Ausubel's version of KWL

What do you think of Ausubel's approach to teaching: Tell them what you are going to teach them, teach them the subject and then tell them what you have taught them?

It is a well proven fact that people learn when they are most engaged in the learning process. Ausubel’s teaching approach incorporates this idea in that teaching should be aware of where their students are at and meet them there. I think this approach is closely related to the KWL charts. Figure out what you Know, What you want to know, and what you Learned. 

As an intro to a unit, teachers will preface it with what student’s already know and build on prior knowledge. When you tell them what they will be learning, you are essentially “priming the pump.” Preparing their brain for information and engaging students in a “I Spy” type of learning. Whenever the topic or related content to what the teacher primed them for comes up, in theory, the students will go “Aha!” they said we would learn (see, hear, feel, do) this. At the end of the day, lesson, and unit, a solid reminder and review of what is taught, again gives the learning brain an opportunity to organize and access the knowledge that has been acquired. It will build stronger connections so that the information can be retrieved faster.

Overall, I think that Ausubel’s approach to teaching is a solid one. As long as the actual teaching is appropriate for the students, well taught with multi-sensory or hands on experiences, and assessed well (no need for paper tests all the time!), this approach the student has a more active involvement in what they will learn.