Educational Paradigms: Behaviorist, Cognitive, Social, and Constructivist
T4 Paradigm
A paradigm encompasses aspects of our life rituals that are difficult to change and are accepted as true and unwavering. It is also understood as a set of beliefs, principles, and behaviors that a group of scientists adopt for a period as a guide and frame of reference in their theories and practices.
Behaviorist Paradigm
This is the first theory that strongly influenced the way we understand human learning. Its founder was J.B. Watson.
Key Ideas
- The study of learning focuses on observable, quantifiable, and measurable phenomena.
- Fundamentals: “Stimulus – Response.”
- Use of reinforcement (positive and negative) to strengthen behavior.
Student/Teacher Roles
- The student’s education is programmed from the outside.
- The learning process is scheduled to achieve the desired academic behaviors.
- The teacher’s work consists of stimulus control and reinforcement to teach.
Cognitive Paradigm
This paradigm arose in the early 1960s as a substitute for behavioral perspectives. Authors such as Piaget, Ausubel, and Vygotsky (with his contributions on socialization and the importance of the “zone of proximal development”) were central to its development.
Key Ideas
- A new vision of humans as actively processing information.
- Importance of individual qualities that organize, filter, code, categorize, and evaluate information.
Student/Teacher Roles
- The student is an active subject of information, capable of learning and solving problems.
- The teacher focuses on preparing and organizing learning experiences to achieve goals.
Social-Historical Paradigm
Also called the sociocultural paradigm, it was developed by Vygotsky in the 1920s. It relates the subject and object in a triangular, open shape, with the vertices represented by the subject, the object of cultural knowledge, and the tools.
Key Ideas
- Concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as the distance between the actual developmental level and the potential level.
- Adults must intervene at the right time for the child to develop properly, maximizing their development.
- Measurement using instruments.
Student/Teacher Roles
- The student is a social product of social interactions involved throughout their school life and extracurricular activities.
- The teacher is the agent who teaches in the context of certain cultural practices and media, acting as a mediator of knowledge and processes of cultural appropriation for the students.
Constructivist Paradigm
This paradigm assumes that nothing comes from nothing; that is, prior knowledge gives birth to new knowledge. Some authors include Vygotsky, Ausubel, Bruner, and Piaget.
Key Ideas
- Learning is essentially active.
- New information is incorporated into past experiences and existing mental structures.
Student/Teacher Roles
- The student assumes an active role in the training process through their participation and collaboration with peers.
Two Influential Figures
- Piaget: Psychological constructivism.
- Vygotsky: Social constructivism.
T6. Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal Education
Formal Education
Formal education is regulated, intentional, and planned. It is taught in institutions with structured curricula and learning objectives.
Non-Formal Education
Non-formal education refers to educational interventions and learning that takes place outside of a formal school context. These activities are optional and complementary, often organized by schools or youth organizations. Originally, it was closely linked to adult education.
Areas of Non-Formal Education
- City: Early institutions committed to supporting and complementing the life of schools, marginalized groups, etc.
- Popular universities, civic centers.
- Sociocultural animation.
- Health education.
- Consumer education.
- Environmental education.
Informal Education
Informal education is the learning obtained through daily life activities, not regulated by institutions or curricula. One of the most important educational agents in this type of education is the family, which provides the most significant educational experiences. Examples include the internet, TV, and radio. These media can be both constructive and destructive, often becoming destructive due to a lack of parental attention.