Each year, education graduates in the United States are faced with a barrage of learning theories and models in their education courses. Professors waste no time in introducing them to Pavlov and his dogs, Bloom's taxonomy, the hierarchy of Maslow, Piaget, Skinner, Gagne, Bruner, and others (Marsh, McFadden, & Price, n.d.). From the work of these great men came learning theories such as behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism, three paradigms that have shaped our current educational system. The next generation of teachers creates countless practical lesson plans based on these theories. Unfortunately, there is a wide gap between the psychology of how humans learn and the constraints of an American classroom. The SUCCEED instructional design model attempts to marry leading learning theories with classroom realities to create a model that is fundamentally sound and realistic. SUCCEED is primarily based on cognitive and constructivist learning theories. Cognitive learning theory argues that the human mind is complex in nature and must be the central focus of any learning model. According to Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2010), “mental processes such as thinking, memory, knowledge, and problem solving must be explored” for educators to best address learning needs. According to this theory, students are like a computer. The new information serves as input, the brain processes it, and the output is the observable behavior that results from new understanding. It is important to note that behavioral outcomes are not the result of stimuli, but rather of mental processes that take place in the brain. These processes make information meaningful by relating it to prior knowledge, organizing it, and ... half of paper ...... 2010 from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/ index.htmlComprehension. (2008). Constructivism. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from http://www.funderstanding.com/content/constructivismGarrison, C., & Ehringhaus, M. (2007). Formative and summative classroom assessments. Retrieved October 10, 2010 http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/WebExclusive/Assessment/tabid/1120/Default.aspxLearning Theories Knowledgebase. (2010, October). Cognitivism. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from http://www.learning-theories.com/cognitivism.htmlMarsh, G., McFadden, A., & Price, B. (n.d.). Learning theories. Retrieved October 24, 2010, from http://www.emtech.net/learning_theories.htm Morris, C. (2010). Some criticisms of Howard Earl Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Retrieved October 24, 2010, from http://www.igs.net/~cmorris/critiques.html