We select information from the environment and store it short-term memory. At that point, we decide to either forget it or process it and store it into long-term memory. Essentially, cognitivists believe we learn by association. Rely on the student's schema's, attitudes, and experiences. Believe the new information has to fit into what currently exists.
Constructivism dominates the environmental design of education.
Constructivists believe the environment needs to be highly adaptive to the student. A constructivist designer might provide all information necessary for learning but will allow the student to learn the materials and information in the manner that is most comfortable to the student. Another way of thinking about constructivism is by thinking of it as being very similar to a teacher asking his or her class to build a house. The instructor would provide a rudimentary picture of a house. Tools would be available, and the teacher would be available for guidance when needed, but for the most part the students are on their own as to how they want to go about building the house.