Robert Gagné’s

Nine Events of Instruction

“Organization is the
hallmark of effective
instructional
materials”

Robert Gagné
1916-2002
Art Wolfskill, ALEC 601

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Overview:

According to Gagne's theory, it is important

for teachers to understand the conditions
of learning in order to teach new concepts
to all different types of learners.
 Gagné’s Theoretical Background
 Gagné’s theory should be classified as instructional
theory - as opposed to learning theory.

 A learning theory consists of a set of propositions

and constructs that account for how changes in
human performance abilities come about.

 An instructional theory describes the conditions

under which one can intentionally arrange for the
learning of specific performance outcomes.

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This theory stipulates that there are
several different types or levels of
learning.

The significance of these classifications

is that each different type requires
different types of instruction.
 The best way to introduce this theory is
through Gagne's model which describes
the set of factors that influence learning
and that collectively may be called the
conditions of learning.

 They include internal as well as external

conditions that shape the learning
processes
 So the focus of the theory is on
intellectual skills
Gagne identifies five major categories of
learning (Conditions of Learning)
Verbal
Attitudes information

Intellectual
skills
Motor
skills
Cognitive
strategies
 Verbal information:
The kind of information that we are able to
state; declarative knowledge.

Intellectual skills:

Processes that allow the individual to interact

with their environment.

 These include reading, writing,

mathematics, to advanced science and
engineering; procedural knowledge.
 Cognitive strategies:
Capabilities that govern the individual’s own
learning, remembering, and thinking
behavior.

 Learning to learn strategies,

 For example elaboration strategies, practical
strategies, organizational strategies, &
comprehension monitoring strategies or what
is often referred to as meta-cognition.
Metacognition:

Students’ knowledge about their

own cognitive processes, their
ability to control these processes
by organizing, monitoring, and
modifying them as a function of
learning outcomes.
Psychomotor skills:

Coordinated muscular movements, e.g.

walking, drawing,
Psychomotor skills must be practiced to be
learned.
Injection ---

Attitudes:
 Mental state that predisposes a learner
to choose to behave in a certain way.
Gagne's nine events of instruction:
(1) Gaining
attention Informing )2(
Enhancing )9( learners of the
(Reception)
retention and objective
transfer (Expectancy)
(generalization)

Nine instructional
(8) Assessing (3) Stimulating
events
performance recall of prior
&corresponding
(Retrieval) learning (Retrieval)
cognitive processes:

Providing feedback )7( Presenting the stimulus )4(

(Reinforcement) )Selective perception(

(6) Eliciting
performance
(5) Providing learning guidance
(Responding)
(Semantic encoding)
The Nine Events of Instruction
 Event of Instruction Learning Process
 1. Gaining attention  Attention
Giving learner a stimulus to
ensure reception of coming
instruction
 2. Informing the learner  Expectancy
of the objective
Telling learner what they will
be able to do for the
instruction
 3. Stimulating recall of  Retrieval to working
prior learning memory
Asking for recall of existing
relevant knowledge
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The Nine Events of Instruction
 Event of Instruction Learning Process
 4. Presenting the  Pattern recognition;
stimulus selective perception
Displaying the content
 5. Providing learner  Chunking, rehearsal,
guidance encoding
Supplying organization and
relevance to enhance
understanding
 6. Eliciting performance  Retrieval, responding
Asking learners to respond,
demonstrating learning

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The Nine Events of Instruction
Events of Instruction Learning Process

 7. Providing Feedback  Reinforcement, error

correction
Giving immediate feedback
on learner's performance.
 8. Assessing performance  Responding, retention
Assessing and providing
feedback to learners
 9. Enhancing retention  Retention, retrieval,
and transfer generalization
Providing diverse practice to
generalize the capability

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 Instructions Lesson Example

1. Gaining Shows an example diagram & Asks learners questions about

Attention diagramming.

2. Informing the Teacher says, "Today I am going to show you how to use a
Learner of multimedia presentation."
the Objective
3. Stimulating For this particular group of learners, they have learned
Recall of previously about Mind Mapping.
Prior Learning Teacher associates this knowledge with lesson at hand.

4. Presenting the Teacher gives students step -by-step discussion group

Stimulus

5. Providing Teacher demonstrates how to create a diagram on the video

Learner projection screen/TV monitor.
Guidance
6. Eliciting Teacher asks students to demonstrate tools
Performance

7. Giving Teacher gives immediate feedback to learners after eliciting

Feedback responses.

8. Assessing Assign a practice activity

Performance

9. Enhancing Teacher asks learners to create activities

Retention
& Transfer
The Nine Events of Instruction
 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.
(Gagné, Briggs, & Wager, 1988)

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Principles:
1. Different instruction is required for different learning
outcomes.

2. Events of learning operate on the learner in ways that

constitute the conditions of learning.

3. The specific operations that constitute instructional events

are different for each different type of learning outcome.

4. Learning hierarchies define what intellectual skills are to be

learned and a sequence of instruction.
 Conclusion
Gagne’s Conditions of Learning Theory is
based on a hierarchy of intellectual skills
organized according to complexity that
can be used to identify prerequisites
necessary to facilitate learning at each
level.

Instruction can be made more efficient by

following a sequence of nine instructional
events defined by the intellectual skills
that the learner is required to learn for the
specific task at hand.
 References:
 Gagne, R. (1962). Military training and principles of
learning. American Psychologist, 17, 263-276.

 Gagne, R. (1985). The Conditions of Learning (4th ed.). New

York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

 Gagne, R. (1987). Instructional Technology Foundations.

Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.
 Gagne, R. & Driscoll, M. (1988). Essentials of Learning for
Instruction (2nd Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

 Gagne, R., Briggs, L. & Wager, W. (1992). Principles of

Instructional Design (4th Ed.). Fort Worth, TX: HBJ
College Publishers.
Relevant Web Sites
 The following web sites provide further information
about Gagne and his work:

 http://www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/KeyTheorists/Gagne.htm

 http://www.ittheory.com/gagne1.htm

 Conditions of Learning: Gagne

 http://tip.psychology.org/gagne.html

 Robert Gagne's Instructional Design Approach

 http://www.gsu.edu/~mstswh/courses/it7000/
papers/robert.