Robert Gagnes Nine Events

of Instruction
Organization is the
hallmark of effective
instructional materials.

Robert Gagne
1916-present





Objectives
Describe considerations in selecting an instructional
delivery system.
Name and use the five learning components of an
instructional strategy.
Develop an instructional strategy.
Select appropriate student groupings and media for
the learning components of an instructional
strategy.
Robert Gagne
Behaviorist roots
Extended Skinners work into the design
of instruction for humans:
Skinner: animal learning human learning
Gagn: human learning ID similarities in
all human learning circumstances to ID
best practices
What factors really can make a difference
in instruction?

WWII
Training air force personnel
Analyzed training tasks & IDd 3 principles:
Provide instruction on the set of sub skills that
build toward the final task
Ensure that each sub skill is mastered before
moving forward with the instruction
Sequence the learning of sub skills to logically
lead to the final learning

Instructional psychology Instructional
theory (methods most likely to result in
learning)
Came to believe learning contributes to
individual development
learning = environmental stimulation +
learner cognitive processing

Robert Gagn: Instructional Psych.
Learning contributes to individual development.
Based on two characteristics of human learning:
1. Human learning isnt a process of acquiring
isolated bits of information instead, much of
human learning generalizes to multiple situations
2. Learning of more complex skills is based on prior
learning of less complex skills human learning
is cumulative

If Gagn is correct in suggesting that
experience plays a major role in
childrens development, what
consequences does that imply for
societys obligation to its children?


Based on his feeling that learning is tied to cognitive
development, Gagn rejected Skinners work as too
simple to fully explain complex human learning.
Skinner focus was on behaviour while he focussed
on behaviour and cognitive processes
Learning is complex no simple set of characteristics
can define it
Gagn said learning is a mechanism by which an
individual becomes a competent functioning member
of society.
Instructional theory what works in education
Gagns theories evolved over time to incorporate 3
major components of effective instruction:
1. A taxonomy of learning outcomes
2. Specific learning conditions required for the
attainment of each outcome
3. Nine events of instruction

Taxonomy of learning outcomes
Different types of knowledge:
Declarative (Shakespeare lived in the 16
th

century)
Procedural (conjugate verbs / balance a
budget)
Conditional (knowing when and how to apply
declarative or procedural knowledge)
Motor skills (write / bicycle / stick shift
Affective (feelings toward objects or
behaviors)
Gagn an integrated taxonomy

Robert Gagn: Learning Outcomes
1. Verbal information (declarative knowledge)
The vast body of organized knowledge learners
acquire through formal schooling, books,
television, and any other means
What individuals recall when playing Jeopardy or
Trivial Pursuit
Gagn was in agreement with Ausubel,
information-processing theorists, and schema
theorists: learners organize knowledge in
schemata

Robert Gagn: Learning Outcomes
2. Five intellectual skills (procedural
knowledge)
1. Discrimination
2. Concrete concepts
3. Defined concepts
4. Rules
5. Higher-order rules
ID right triangles
ID right angles ID triangles
Discriminate right
angles
from other angles
Discriminate triangles
from other shapes
Robert Gagn: Learning Outcomes
3. Cognitive strategies (personal ways of / strategies
for guiding behavior: learning, thinking, acting or
feeling)
4. Attitudes (feelings governing behavior)

5. Motor skills ( actions involving the use of muscles)

Robert Gagn: Learning Conditions
Learning conditions: what must be present or
included in instruction to support success
Requires clear learning goals
Behaviorist perspective
Critique
Mixed research findings concerning objectives.
Most studies show a small positive or no effect
on intentional learning (relating directly to the
objectives) and a harmful affect on incidental
learning (information unrelated to the objectives).

