Ausubel's Meaningful Learning in Action

American psychologist and psychiatrist David Ausubel is well known for his famous quote:

"The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly" (Ausubel, 1968, vi).

But few know about the richness and importance of his assimilation theory of meaningful learning and retention, which holds many more instruction-altering insights. One of the main reasons why this theory is so important is because it focuses on the end g...