individual in terms of their reading attention, memory, and thought).

According to Gagne, each of these domains of learning requires different ways of controlling the conditions to increase the likelihood of success. Concerning models of learning, these are defined as control processes.