Robert Gagn: Learning Conditions
Objectives needed by instructional designers
Effective instruction - Alignment
Supports systematic planning for instruction
Categorized objectives by learning outcomes
Identify extra conditions that critically
influence mastery of the five major types of
learning outcomes
Design instruction based on the nine events
of instruction

Structured Instruction: Robert Gagn
Robert Gagn, an educational psychologist, is known
for his research into a systematic design and
approach to instruction and teaching methods.
In 1965, he published The Conditions of Learning.
He also developed The Nine Events of Instruction.
Through this what we get is a formula or approach to
deliver instruction and to guide the learning process.
Even if you have never heard of Gagn's nine events
of instruction, most instructors intuitively employ
some of them in their instructional design.
The nine events of instruction offer you
a way to reflect on possible strategies to
engage your students; however, all nine
events may not fit all instructional
needs.


(Driscoll, 2000)
Gagnes Theoretical Background
Robert Gagne is best known for his learning outcomes, learning
conditions, and his nine events of instruction.

Gagnes theories have been applied to the design of instruction
in several domains beyond the educational realm, such as the
military, Instructional Systems Development, flying,
troubleshooting, leadership, medical care, & engineering.

Gagnes theory should be classified as instructional theory as
opposed to a learning theory. A learning theory consists of a set
of propositions and constructs that account for how changes in
human performance abilities come about. On the other hand, an
instructional theory seeks to describe the conditions under
which one can intentionally arrange for the learning of specific
performance outcomes.

Gagnes Theoretical Orientation
Gagnes instructional theory tends to side with behavioristic
principles (teacher-centered approach) because he focuses on
outcomes/behaviors that result from instruction. Further, he
believes that the results of learning are measurable through
testing, and that drill, practice, and immediate feedback are
effective.
Gagnes theories became influenced by cognitive theorists. He
proposed that the information-processing model of learning
could be combined with behaviorist concepts to provide a more
complete view of learning tasks (Molenda, 2002):
Gagne (1997): These [cognitive] theories propose that stimulation
encountered by the learner is transformed or processed in a number
of ways (i.e., through commitment to short-term memory, conversion
to long-term memory, and the retention and retrieval of that
information) by internal structures during the period in which the
changes identified as learning takes place.
(Campos, 1999)



Gagnes Theoretical Orientation
(Contd)
In his view, effective instruction must reach beyond
traditional learning theories (behaviorism,
cognitivism, and constructivism) and provide support
to transition from simple to complex skills, thus using
an hierarchical model for learning.


Overview of Gagnes Theories
Gagnes Taxonomy of Learning states that there are five
major categories of learning outcomes: verbal
information, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, motor skills,
and attitudes; The five subcategories of intellectual skills are
hierarchical in nature (low-level skills to high-level skills).
Gagnes hierarchy of intellectual skills follows programmed
instruction since one skill must be learned before another can
be mastered.


Overview of Gagnes Theories
(Contd)
Verbal information: Reciting something from memory
Intellectual skills:
Discrimination: Recognizing that two classes of things differ
Concrete concept: Classifying things by their physical features
alone
Defined concept: Classifying things by their abstract (and
possibly physical) features
Rule: Applying a simple procedure to solve a problem or
accomplish a task
Higher-order rule: Applying a complex procedure (or multiple
simple procedures) to solve a problem or accomplish a task
Cognitive strategies: Inventing or selecting a particular mental
process to solve a problem or accomplish a task
Attitudes: Choosing to behave in a way that reflects a newly-
acquired value or belief
Motor skills: Performing a physical task to some specified standard


Overview of Gagnes Theories
(Contd)
Gagnes Theory says that learning hierarchies can be constructed by
working backwards from the final learning objective. So, the key
question to keep in mind when developing a learning hierarchy is What
are the intellectual skills one needs to have mastered in order to learn
the new objective(s)?

The significance of this hierarchy is to identify prerequisites that should
occur to facilitate learning at each level and to provide the basis for the
sequencing of instruction.
(http://www.educationau.edu.au/archives/cp/04d.htm)


Overview of Gagnes Theories
(Contd)
Gagne developed ideas known as Conditions of Learning, whereby he
claimed that there are several different types or levels of learning.
Therefore, he posits that each different type of learning requires
different types of instruction.

