Thematic Instruction Theory And Implementation Theory

Framework of the Study This study is anchored on the following theories and principles. These are subsumption theory, schema theory, social constructivism theory, integrated curriculum theory, thematic instruction theory, holistic education theory and instructional system design theory.

Fig.1. Framework of the Study

Subsumption Theory The Subsumption Theory was developed in 1963 by David Ausubel. This theory focuses on how individuals acquire and learn large chunks of information thru visual means or text material. This theory was originally developed exclusively for instructional design. It prescribes a way of creating Instructional Material (IM) that helps learners organize their content in order to make it meaningful for

2. Subsumption Theory

This process of memorial reduction to the least common denominator capable of representing cumulative prior experience is very similar to the reduction process characterizing concept formation. He further explained that the common factor between learning and forgetting is that they both represent a “change in the availability or future reproducibility of the learning material,” with learning representing an “increment in availability” and forgetting representing a “decrement in availability” (Weibell, 2011). The four key principles of subsumption theory are: 1) Learners’ should be presented with the most general concepts first and then their analysis; 2) The IM should include new as well as previously acquired information, Comparisons between new and old concepts are crucial; 3) Existing cognitive structures should not be developed butmerely reorganized within the learner’s memory; 4) The role of the instructor is to bridge the gap between what is already known and what is about to be learned (Pappas, 2014).

Schema Theory A schema is an abstract concept proposed by J. Piaget to refer to abstract concepts. For students, their schemas amount to what they already know about a concept. The most important rule for teaching based upon schema theory is: make sure the students’ existing schemas are up and running at a conscious

3. Schema Theory Under the Schema Theory is the principle of instructional design which is the advance organizer. The advance organizer is a tool used to introduce the lesson topic and illustrate the relationship between what the students are about to learn and the information they have already learned. By using advance organizer to link the new information to old information, the new information can be remembered more easily (Chen,2014). The Schema theory proposed by F. Bartlett (1932) emphasizes on the importance of generic knowledge that will help the formation of mental representations. In the educational process, the task of teahers would be to help students develop new schemata and establish connection between them. Something that will eventually improve their memory (Pappas,2014). For students, their schemas pretty much amount to what they already know about a concept. They may have learned it in other classes or through their own experiences. It assumes that written text does not carry meaning by itself. Rather, a text only provides directions for readers as to how they should retrieve or construct meaning from their own previously acquired knowledge ( An,