Robert Gagne: Nine Events of Instruction

Intro.

In the 1960s, educational psychologist Robert Gagne created this sequential nine-step model to demonstrate each step of an effective learning process. By highlighting how instructors should approach teaching, he provided a framework to deliver instruction while taking into account a variety of learning conditions. Gagne believed that by designing your instruction through this sequential process, learning would be met. 

1. Gaining Attention: Reception
   1. Letting the audience know that you’re teaching them something by grabbing their attention.
   2. Ex: Starting with an ice breaker or a thought-provoking question
2. Informing Learners of the Objective: Expectancy
   1. Telling the audience what they’ll be learning and why.
   2. Ex: Sharing learning objectives
3. Stimulating Recall of Prior Learning: Retrieval
   1. Connecting the learning with prior knowledge.
   2. Ex: Asking about previous experience or relating a previously chapter to the current reading
4. Presenting the Stimulus: Selective Perception
   1. Presenting the learning material. 
   2. Ex: Presenting content and concepts using different media, on an LMS, or with a lecture, etc.
5. Providing Learning Guidance: Semantic Encoding
   1. Helping learners learn with a variety of approaches and learning strategies.
   2. Ex: Employing graphics, mnemonics, giving examples/non-examples, etc.
6. Eliciting Performance: Responding
   1. Having learners perform or demonstrate their knowledge of the topic; practice.
   2. Ex: Having learners participate in presentations or role play, facilitating collaboration with peers such as groups projects, etc.
7. Providing Feedback: Reinforcement
   1. Giving feedback on the step six’s performance so learners know their gaps in understanding.
   2. Ex: Providing suggestions on essays, implementing peer evaluation, and guiding or directing learners to correct answer without giving correct answer, rewarding correct answers with affirmations, etc.
8. Assessing Performance: Retrieval
   1. Giving an assessment to see where they are in their understanding. Give a variety of opportunities to allow learners multiple ways to prove proficiency.
   2. Ex: Administering pre-/post-tests, presentations, posters, etc.
9. Enhancing Retention and Transfer: Generalization
   1. Learners show mastery by transferring or applying knowledge to other situations.
   2. Ex: Incorporating prior knowledge and building on increasingly complex concepts; creating concept maps to connect different theories, lessons, or ideas.

Image credit: Educational Technology

References

Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. (2021, January 1). [Illustration]. https://educationaltechnology.net/gagnes-nine-events-of-instruction/

Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction – NIU – Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Northern Illinois University. https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/gagnes-nine-events-of-instruction.shtml

Gagne’s Nine Levels of Learning: Training Your Team Effectively. (n.d.). Mind Tools. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/gagne.htm