Different internal & external conditions are necessary for each type of
learning. The external conditions are the things that the teacher
arranges during instruction, while internal conditions are skills and
capabilities that the learner has already mastered.
(Driscoll, 2000)

For example, for cognitive strategies to be learned, there must be a
chance to practice developing new solutions to problems; to learn new
attitudes, the learner must be exposed to a credible role model or
persuasive arguments.

http://www.educationau.edu.au/archives/cp/04d.htm


The Nine Events of Instruction
When the Events of Instruction occur, internal learning
processes take place that lead to various learning outcomes.
(Campos, 1999)
The Events of Instruction constitute a set of communications to
the student, which have the aim of aiding the learning process.

Instruction consists of a set of events external to the learner
designed to support the internal processes of learning.
(Gagne, Briggs, & Wager, 1988)

This theory outlines nine instructional events and their
corresponding processes.

The Nine Events of Instruction
Event of Instruction
1. Gaining attention
Giving learner a stimulus to ensure
reception of coming instruction
2. Informing the learner of the
objective
Telling learner what they will be able
to do for the instruction
3. Stimulating recall of prior
learning
Asking for recall of existing relevant
knowledge
4. Presenting the stimulus
Displaying the content
5. Providing learner guidance
Supplying organization and
relevance to enhance
understanding
Learning Process
Attention


Expectancy


Retrieval to working memory



Pattern recognition; selective
perception

Chunking, rehearsal, encoding



The Nine Events of Instruction
(Contd)
Events of Instruction

6. Eliciting performance
Asking learners to respond,
demonstrating learning
7. Providing Feedback
Giving immediate feedback on
learner's performance.
8. Assessing performance
Providing feedback to learners'
more performance for reinforcement
9. Enhancing retention and
transfer
Providing diverse practice to
generalize the capability


Learning Process

Retrieval, responding


Reinforcement, error correction


Responding, retention


Retention, retrieval,
generalization

The Nine Events of Instruction
(Contd)
Keep in mind that the exact form of these events is not
something that can be specified in general for all lessons, but
rather must be decided for each learning objective. The events
of instruction must be deliberately arranged by the teacher to
support learning processes.
(Gagne, Briggs, & Wager, 1988)

Instructional Components
Pre-instructional activities
Motivating/gaining attention
Informing learner of objectives/purposes
Telling them what they already need to know
Content Presentation
Presenting the content
Guiding the learning
Learner Participation
Giving the learner opportunities to practice
Giving feedback
Assessment
Follow-through activities

Components
Selection of Delivery System
Instructional Strategies
Selection of Media

Selection of Delivery System
1. Consider the goal, learner characteristics, the learning and
performance contexts, objectives and assessment
requirements.
2. Review the instructional analysis and identify logical
groupings of objectives that will be taught in appropriate
sequences.
3. Plan the learning components that will be used in the
instruction.
4. Choose the most effective student grouping.
5. Specify effective media and materials that are within the range
of cost, convenience, and practicality for the learning context.
6. Select or develop a delivery system that best accommodates
the considerations in step 1 and the decisions made in steps
2-5.

Instructional Strategies
Instructional strategies are used
generally to cover the various aspects
of sequencing and organizing the
content, specifying learning activities,
and deciding how to deliver the content
and activities.

Content Sequence
The first step in developing an
instructional strategy is identifying a
teaching sequence and manageable
groupings of content.
What sequence should you follow in
presenting content to the learner?
It depends on your instructional
analysis

Clustering Instruction
The consideration of how to determine the amount of
information to be presented.
The age level of your learners
The complexity of material
The type of learning taking place
Whether the activity can be varied, thereby focusing
attention on the task
The amount of time required to include all the events

Learning components
for various learning outcomes
The basic learning components of an instructional
strategy are the same regardless of whether you are
designing instruction for an intellectual skill, verbal
information, a motor skill, or an attitude.

However, there are distinctions you should consider for
each type of learning outcome.

Intellectual Skill
The strategy should provide ways in which the learner
can link new content to existing prerequisite knowledge
in memory.

