The 5 Learning Models and their brain processes

As Nelson Mandela said a few years ago, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." It is a basic right of the human being and it is of the utmost importance since it trains people with values ​​and greatly influences the advancement and progress of people and societies. Therefore, it is evident that education cannot be improvised and a planned educational model is required, which serves for the acquisition of new knowledge by students.

However, what is an educational model? It is defined as the set of norms and rules that are created to provide a complete and comprehensive training for each student. It is an aid aimed at education professionals so that they can systematize the teaching and learning process. Inside the theory, the instruments and the procedures that serve as a reference when identifying which are the most appropriate teaching methods and of course, which means are the correct ones to achieve success in the objectives proposed.

• Related article: "Educational Psychology: Definition, Concepts, and Theories"

What are the educational models?

Thanks to educational models, the results in the classroom improve significantly. When professionals know the educational model that they must apply, they can get to know how to operate an appropriate curriculum in order to reach different types of students and their knowledge. Therefore, in today's article, we will analyze which are the 5 learning models that exist: the traditional, the behavioral, the constructivist, the Subdury model and the projective model. Stay to discover how such models interfere with the functioning of education.

1. traditional model

It is the oldest model of all and perhaps it is the one that comes to mind first when we mention education. It is based on the fact that the student is a passive recipient of knowledge. and it is the work of the teacher as the exclusive knower, to shape and teach the student all the informative knowledge. The teacher is conceived as an authority and almighty, therefore, the student does not question the information received from him and simply memorizes. In fact, the evaluation is made up of a grade based on how well or poorly you reproduce everything you have memorized, leaving aside those students who have other abilities.

As a great disadvantage, this model turns out to be inflexible and makes students only obey orders, therefore, they are not capable of developing their critical thinking, among other things. Indeed, if the teacher alters the information that he transmits to his students and they repeat without thinking or questioning what the professional mentions, they may apply erroneous concepts. The latter is something that significantly clashes with the mentality of the new generations since it can be dangerous.

• You may be interested in: "Teaching strategies: what they are, types and examples"

2. behavioral model

This model is also based on the fact that the teacher is the center of all the lessons and the student takes a more passive role. It can be said that the behaviorist model arises from the traditional model described above.

In this case, learning occurs through training, repetition, practice, and exposure. In addition, the characteristic of this model is that the final result revolves around prizes and rewards. For example, subtract and add points, use the token economy, punish bad behavior, etc.

In addition, the behavioral model is focused on those students who are considered more apt in the classroom. Therefore, the great disadvantage of this model is that it leaves out students who have difficulty understanding, analyzing and retaining information.

• Related article: "Behaviorism: History, Concepts, and Principal Authors"

3. constructivist model

Undoubtedly, this is the model that is "in fashion" among educational institutions today. Vigotsky, Piaget and Ausubel developed this model and it is based on the fact that learning is built by the student himself. That is, completely opposite to the traditional model, The constructivist seeks for the teacher to go into the background and for the student to take the absolute leading role in their education and learning process.. In short, the teacher is limited to guiding, posing challenges and questions that force students to solve problems. It could be said that the final objective is for the student to be autonomous since her duty is to investigate, explore and give answers to her own questions based on her environment.

As a disadvantage, some countries have chosen to downplay this model in their schools, since they have observed low levels of demand on students when it is applied.

4. Subdury model

The natural desire of children and adolescents to learn is the pillar of this peculiar educational model.. The Sudbury model was pioneered at the Sudbury Valley School, from which it is proposed that students enjoy the freedom granted to explore their passions and interests. Although it may sound strange to us, this school has been successful in letting students create their own study plan and be completely free to spend their time however they want. In this case, the teacher's role is rather passive, where he is considered more of an advisor to accompany the student at those times that he requests it.

When children and adolescents have the opportunity to manage their time and their education, their confidence, independence, responsibility and resourcefulness increase. In addition, this model highlights that when students can choose what they want to learn and when they want to learn it, the love for learning does not fade, rather, they manage to maintain it throughout their entire life. life.

It is not a model that works for all students. For example, those children or adolescents who do not enjoy individualized teaching, resort to group experiences to obtain learning. With this, the student may get carried away by what the group says and really neither learn nor enjoy the process.

• Related article: "Primary and Secondary Socialization: Its Agents and Effects"

5. projective model

As its name indicates, This model underlines the importance of educating based on projects or research. As in the previous model, it seeks to strengthen the autonomy of the students through the experiences that are lived in the creation of said projects that the teacher awards.

The teacher has the role of facilitator, that is, he opens the way for the students with a proposal. The rest is the student's job, such as finding research methods, collecting data, and generating their own standards to successfully carry out the project.

The different learning models and their relationship with neuroscience

Since learning requires adopting a series of routines and strategies that must be applied with a certain frequency, this It means that, while we learn, our central nervous system is changing, adapting to the type of challenges to which we we expose. Thus, Depending on the learning style we use, one or other part of our brain will be activated and enhanced.

In this sense, the learning styles that make us face a greater variety of problems will be those that will stimulate several networks of neurons at the same time; This is the case of the projective model, highly oriented towards practice and the challenges that require addressing problems of a very different nature, adopting a problem-solving and active role. Something similar occurs with the Subdury model and with the constructivist model, but to a lesser extent, since students tend to choose topics that already fit well with their skills and interests, so they tend to avoid very new challenges and experiences to they; that is why in these cases there appears a greater tendency to work with localized areas of the cerebral neocortex.

With regard to the behavioral and traditional models, by relying heavily on memorization, the brain integration of what is studied is more localized in areas of the brain associated with memory, such as the hippocampal formation in constant interaction with the frontal and parietal lobes of the brain. In this type of learning there is relatively little "crossing" of internalization processes of what learned, and the same formulas are repeated over and over again to do what is necessary to pass the exams.

Do you want to learn more about learning styles?

If you are interested in delving into the different learning models and their relationship with the neuroscience, and you want to become an expert in Educational Neuropsychology, don't miss the opportunity to study the Master in Neuroscience and Educational Psychology of EDECA Formación.

This online master's degree will allow you to learn in depth about the latest advances in Neuroscience and its application in the educational field, and will prepare you to intervene in cases of learning difficulties and behavioral disorders. development. Sign up now and become a reference professional in Educational Neuropsychology! Beam click here for more information.