Exploring Learning Models: A Guide to Enhance Instructional Design

Despite significant progress in understanding the brain through neuroscience, the most effective methods for learning remain a subject of ongoing exploration. The quest for the ideal instructional approach continues, as no single method has been definitively proven superior. Fortunately, Learning Models offer a structured framework to comprehend the complexities of learning and provide valuable guidelines for successful instruction.

In this article, we present 12 essential learning models that are highly relevant for anyone involved in education and training. These models have been instrumental in shaping contemporary learning experiences and continue to influence instructional strategies.

It’s important to remember that these models serve as guidelines, not rigid rules. While not always empirically validated in every aspect, they are grounded in robust research and practical application. To delve deeper into the learning theories and instructional frameworks that underpin these models, you can follow this link.

Here, we will examine the core principles and strategies associated with each model, explore their practical applications, and highlight their significance in modern learning design. For each model, we will also provide links to more detailed articles for further exploration. But first, let’s define what exactly a learning model is.

Defining the Learning Model

A learning model represents a specific implementation or interpretation of a broader learning theory. This makes it inherently more tangible and actionable. It typically integrates established theoretical principles or a structured framework for the design and delivery of learning experiences.

Consequently, learning models offer educators and trainers valuable frameworks and strategies applicable across diverse educational contexts. Exploring these models can be particularly beneficial when strategizing for initiatives such as structured workplace learning.

12 Key Learning Models You Should Know

1. The Forgetting Curve

A powerful reminder of memory decay…

Hermann Ebbinghaus‘s Forgetting Curve illustrates the rate at which information is forgotten over time if no effort is made to reinforce it. In the late 19th century, Ebbinghaus conducted self-experiments on memory.

He meticulously memorized nonsense syllables and tested his recall at varying intervals. By plotting these results, he developed the ‘Forgetting Curve’, visualized below.

The curve starkly demonstrates the exponential rate of information loss from our memory. We typically forget:

50% of new information within 24 hours.
75% within 72 hours (3 days).
And a staggering 90% within one week.

However, Ebbinghaus also discovered a crucial element of memory retention. He proved that each instance of information reinforcement slows down the rate of forgetting. This highlights the critical role of spaced repetition in effective learning strategies.

→ The Forgetting Curve: Why We Forget and Strategies to Remember

2. Bloom’s Taxonomy

Elevating learning objectives and fostering higher-order thinking…

Educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom introduced the initial version of his influential taxonomy in 1956. His objective was to categorize learning objectives based on their cognitive complexity.

These categories provide a framework for understanding the level of cognitive skill associated with each learning task. The taxonomy was revised in 2001 and is now structured as depicted below.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is hierarchical. Learners progress from foundational knowledge and comprehension through increasingly complex levels, culminating in mastery of the subject matter.

The learning process becomes increasingly active at higher levels. It begins with basic recall and progresses to the ability to apply knowledge creatively to produce something new.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a versatile tool for educators, instructors, and corporate trainers. Its primary benefit is enabling the assignment of learning objectives and tasks that align with the audience’s current competency level.

Furthermore, the taxonomy can be used to assess the progression of learners’ cognitive skills and educational attainment over time.

→ Bloom’s Taxonomy: A Framework for Mastering Learning Objectives

3. The ADDIE Model

Structuring instructional design for guaranteed success…

Developing effective learning experiences necessitates a robust instructional design approach. ADDIE provides a systematic framework to guide instructional designers in structuring learning experiences effectively.

Originally developed by the U.S. Army in the 1970s for their training programs, ADDIE has become a prevalent model in corporate learning and development.

Despite its age, ADDIE remains the most widely used learning and development model, serving as the foundation for over 100 derivative models. Its enduring influence is undeniable.

ADDIE is an acronym representing five key phases:

→ ADDIE Explained: 5 Steps to Instructional Design Excellence

4. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Understanding the profound impact of needs on learner behavior…

In 1943, Abraham Maslow published A Theory of Human Motivation, introducing his ‘Hierarchy of Needs’. This learning model revolutionized our understanding of motivation and goal achievement.

The hierarchy is structured as a pyramid with five levels. The four lower levels represent deficiency needs, while the topmost level represents a growth need. Lower-level needs must be substantially satisfied before growth needs can significantly influence behavior.

Physiological Needs: Basic survival needs such as air, food, water, sleep, and homeostasis.
Safety Needs: Security and stability needs, including health, personal security, financial security, and safety against accidents/illness.
Belongingness and Love Needs: Social connection needs, including friendship, intimacy, family, and a sense of belonging.
Esteem Needs: Needs for self-respect and the respect of others, including confidence, achievement, competence, and independence.
Self-Actualization Needs: The need to realize one’s full potential, including creativity, morality, spontaneity, problem-solving, and acceptance of facts.

Maslow’s hierarchy helps educators understand the underlying drivers of learner behavior and prioritize interventions accordingly. It also underscores how unmet basic needs can impede a learner’s capacity for effective learning.

→ Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Practical Applications for Educators

5. The VARK Model

Identifying individual sensory learning preferences…

The VARK model, developed by Neil Fleming and Colleen Mills in the late 1980s, categorizes learning preferences based on sensory modalities. It proposes that learners have preferred ways of receiving and processing information.

It’s crucial to note that the VARK model does not assert that these preferences directly dictate learning outcomes. The concept of distinct learning styles is debated within the educational research community and lacks strong empirical support.

However, the VARK model remains valuable as a framework for considering diverse ways learners engage with information. It encourages reflection on personal strengths and weaknesses in different perceptual modalities.

The VARK acronym stands for:

Visual: Learners who prefer visual aids like videos, diagrams, charts, and images to process information. They learn best through seeing and observing.
Auditory: Learners who learn effectively through lectures, discussions, and verbal instructions. They benefit from listening and verbalizing concepts.
Reading/Writing: Learners who prefer text-based learning, including reading articles, taking notes, and engaging in written assignments.
Kinesthetic: Learners who learn best through hands-on experiences, physical activities, and active involvement.

→ The Learning Styles Myth: Examining the VARK Model and its Limitations

[

Free Resources:

Using Learning Theories & Models to Enhance Your Training Programs

Download Now!

](https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/resources/learning-theories-guide/)

6. The 70:20:10 Model

Rebalancing learning towards informal experiences…

The 70:20:10 Model provides insights into how individuals acquire knowledge from their environment, guiding learning professionals in prioritizing training initiatives. This learning model emphasizes the importance of experience-based learning.

Developed in the 1980s by Morgan McCall based on research at the Centre for Creative Leadership, the model suggests:

Only 10% of learning occurs through formal training, such as structured courses, classroom sessions, and traditional learning materials.
20% of learning arises from developmental relationships, including social interactions, mentorship, and collaborative learning.
A significant 70% of learning happens through on-the-job experiences, practical application, and real-world problem-solving.

This distribution highlights the need to shift focus from over-reliance on formal training. Instead, fostering environments that encourage informal, social, and experiential learning is crucial for optimal development.

→ The 70:20:10 Model: Optimizing Learning Through Experience

7. The Hook Model

Creating habit-forming loops for lasting behavior change…

The Hook Model, conceptualized by author Nir Eyal, outlines a four-stage process for cultivating new habits. Understanding this process is valuable for driving desired behavior changes in learning contexts.

Habitual behaviors become automatic and require less conscious effort. Imagine the transformative potential of making learning a habit.

The Hook Model’s four stages are:

Trigger: A cue to initiate action. Triggers can be external (e.g., email notification) or internal (e.g., curiosity).
Action: The intended behavior prompted by the trigger.
Variable Reward: A reward for completing the action, designed to be unpredictable to tap into learner curiosity and maintain engagement.
Investment: The user invests time, effort, or resources into the cycle, making future engagement more likely due to commitment and anticipation of further rewards.

Repeated cycles through these stages can solidify new habits.

→ The Hook Model: Building Habitual Learning Behaviors

8. The Socratic Method

Uncovering knowledge through guided inquiry…

The Socratic Method is a pedagogical approach that employs questioning to stimulate critical thinking and deeper understanding. It transforms conversations into collaborative dialogues aimed at generating genuine insights through guided discovery. This learning model is rooted in philosophical inquiry.

Named after the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, known for his relentless pursuit of truth through questioning, the Socratic Method’s key features include:

Questioning: Guiding learners through questions instead of directly stating facts, encouraging exploration and identification of inconsistencies.
Dialectical Process: Learning unfolds through a back-and-forth dialogue, a dialectic, characterized by a series of questions and responses.
Critical Thinking: Fostering deep thought and analysis by prompting learners to critically examine information and assumptions.
Cooperative Learning: Emphasizing collaboration and shared inquiry between participants to collaboratively pursue meaningful insights.
Inductive Reasoning: Guiding learners to draw conclusions and identify broader principles based on specific examples and guided questioning.

→ The Socratic Method: A Comprehensive Guide for Educators

9. BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model

Small changes, significant results: the power of tiny habits…

Effective learning initiatives aim to foster behavior change. However, altering established behaviors is challenging. BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model provides a practical framework for achieving behavior change within a target audience. This learning model focuses on simplicity and motivation.

In 2009, BJ Fogg and his team at Stanford University’s Persuasive Technology Lab introduced this model, outlining the elements necessary to trigger behavior change.

The model posits that behavior change requires three interconnected elements to converge simultaneously:

Motivation: Learners must perceive sufficient benefit or reason to adopt the new behavior.
Ability: The behavior must be easy to perform; obstacles like time, cost, or complexity should be minimized.
Trigger: A prompt or cue is needed to initiate the behavior at the right moment.

The model is represented by the equation: B = MAT (Behavior = Motivation x Ability x Trigger). Sufficient motivation and ability, combined with an effective trigger, are essential for behavior change.

→ BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model: Triggering Behavior Change in Learning

10. Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience

Progressing from direct experience to abstract understanding…

Edgar Dale introduced his Cone of Experience (also known as the Cone of Learning or the Learning Pyramid) in 1946. It is frequently misinterpreted, but it remains a valuable learning model for understanding learning modalities.

The cone is an 11-tiered model categorizing multimedia resources based on their level of ‘concreteness,’ referring to their proximity to real-world experience and sensory richness.

Misinterpretations have led to inaccurate retention rates being associated with the cone’s levels (e.g., ‘remembering 10% of reading’). These claims are not supported by Dale’s original work.

The Cone of Experience illustrates a progression from direct, concrete experiences at the base to increasingly abstract and passive experiences at the apex. It highlights the value of active learning. The levels are:

Direct Purposeful Experiences: First-hand, real-life experiences that involve active participation.
Contrived Experiences: Simulated or constructed experiences designed to mimic real-world situations for learning purposes.
Dramatized Experiences: Role-playing, simulations, or dramatizations to engage learners in realistic scenarios.
Demonstrations: Visual presentations that illustrate processes, procedures, or concepts step-by-step.
Study Trips: Educational excursions or field visits to enhance learning through direct observation in real contexts.
Exhibits: Interactive displays and exhibits that promote hands-on exploration and understanding.
Educational Television: Utilizing television and video as a medium for delivering educational content.
Motion Pictures: Incorporating films and videos to convey information and engage learners visually.
Recordings: Employing audio recordings and podcasts for auditory learning experiences.
Visual Symbols: Using visual representations like charts, graphs, and diagrams to communicate information.
Verbal Symbols: Relying on spoken or written words to convey ideas and concepts.

→ Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience: A Detailed Explanation

11. Kirkpatrick’s Training Evaluation Model

Measuring training effectiveness across multiple dimensions…

The Kirkpatrick Training Evaluation Model is a widely adopted framework for evaluating the effectiveness of training programs. Developed by Donald L. Kirkpatrick in the 1950s, this learning model remains highly influential in training evaluation.

It consists of four sequential levels, each assessing a different dimension of training impact:

Level 1 – Reaction: Gauges learners’ immediate reactions to the training, including satisfaction and engagement with the content, instructors, and learning environment. Feedback is typically gathered through surveys and questionnaires.
Level 2 – Learning: Assesses the extent to which learners have acquired new knowledge or skills. Evaluation methods include quizzes, tests, and practical demonstrations.
Level 3 – Behavior: Evaluates the transfer of learning to the workplace, examining whether learners apply newly acquired knowledge and skills in their job roles. Observation and performance reviews are used for assessment.
Level 4 – Results: Measures the ultimate impact of training on organizational outcomes and key performance indicators (KPIs). This level examines improvements in business results and ROI.

The Kirkpatrick Model provides a structured, progressive approach to training evaluation, enabling a comprehensive understanding of training effectiveness and impact.

→ Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation: Measuring Training Impact

12. Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction

A step-by-step blueprint for comprehensive instruction…

Robert Gagné, a pioneering educational psychologist, significantly contributed to the science of instruction and learning. In his 1965 book Conditions of Learning, he outlined nine events that are crucial for effective instruction. This learning model provides a systematic approach to instructional design.

Gagné’s ‘Nine Events of Instruction’ provide a framework for educators and trainers to structure learning materials and activities in a way that facilitates learning progress. These events are:

Gaining attention: Capturing learner attention to initiate the learning process.
Informing learners of objectives: Clearly communicating learning objectives to set expectations.
Stimulating recall of prior learning: Activating prior knowledge to establish connections with new information.
Presenting the stimulus: Presenting new content and information effectively.
Providing learning guidance: Offering support and strategies to aid understanding and processing of information.
Eliciting performance: Providing opportunities for learners to practice and demonstrate their learning.
Providing feedback: Giving constructive feedback to guide improvement and correct misunderstandings.
Assessing performance: Evaluating learner understanding and knowledge acquisition.
Enhancing retention and transfer: Strategies to promote long-term retention and application of learning in new contexts.

→ Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction: A Practical Guide

Conclusion: Applying Learning Models for Enhanced Instruction

For those new to instructional design or exploring learning models and theories, the breadth of available resources can feel overwhelming. Numerous models and approaches exist, making it challenging to know where to begin.

A practical starting point is to focus on understanding your audience. Effective training design is predicated on understanding learner needs. Once you have a clear understanding of your learners, you can adapt and refine your instructional strategies accordingly.

You might choose to employ the ADDIE framework for content development, address the Forgetting Curve with campaign learning, or leverage BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model to enhance motivation.

By integrating insights from prominent figures in learning theory and utilizing time-tested learning models, you can establish a solid foundation for effective instructional design and create impactful learning experiences.

Thank you for reading. To explore further influential learning theories and models, download our comprehensive white paper, ‘Using Learning Theories and Models to Enhance Your Training Strategy’ now!

[