Instructional Design to Elicit Meaningful Learning in Students

Fundamental Characteristics Of Meaningful Learning

The distinction between meaningful and rote learning is critical in the education field. Due to the inconsistency of rote learning with the Assimilation Theory, we will only mention rote learning to highlight its differences with meaningful learning. One of the most critical characteristics of meaningful learning that differentiates these two cognitive variants is the idea that “the learner must consciously and deliberately choose to relate new knowledge to relevant knowledge the learner already knows in some non-trivial way” (Novak, 2010, p. 23). Additionally, these two types of learning are stored in distinct areas of the learner's cognitive structure, in which meaningful learning requires a particular organizational structure of the learning material instruction that must be related not arbitrarily but substantially with the knowledge that the learner already owns (Ausubel et al., 1983). These and other essential elements are critical differences between meaningful and rote learning.

Independent of the types of learning at hand, certain transfer materials used in education, especially in the initial stages, usually manifest themselves along with the structure that presents all potentially meaningful material. Much of these didactic materials are usually elaborated intentionally and substantially to be relatable to a prior conceptual background previously learned by students (Ausubel et al., 1983). However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, the elaboration of the material for knowledge transfer is transmitted through isolated structures that only facilitate literal and rote learning (Hoffmann, 2003). This example can be seen in some textbooks, learning programs and units of work, activities, educational curricula, evaluation tests, or any other type of material in which the theoretical foundation of meaningful learning is not considered.