David Ausubel's Subsumption Theory | Free LET Reviewer and Drill

Child & Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles LET REVIEWER

Lesson 30: David Ausubel's Subsumption Theory

(Meaningful Learning Theory)

Professional Education (PROFED) Reviewer

David Ausubel

David Ausubel was a cognitive learning theorist who focused on how students learn school subjects. He believed that learning is not just about receiving information passively. Instead, Ausubel saw learning as an active process where students connect new information to what they already know. He called this "meaningful learning." Ausubel believed that what students already know is the most important factor in determining what they will learn next.

• Ausubel said that the best way to learn something new is to connect it to something you already understand.

Ausubel's theory is called "Subsumption Theory" because it explains how new learning gets absorbed into existing knowledge. The word "subsume" means to include or absorb something into something larger. In learning, when you learn something new, it gets absorbed into your existing knowledge structure. New information is not stored separately. Instead, it connects to and becomes part of what you already know.

• Your brain is like a filing system. When you learn something new, you do not create a new file. Instead, you file the new information into an existing folder with related information you already know.

Advance Organizer

Before teaching new content, Ausubel recommended using an "Advance Organizer." An advance organizer is an overview or introduction that presents the big picture of what you are about to learn. It helps activate your prior knowledge. It shows you how the new information connects to what you already know. An advance organizer comes before ("advance") the detailed instruction.

You are still confused? Think about this an advance organizer is like a roadmap before a trip. It shows you where you are going and how it connects to where you have been. This helps you understand the new information better because you know how it fits into what you already know.

• Example: Before teaching about fractions, a teacher might say: "Remember how we learned about parts and wholes when we talked about dividing pizza? Today we are going to learn about fractions, which are a way of showing parts and wholes with numbers. Fractions help us describe how much of something we have."

Four Types of Meaningful Learning

Ausubel said that meaningful learning can happen in four different ways. These are different processes by which students integrate new knowledge with existing knowledge.

1. Derivative Subsumption
2. Correlative Subsumption
3. Superordinate Learning
4. Combinatorial Learning

Derivative Subsumption

1. Derivative Subsumption - describes a situation in which new information that students learn is an instance or example of a concept they have already learned. New material or relationships can be derived from an existing structure.

• The new information is a specific example of a general concept you already know
• You can figure out the new information from what you already know
• It is straightforward and does not require major changes to your existing knowledge

This is when you learn a new fact that is just a specific example of something you already understand. You already know the big idea, so the new information just fills in a detail.

• Example: You already know that "dogs are animals." When you learn that "a poodle is a dog," this is derivative subsumption. A poodle is just a specific example of the general concept "dog" that you already knew. You already understood dogs, so learning about poodles is just adding a specific example.

• Another example: You know that "trees have leaves." When you learn that "maple trees have red leaves in fall," this is derivative subsumption. You already understood trees have leaves. This is just a specific example.

Correlative Subsumption

2. Correlative Subsumption - to accommodate new information, you have to alter or expand your concept. More valuable learning than derivative subsumption, since it enriches the higher-level concept.

• The new information is related to what you know, but you have to change or expand your understanding
• The new information adds something new that you did not know before
• Your existing concept becomes bigger and richer

This is more sophisticated than derivative subsumption. You still connect new information to old knowledge, but the new information is different enough that you have to adjust or expand your understanding.

• Example: You know that "birds have feathers and can fly." Then you learn that "penguins are birds, but they cannot fly; they swim instead." Now you have to expand your concept of "bird." You realize that birds do not all fly. Your understanding of birds becomes richer and more complete.
• Another example: You know that "plants need sunlight and water to grow." Then you learn that "some plants like fungi grow in dark, wet places and do not need sunlight." You have to expand your understanding. Your concept of "plants" becomes more accurate and complete.

 Superordinate Learning

3. Superordinate Learning - you already know a lot of examples of the concept, but you did not know the concept itself until it was taught to you.

• You have seen many specific examples, but you did not know they all belonged to one category
• Someone teaches you the general concept that connects all these examples
• You suddenly understand how many different things are actually related

• Example: You already know about cars, buses, trains, and airplanes. You have learned about each one separately. Then someone teaches you the concept "transportation" and explains that all these things are ways people move from one place to another. Suddenly, you see that all these different things are related. They are all examples of transportation.
• Another example: You already know about anger, happiness, and sadness as separate feelings you experience. Then someone teaches you the concept "emotions" and explains that all your feelings are emotions. Suddenly, you understand that these different feelings are all part of one larger category.

Combinatorial Learning

4. Combinatorial Learning - describes a process by which new ideas are derived from another idea that comes from previous knowledge in a different, but related, branch. Students could think of this as learning by analogy.

• The new idea comes from combining two different areas of knowledge you already have
• You use knowledge from one area to understand something in a different but related area
• It is like making a connection between two different but similar ideas

This is learning by analogy or comparison. You know something about one topic, and you use that knowledge to understand something similar in a different topic. You say "This new idea is like that idea I already know, just in a different area."

• Example: You know how a family works. A family has a leader (parents), members who depend on the leader (children), and everyone plays different roles. Now you learn about how a business works. Your teacher says "A business is like a family. The owner is like the parent. The employees are like the children. Everyone has a role to play." You use your knowledge about families to understand businesses.
• Another example: You know how water flows downhill in a stream. Now you learn about electricity flowing through a wire. Your teacher says "Electricity flows through a wire like water flows downhill. Voltage is like the slope of the hill. Resistance is like obstacles in the stream." You use your knowledge of water to understand electricity.

Subsumption Theory Quiz: click here

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