Meaningful Learning and Educational Environment

To Ausubel, meaningful learning is a process in which new information is related to an existing relevant aspect of an individual’s knowledge structure. Meaningful learning requires relevance of prior learning and new learning. In the teaching and learning process teachers can facilitate the learners’ schema. They should activate the appropriate schema of learners before starting teaching. By meaningfully learning a permanent knowledge is structured. But when the rote of learning is occured knowledge becomes a temporary knowledge. In an educational environment, teacher helps students for structuring the knowledge. In the structuring of the knowledge process, learners associate their existing and new knowledge using their mental activity. To organize new knowledge advance organizers and concept maps play an important role in meaningful learning. Both of them ensure to remembering existing knowledge and acquiring permanent knowledge. In this study it’s aimed to strengthen the meaning of meaningful learning and address to creating knowledge. It’s intended to explain the use of concept maps and related meta-cognitive tools to advance learning. Also to explain implementing meaningful learning into teaching. For this reason, in this study Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory, the importance of educational environment, advance organizers, subject design, principles in the teaching theory for meaningful learning, concept maps, concept formation and concept attainment is discussed. Ausubel’s meaningful learning theory has also some limitations despite of having some positive aspects. At the end of the study, positive and limited aspects of the meaningful learning theory have been clarified. Meaningful learning provides gaining in-depth knowledge. Meaningful learning may be significant in the case of implementing efficiently. If a student cannot perceive or hear the organizers presented in the process of learning-teaching, teaching may become meaningless. If the students are not willing to the meaningful learning, mechanical learning may appear.