There are many different learning theories, but let’s talk about three very influential ones: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. You’ve likely been influenced by all of these during your years of education, but have not known how to identify them. “Why is it important to identify them?”, you might ask. Since many people have different ways and preferences for learning, these theories can help us understand what we are actually doing when we learn. Different strategies are supported by different theories, and a strategy that builds long-term recollection of vocabulary for one person might not work for another person. Diving into learning theories is imperative to optimize your knowledge of not only your target language but also how you learn in general.

Behaviorism

Behaviorism explains learning by saying, “People need to be directed and […] if the stimulus is something that the individual wants (a reward) or fears (a punishment), then the individual will respond accordingly and there will be a noticeable change in behaviour” (Bates, 2019, p. 23).  This means that you are training your brain like a ringmaster trains a lion to do tricks in the circus. Much like the lion and the ringmaster in the image below, behaviorism relies on eliciting a specific response to a specific stimulus and the consequential reward to indicate correct behavioral patterns.

Language apps like Duolingo are a perfect example of behaviorist learning. Each time you get an answer right, you are rewarded with a *ding*. Whether you realize it or not, that ding (positive reinforcement/reward) makes your brain feel happy because it releases the hormone serotonin – the positive reinforcement for your correct response. At the end of the lesson, you are rewarded yet again with experience points, which in turn means the release of more serotonin. Your brain is being rewarded for regurgitating information it doesn’t necessarily know how to use in context. This “gamification” of language learning is not bad. Still, learners may overestimate their skills because of that serotonin release, thinking that mastery can be achieved on an app.

Let’s put this concept into context. Let’s do a miniature language lesson, and since we’ve been harping on common language learning apps so much, we’ll format this lesson like theirs. You will see flashcards in Punjabi that relate to activities later in this section, and it is your job to remember words by listening to them and seeing them with translation. You may spend as much time as you want studying the cards, but once you move on to the video in the next section, don’t come back to the flashcards. We want you to notice what you learn. Maybe how much, or how little, you remember. How difficult was it? Maybe you know how to say certain phrases, but can you put them in context?

Reflecting on your past language learning

Now that we know about and have practiced and imagined learning a language with a focus on three main learning theories, sit down and ask yourself the questions that we started with. How have you been learning languages in the past? Has it been effective? What works and doesn’t work for you?

Your ideal learning situation may be unique and different from everyone else’s on the planet, so the beauty of independent language study, whether you are also taking a language class or not, is that you get to create your own environment and choose your own strategies. Learning is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Your ideal environment might incorporate varying degrees of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Notice that these three theories can all help describe different aspects of language learning, and they can even build on one another, as we saw in the activities above.  Maybe you use Duolingo for 15 minutes a day to review and learn vocabulary, watch one episode of your favorite show in your target language, and speak with your more fluent friend for 20 minutes. It’s best to not limit ourselves to one idea of language learning as the ‘best method’. Perhaps some combination of all of these is best. Ultimately, experiment and decide for yourself!