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The Conditions of Learning was first published by Robert Gagne’ in 1965. Gagne’ continued to hone, develop and change his theory as time progressed, a 4th edition was published in 1985 with related publication in 1996. While much of Gagne’s work relies on earlier discoveries and theories (e.g., Bloom’s Taxonomy) he advanced a much more in-depth evaluation of the conditions and associations of learning, further defining five categories of learning outcomes and nine events of instruction (Robert Gagne's five categories of learning outcomes and the nine events of instruction, 2014) (Driscoll, 2000).
(Image from http://mymindbursts.com/2012/10/08/sometimes-only-the-book-will-do-gagnes-the-conditions-of-learning/
Conditions of Learning
Per Gagne’s theories there are two types of learning: internal and external. Skills that are already inherent in a learner before the learning starts are the internal ones. These are changed when learning has commenced. The second type is external – these are all the stimuli that are outside of the learner’s person. For example, the teacher, the environment and the learning situation. This means that the conditions of learning change for every learning event (Robert Gagne's five categories of learning outcomes and the nine events of instruction, 2014). This leads to the next part of his theory. Click here for more information on Conditions of Learning.
Association Learning
According to Gagne’s theory there are four fundamental examples of associative learning. These are classical conditioning, operant conditioning, verbal association and chaining. A comprehensive explanation of these examples may be found here: Robert Gagne's Association Learning These are important to Gagne’s work as they are used as a reference in his further explanation of the five categories of learning outcomes (Robert Gagne's five categories of learning outcomes and the nine events of instruction, 2014).
The Five Categories of Learning Outcomes
(Image http://gramconsulting.com/2009/02/fun-with-learning-taxonomies/)
The five categories listed above are what happens when a person acquires knowledge. The knowledge could be used in a single way or a combination of the above ways (Driscoll, 2000). For further information click here.
The Nine Events of Instructions
According to Gagne’ these nine events are the things that must occur externally in order for learning to take place. These are performed by the instructor. They are:
1. Gaining attention
2. Informing learners of the objective
3. Stimulating recall of prior learning
4. Presenting the stimulus
5. Providing learning guidance
6. Eliciting performance
7. Providing feedback
8. Assessing performance
9. Enhancing retention and transfer (Driscoll, 2000) (Robert Gagne's five categories of learning outcomes and the nine events of instruction, 2014)
Image from UNT Health Science Center http://www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/cld/CourseDesign-
For a more detailed description and explanation of the events of instruction, please see
In a nutshell, Gagne’s main principles are:
“Different instruction is required for different learning outcomes.
Events of learning operate on the learner in ways that constitute the conditions of learning.
The specific operations that constitute instructional events are different for each different type of learning outcome.
Learning hierarchies define what intellectual skills are to be learned and a sequence of instruction” (Culatta, 2013).
A short video explaining Gagne's theory.
Critiques of Gagne's Theory
While Gagne's theory works well for a curriculum designer, one of its downfalls is that it can be quite difficult for the teacher to actually use(Review of the theory - robert gagné’s conditions.). I believe that Gagne's works, most importantly the five outcomes and the nine events of instruction, like the ADDIE model are a great start for a lesson plan, but do not embrace creativity, diverse learners or the soul of a child.
Gagne's Theory and Active Learning
A good teacher will incorporate Active Learning into any lesson plan. Gagne's Theory does not necessarily engender Active Learning; however, there is enough wiggle room in the Nine Events of Instruction that a teacher with knowledge of pedagogue will be able to fit it into the lesson. I believe that one of the issues with Gagne's Theory is that it was initially developed to teach adults, and adults that were in the military at that. It therefore addresses learning skills to a very motivated and disciplined audience; certainly not the norm for most elementary, middle school and high school teachers.
This page gives a slight twist to the nine events and with a slide show that details how to incorporate active learning. To read it, click here.
Gagne's Theory and Instructional Technology
If ever there was a theory that supported instructional technology, this is it. The Nine Events of Instruction lends itself to many technical derivatives. From messages to gain attention to podcast for informing to online tests for assessments, all of these things can be done from a computer. Doubt this? Look at any on-line class. It is possible to match each of the nine events with the on-line class experience.
Example of how Gagne's Theory might be used in a learning experience
Gagne's theory works as a lesson planning device, provided the educator also inputs diversity, active learning and pedagogue. Most of the things that are listed here are what teachers do every day.
An imaginary breakdown of the class using this framework.
1. Gain attention (clap pattern, fingers to lips)
2. Informing Learners of Objective (keep it simple - We are going to learn how to research on the computer)
3. Stimulating recall of prior learning (what kind of sites can we use, how many different sources should we have)
4. Presenting information (Here's a site I found on the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, can you answer the questions on the worksheet about the tree octopus?)
5. Provide guidance (Let's look at the sub-titles, they may be able to help us find out how many different kinds of tree octopi there are.)
6. Elicit performance (what have you found out about the tree octopus?)
7. Providing feedback ( I see you only looked at the one site; can you find two more that will support your facts?)
8. Assessing performance (How many sites should we use to support our facts? Are internet sites always truthful?)
9. Enhancing retention and transfer (there's no such thing as a tree octopus, oh no! We need to make sure we always check our facts from more than one source).
Works Cited
Works Cited
Culatta, R. (2013). Conditions of learning (Robert Gagne). Retrieved from Instructional Design: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/conditions-learning.html
Driscoll, M. P. (2000). Gagne's theory of instruction. In M. P. Driscoll, Psychology of learning for instruction (pp. 341-372). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Gram, T. (n.d.). Fun with learning taxonomies. Performance by design. Gram Consulting. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://gramconsulting.com/2009/02/fun-with-learning-taxonomies/
Jonathan. (n.d.). Sometimes only the book will do – Gagne’s ‘The Conditions of Learning’. My Mind Bursts. On line blog. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://mymindbursts.com/2012/10/08/sometimes-only-the-book-will-do-gagnes-the-conditions-of-learning/
Moak, C. (n.d.). Zone of Proximal Development. Texas Education Truth. Blog Site. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://txedtruth.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-is-project-based-learning-and.html
Robert Gagne's five categories of learning outcomes and the nine events of instruction. (2014). Retrieved from International Centre for Educators' Learning Styles: http://www.icels-educators-for-learning.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=73
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