Considerations:
The congruence of practice to the conditions and
behaviors prescribed in the objectives and covered in
the instruction.
The link between prerequisite knowledge and new
skills and progressing from less difficult to more
complex problems.

Verbal Information
Elaboration: strategies that link new information to
knowledge currently stored in memory.

Organization: strategies that present similar
information in subsets and provide direct instruction on
the relationship among items in the subsets and
among different subsets.

Mnemonic: when information is entirely new and
unrelated to prior learning, then the strategy should
include a memory device.

Motor Skills
The requirement of some form of visual presentation
of the skill.

The categories of content and examples in a strategy
usually take the form of a verbal description of the skill
followed by an illustration.

Practice and feedback are the hallmarks of
psychomotor skills.

Attitudes
Attitude consist of three components: feelings,
behaviors, and cognitive understandings.

The content and example portion of the strategy
should be delivered by someone or by an imaginary
character who is respective and admired by the
learners (human model).

The most important consideration in the instructional
strategy for teaching an attitude is the adequacy of the
components that will promote transfer.

Student Grouping
The type of student grouping (individual,
pairs, small group, large group)
depends on specific social interaction
requirements and is often mixed within
and among the learning components in
a lesson or unit.

Dick, Carey, & Careys Advice on
Developing an Instructional Strategy
1. Indicate the sequence of objectives and how you will cluster
them for instruction.
2. Indicate what you will do with regard to pre instructional
activities, assessment, and follow-through.
3. Indicate the content to be presented and student participation
activities for each objective or cluster of objectives.
4. Review your sequence and clusters of objectives,
preinstructional activities, assessment, content presentation,
student participation strategies, and student groupings and
media selections.
5. Review the entire strategy again to consolidate your media
selection.

Selection of Media and Delivery System
Clarks (1983) review of research established the
basic argument that it is the design of instruction,
rather than the medium used to deliver instruction,
that determines student learning.

Selection of Media and Delivery System
Gagne, Briggs & Wager (1992) provide a summary of selection criteria of media
based on the type of learning outcome.
Learning Outcome

Exclusions

Selections

Intellectual Skills

Media that has no interactive feature
Printed discourse for nonreaders
Media providing feedback to learner
responses
Audio and visual features for
nonreaders

Cognitive Strategies

Exclusions same as for intellectual
skills
Media with same features as those
for intellectual skills.

Declarative Knowledge

Exclude only real equipment or
simulator with no verbal
accompaniments. Exclude complex
prose for nonreaders.

Media able to present verbal
messages and elaborations. Also,
select audio and pictorial features for
nonreaders.
Attitude

Exclusions same as for verbal
information

Media able to present realistic
pictures of human model and the
models message

Psychomotor

Media having no provision for
learner response and feedback.

Media making possible direct
practice of skill, with informative
feedback.

Closing
Ingredients for an instructional strategy (IS) include
the results of the learner and context analyses,
results of the instructional analysis, the performance
objectives, and the assessment items.
An IS is a prescription for developing or selecting
instructional materials.
The design of ISs is based on Gagnes events of
instruction.
Different learning outcomes need different ISs.

References
Bassoppo-Moyo, Temba C. 1997. The Effects of Preinstructional Activities and Mental Maps in Enhancing Learner Recall and
Conceptual Learning of Instructional Materials for Preservice Teachers in Zimbabwe. Academic Search Premier Database.
Campos, Tracy. 1999. Gagns Contributions to the Study of Instruction
http://chd.gse.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/theorists/cognitivism/gagne.htm
Conditions of Learning. http://tip.psychology.org/gagne.html
Conditions of Learning: Exponent/Originator http://www.educationau.edu.au/archives/cp/04d.htm
Driscoll, M. (2000). Psychology of learning for instruction, 2nd edition. New York: Allyn & Bacon. Unit 6: Gagnes Instructional
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Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction --http://online.sfsu.edu/~foreman/itec800/finalprojects/annie/gagne'snineevents.html
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