Behaviorism, Cognitive Theory, and Constructivism (Part 2): The Toolbelt
Picking the Right Tool for the Job
Viewing the three foundational psychological learning theories as individual tools on a toolbelt is, I believe, the best metaphor for how a skilled instructional designer utilizes the individual strengths and weaknesses of their associated methodology. After more than a decade and a half of experience in the field of education and training, working with learners in a wide variety of corporate, governmental, and academic settings who ranged in age and experience from wobbling toddlers all the way up to a ninety-seven year old Japanese World War II veteran, I’ve had ample opportunity to not just practice the technical elements of of each individual learning theory, but also to observe how people reacted to them. From those experiences, I’ve garnered a few insights.
Building a Foundation
Novices benefit from structure. That isn’t really a secret to anyone who has ever worked with kids, and perhaps that’s why grade school systems around the world have remained so rigid over the years. After all, if something works well at first, why wouldn’t it continue to work well the rest of the way? If you haven’t incorporated proper course evaluations throughout your curriculum design, you might fall prey to a similar misconception and fail to adjust the instruction to the level of the learner. Since I am very familiar with the process of developing a second language, I’m going to use that process as an example.
If you want to learn a new language, the first thing you need is vocabulary. If you have no words, you have nothing to work with, nothing to say. Those words have to be memorized, there’s nothing else for it, and if you want rote memorization of specific data, behaviorism is your tool. Spaced and novel repetitions are the best way to create strong, accessible memories from instruction and reference, so you might begin the process by listening to the instructor (real or digital) read the vocabulary list out to you and explain the contents while you read along with their recitation. After that, wait ten minutes and then read the list to yourself and speak the words out loud to re-familiarize yourself with the concepts and the exercise of producing the associated sounds, wait thirty minutes, recite the list to a friend and explain what the words mean. That will force you to encode the concepts into language through the filter of your own recollection and understanding. Now wait a couple hours and have that friend quiz you, which will introduce an element of randomization that will force you to consider each concept individually, rather than as a rote member of a static list. Before you go to bed, sing the list aloud as you try to simultaneously scrub your teeth. Maybe record the attempt and get some likes on social media. Win/Win. Now sleep and allow your brain to process and consolidate all this new information while you’re in delta wave state. At lunch the next day, whip out the list and describe your newly learned words to a family member or friend (real or imaginary), whether they want you to or not, and ask them to join you in positing some scenarios where those words might come up. Wait a couple days, learn a few more words, learn a bit of sentence structure, and bring the list out again. See if you can incorporate some of those words into a sentence. Wait a week. Learn some more stuff. See if you can make up a story using all the words on the list.
You’re well past the half-dozen spaced repetition threshold that Ebbinghaus recorded as the 90%+ recollection mark, and with each successive novel repetition you are reinforcing your existing neuronal connections to that information and also building new ones. When you take your first exam at the end of the month, see if you don’t just ace it.
Constructing the Frame
Learning vocabulary is a process that never really stops, but once you have a couple hundred words to work with, you will need to learn grammar and sentence structure in order to continue to advance. Understanding the rules and formulas that comprise these forms will allow you to begin leaving the rails of behaviorist training and wandering around a bit in the yard of cognitive theory. If you can form sentences, you can express complex ideas which allows you to use the vocabulary you’ve learned to perform tasks and if you can perform tasks, you can play games.
Try roleplaying some real world scenarios: Go to the doctor with the goal of getting a specific medicine by reciting your symptoms. Go to the salon and get the haircut you want by describing it to the stylist. Create an order sheet for office supplies to be sent to acquisitions. Play a game of scrabble using only words related to food. Practice with guidelines and a goal, but allow for creativity in your approach.
You should also be reading mainstream publications in your new language. Start with comic books and move up through K-5 literature until you can comfortably read young adult novels. Find a genre you enjoy and lean into it. This will provide you with sentence structure and new vocabulary in a situational context, and also bring some fun and appreciation to the process. It will also introduce you to slang words and dated language that can deepen your understanding of the communicative etymology of the words you’re using.
Final Touches
Eventually, you will reach the two thousand word threshold. This, in combination with your knowledge of the grammar rules and the formulas of sentence structure, will mark your ascendance to the level of fluency. Memorization exercises and classroom practice scenarios will begin to provide diminishing returns at this point. You need to step out into the real world to interact with real people who are going to challenge you to get around and along using your newly acquired proficiency. This is your time to shine in the constructivist sphere, not just because you have this new real world skill, but because you worked hard to get it and now you can enjoy the fruits of your labors. Today and going forward, you will be understood by millions more human beings than you could ever have hoped to reach before you undertook this journey. You’ve unlocked new business opportunities, new potential friends and romantic interests, and a means of understanding things about your world that you never knew you never knew. Well done.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the journey to fluency led the learner though behaviorist techniques that blended into cognitivist role-play and gamification practice exercises, that then blended into open world application, discovery, and adjustment absent formal instruction. Each theory and its corresponding techniques was vital to the process of moving the learner forward in the most efficient and effective fashion to achieve their learning goal. As an instructional designer, that is your mission, and these are your tools. Use all of them.
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About the author
Chavis N. Comer
Founder and Senior Instructional Systems Designer of Tohmes Training, Mr. Comer has nearly two decades of experience developing training programs for clients representing a variety of industries across dozens of different countries. From the federal government to the banking and tech sectors to local K-12 school systems and universities, he has provided consultation and design services to a truly diverse portfolio of clientele.