The Application Of Assimilation Theory For Cognitive Learning In High Middle School Biology Teaching

In high middle school, biology is a very important subject of naturalscience. The rapid development of Biology Science puts forwards newand higher requirements for high middle school biology teaching. As asubject based on experiments，biology concerns more about students’cognitive abilities, comparing with other subjects. Students not only needto memorize the basic concepts, but also learn to analyze, summarize,contrast and make judgments.Since the implementation of the new curriculum standard, theimportance of biology has been promoted continuously. In theinternational competition in the21stcentury, the competition for biologytalents is becoming fiercer and fiercer. How to improve the high middleschool biology teaching to meet the new requirements of the new era, iswhat every biology teacher is considering and researching.This thesis discusses the historical origin and theoretical basis of theassimilation theory for cognitive learning in detail. D·P·Ausubel is afamous American educational psychologist. Based on the theories ofEdward Chase Tolman and Jean Piaget，he creatively puts forward hisassimilation theory for cognitive learning，which is a great contribution tolanguage learning theories. He believes that students’ learning should bemeaningful learning, which has a series of subjective and objectivepreconditions. Assimilation theory for cognitive learning divides learninginto three different types: sign learning, concept learning andpropositional learning. Ausubel also divides the assimilation ofmeaningful learning into three different patterns: subordinate learning,superordinate learning and combinatorial learning. Different learningtypes and patterns should be adopted according to the learning material.Based upon meaningful learning and assimilation theory forcognitive learning, Ausubel puts forward the three principles andstrategies of organizational learning.Ausubel believes that the motives of the learner will influencegreatly on learning’s output, so he puts forward his theory of learningmotives.It is of great importance to apply the abstract theory to the concretebiology teaching practice, which is discussed in this thesis discusses. Thetextbooks in the high middle school must be scientific and reasonable,while the teaching must be in accordance with students’ cognitive law and help students establish the willingness of meaningful learning. Thehigh middle school teaching should help students to establish virtual andnon artificial connection between the new and the old knowledge, andencourage the communication between teachers and students to promotemeaningful learning. With the three assimilation patterns, combined withthe concrete material in the high middle school, the teaching should helpstudents to grasp the new knowledge and enhance the teaching output.The three principles and strategies of Ausubel--the principle ofprogressive differentiation, the principle of overall coordination andadvance organizer—offer significant guidance to high middle schoolbiology teaching and textbook compiling. Meanwhile, the thesis focuseson how to apply the advance organizer theory to guide biology teaching,such as how to put forward the advance organizer, how to select anddecide the advance organizer.According to Ausubel’s theory of learning motives, the authorbelieves that high middle school biology teaching should promotestudents’ learning motives from four aspects: increasing students’attention on biology and experiments, teaching outside classroom,improving teaching methods, and enhancing student-teacher relationship.