When reviewing the theoretical positions outlined by Ertmer, Newby, and Merril, the position I align with the most at this time in my career is that of the constructivist theory. It might be because constructivism has gained popularity and has become a dominant theory within education, that I feel it relates most to how my team and I approach our training methods (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). Or, it might be because I feel as though my tendency to learn is similar to the traits outlined in the constructivist theory, specifically when it comes to requiring realistic settings to create an understanding (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). I primarily work with a group that is responsible for building and evolving training content to support the needs of our internal customer (retail staff).
Over the past 5-10 years, we have seen a drastic shift in the demographic of our staff base and the large majority of our employee base now fits within the millennial generation, which has been stated as being anybody born after 1980 (Ng, 2010). Bednar et al.(as cited in Ertmer & Newby, 2013), states that constructivist theory is realised in learning when individuals create meaning stemming from their experiences. At my workplace, in the past, we have taken a similar approach by facilitating in-person, experiential training events that encourage our staff to experience product and activate in it. The intention of hosting such events was to give staff the opportunity to truly understand how the products they were to sell, worked first hand, ultimately giving them more credibility and authenticity on the sales floor.
Looking ahead, Prensky (as cited in Ertmer & Newby, 2013), acknowledges that young people are deeply savvy with technology and that they prefer to learn in different ways. For this reason, it will be important for my team to continue to consider the perspectives stated within the constructivist theory and determine how it can be applied as we transition towards a digital training strategy. Key factors like learners wanting content that is relevant to real-life situations and requiring training methods that explore different and complex environments (Ertmer & Newby, 2013) align with how we are moving our strategies forward. Basic product knowledge will always be provided to our staff through various training platforms, however, the ability for us as trainers to create complex customer scenarios and various in-store situations in a digital format will be critical for us moving forward. The goal will be for our staff to be able to use their basic product knowledge and personal experiences and make recommendations based on the needs and requirements of their customers. Their abilities to be agile and pull on information and apply it to a variety of different situations and customer profiles will ultimately create a better experience for customers and drive sales. Lastly, from the viewpoint of constructivism, I think the final step our team should consider when developing a digital training strategy, will be to create a platform for our young learners to validate their knowledge through social interactions and relevant scenarios (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). Ideally this will create an environment for constant learning and conceptualization of how training content is interpreted and shared amongst their peers.
Ertmer, P., & Newby, T. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.
Ng, E. S. W., Schweitzer, L., & Lyons, S. T. (2010). New generation, great expectations: A field study of the millennial generation. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(2), 281–292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-010-9159-4
I think the technology we have coming could play a really cool role in this context. Merrill talks a lot about practice consistency, both in the demonstration and application phases, which relates to creating meaning through realistic, authentic learning experiences. Imagine if we could use augmented reality on smartphones to create virtual scenarios, based on geography?? So if a new store employee walked into a store, they could hold there phone up and a scenario based problem would unfold in front of them, using the actual surroundings of their store. I love technology, and as addictive as Pokémon Go might be, we have room to grow.