The pedagogical theories they are different ways of understanding the teaching and learning processes. They are based on research carried out in different fields, such as psychology, sociology or within the educational system itself. Each of them starts from different assumptions, and general different teaching methods.
Pedagogical theories have evolved enormously since the beginning of education. These changes are due both to changes in cultures and to new data obtained from research on this topic. As theories have evolved, so have educational systems based on them.
In this article we will see the main pedagogical theories that have been adopted throughout history. In addition, we will also study their main assumptions, as well as the main consequences they have on the way students are taught in the educational systems they create..
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The earliest pedagogical theories in history were based on the premise that the goal of teaching is not learning itself.
On the contrary, what was valued were the characteristics that this process modeled: intelligence, attitudes and values. Thus, teaching served above all to discipline the mind and create better people..
This model was the one followed in Greco-Roman antiquity, where citizens were instructed in subjects such as logic, rhetoric, music, grammar, and astronomy. Teaching was based on imitation and repetition, and the teacher had absolute authority over his students.
Later, in the Renaissance, schools like that of the Jesuits and thinkers like Erasmus of Rotterdam slightly modified this pedagogical theory..
For them, learning had to be preceded by understanding, so the role of the teacher was to prepare the material in such a way that the students understood it as best as possible..
This approach continued to be used for many centuries, and is still prevalent in some schools today. The emphasis on discipline as a way to develop mind and character is still present in many teaching models around the world. However, this model has also received a lot of criticism.
One of the first pedagogical theories to offer an alternative to mental discipline was the naturalistic approach. This way of understanding teaching believes that the learning process occurs naturally, due to the children's own way of being.
According to naturalistic theories, the fundamental role of the teacher is to create the right conditions so that children can learn and develop their full potential.
Thus, the transmission of pure knowledge is downplayed, and greater emphasis is placed on the acquisition of different experiences by students..
Some of the most important authors of this current were Rousseau, with his theory of the good savage, and Pestalozzi. Both promoted a reduction in learning to form while promoting natural experiences. On the other hand, they believed that it was necessary to encourage children to learn and to use their own resources.
Naturalistic pedagogical theories are practically impossible to apply in the modern world. However, many of its principles are still used in today's educational system..
One of the currents that has had the most influence on the development of pedagogy as a discipline is associationism. For its authors, learning basically consists of creating mental associations between different ideas and experiences. Its authors thought that we are born without any kind of knowledge, and we have to build it over the years.
Some of the most important authors of this current were Johann Herbart and Jean Piaget. They both talked about the mechanisms that we supposedly use to build knowledge through our experiences; for example, assimilation and accommodation, both ideas that are still very present in current development theories.
Regarding pedagogy, associationist theories defend that the best way to ensure that students learn is by relating the new knowledge with those that students already possess..
In this way, the teacher's job is to prepare each class in such a way that all new learnings are associated with each other..
Nowadays, pedagogy derived from the associationist current is thought to be too restrictive for children, leaving no room for any creativity or exploration. Even so, some of his ideas continue to be applied in the classrooms of contemporary schools..
One of the most famous currents in the entire field of psychology, and that has had the most influence both in teaching and in related disciplines, is behaviorism.
This theory is based on the idea that all learning is carried out by associating an experience either with a previous one, or with pleasant or unpleasant stimuli..
Behaviorism is mainly based on works on classical conditioning and operant conditioning. In this trend, children are seen as "clean slate", without any prior knowledge and without individual differences. Thus, its defenders believed that any learning is necessarily passive.
Many of the learning processes that occur in modern schools are actually based on classical or operant conditioning. However, today we know that people are already born with certain innate predispositions that can end up generating important individual differences.
In a purely behavioral educational environment, all children would be exposed to exactly the same stimuli, and would carry out the same learning. At present we know that this does not happen, and that the personality and circumstances of each student play a very important role in their education..
Even so, behaviorism remains an important part of the foundation of modern educational systems..
In many respects, cognitive pedagogical theories are the opposite of behaviorist ones. They focus above all on understanding processes such as learning, thinking and language, which are purely mental. Its advocates believe that these processes play a very important role in all aspects of our lives..
In the field of education, cognitive theories affirm that any learning process follows a certain sequence. Curiosity is first aroused; later, the problems are explored in a preliminary way, and the first hypotheses are elaborated. Finally, the most plausible ones are chosen, and they are verified and adopted.
On the other hand, cognitive psychologists believe that people's intellectual capacity develops with age. Because of this, it is impossible to teach a four-year-old in the same way as a teenager. The educational system, therefore, must be aware of these differences and adapt the teaching material used to them..
In addition to this, educational systems based on cognitive theories place great emphasis both on awakening the curiosity and motivation of students, and on asking questions and formulating hypotheses for themselves. It is the most used method in teaching pure sciences, such as mathematics or physics.
One of the most important schools within disciplines such as psychology and pedagogy was Gestalt. Created at the beginning of the 20th century, this current defended that the way in which we perceive a phenomenon cannot be explained simply by investigating its parts.
At the pedagogical level, this has a number of very important implications. Every new learning (be it about a historical text or the best way to solve a mathematical problem) begins in an unstructured way. At first, students try to locate the most important elements of it and focus on them.
By doing this, the entire experience related to the new learning is modified according to which parts they have focused on. Thus, your knowledge on the subject is refined and becoming more structured, until you finally manage to acquire it completely..
Various investigations have shown that many of our mental capacities are structured, and therefore we need to adapt new knowledge to these structures before integrating them. Thus, students have to play an active role in their own learning..
Within this pedagogical theory, the role of the teacher is to provide examples, motivate and help create mental structures for students..
Therefore, it has a more moderating function, rather than being the bearer of knowledge. This approach has proven to be very useful with learners with greater learning facilities..
In this article we have seen several of the most important pedagogical theories that have emerged throughout history. Each of them has contributed new aspects to the current educational system, and their influence continues to be significant in most cases.
Finally, it should be noted that the learning phenomenon is extremely complex. Because of this, probably none of the theories is absolutely right, but some truth can be found in each of them. Therefore, an approach that captures the best of all visions is usually the most effective..
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