The Methodological Context in Higher Education

Background

Reflections as to the teaching-learning process are not new. Morin (2000) refers to Montaigne's humanistic reflection, stressing that a well-ordered mind was better than a very full mind, since a well-trained mind can organize knowledge, thereby avoiding the sterile accumulation of knowledge. Following on from this, García-Peñalvo (2008) asserts that a teacher's task does not comprise transferring to their students all that it might be felt they should know, simply through the fact of telling them. It is much more practical to teach them to want and be able to continue learning after they leave the classrooms that they have shared with their educator. This has come to be known as “learning to learn”. It is increasingly important in such a changing world, where technologies have significant presence and knowledge rapidly becomes obsolete and needs to be constantly refreshed. What matters now is not so much to possess particular information, but to have acquired the ability to discover and know where to find such information.

In this context, the proposals of the learning system called 4C are suitable. This system is based on the postulates of P21 (www.p21.org), which is an organization made up of the United States Department of Education, various institutions linked to technology and a series of private individuals. Its objective is to foster a dialogue about the skills that every 21st century student should have: critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. These skills are perfectly compatible with the characteristics of Gen Z, to which most of the current students of higher education belong. In fact, they learn more effectively if they are given the autonomy to solve problems and find solutions through trial and error. Their experience with video games has enabled them to solve problems before they can move to the next level. They need to feel that they have options to choose from, which makes them more thoughtful and independent learners than other generations (Rothman, 2016). On the other hand, their experience with social networks means that they are continuously co-creating and they are experts “transmedia creators” (Gil-Quintana, 2016).

Through such a concept of the educational process, the mission entrusted to the educator changes, shifting to a great extent from being a mere transmitter of information, to being a conductor and organizer of the learning situation. In this new paradigm, the concept of learning therefore involves both assimilating and reconstructing knowledge, and acquiring and using skills, as well as developing attitudes. As a result, when the objectives to be achieved in a teaching program are set out, consideration must be given to the following spheres:

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  Cognitive domain: This includes those objectives that, once they are attained, allow the student to reproduce what they have previously learned.

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  Psychomotor domain: Objectives here are connected with habits, abilities and skills.

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  Affective domain: Linked to those ideas connected with attitudes, interests and ideals.