Instructional Design: Incorporate the 3 Steps of the Learning Path

The path to learning consists basically of three well-worn steps: learning, remembering and doing. Experienced instructional design consultants know to incorporate the three steps into every important program they create. 

Here is how the process works:

Step 1 – Learning
One of the best ways to learn new behaviors is to first break them down into small chunks. If your learning objective was to play the piano, for example, you might begin by learning to read music so that you understand the relationship between clefs, notes, and timing to the actual keyboard. Then you could start with simple fingering with one hand before you start playing with two. Next you could learn to coordinate the two hands together with simple chords and melodies. You get the picture. Little by little, each learning chunk is mastered before you move on to the next.

In the corporate world, the same learning concept holds true. If you are trying to teach a new sales process, begin at the beginning with learning what products and services your company can provide and in which situations they are most helpful to the client. Then you learn how they differ from the competition, how to evaluate prospects, ask insight questions and so on…

Step 2 – Remembering
To be fully absorbed, necessary knowledge and desired skills need to be recalled. If information is not remembered from one session to the next, there is no progress.  Two techniques are especially helpful in prompting our brains to remember: (1) mnemonic devices and (2) simple reflection. We can use sentences to help us to memorize a string of words. For example, music students use the mnemonic device of "Every Good Boy Does Fine" to remember the order of notes on the treble clef, EGBDF. But for more complex behavioral learning, reflection is often more useful. This involves taking a break now and then to think about a recent situation where you practiced the new behavior and to self-assess (or get direct feedback about) how well you did. What could you learn that would improve performance next time? What might you do differently? If you write down your observations, this learning step will be even more powerful.

Step 3 – Doing
The more you practice on-the-job, the more proficient you become. Learning behaviors is not just a thinking process; it requires active testing, experimentation and performance feedback. Be a regular practitioner of the new skills so the learning becomes more and more integrated into your routine. Mastery comes only with deliberate effort and disciplined practice.

For every learning program you design, set it up so that the learning occurs in small chunks, learners are regularly tested for understanding, and they are held accountable for practice and performance.

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