Traditional pedagogical model: history and theoretical-practical bases

Education systems and the way in which they are developed and applied is a traditional theme of debate in which both pedagogy and psychology, philosophy and even the politics.

However, there is a model that remains despite the passing of the years and the many criticisms: the traditional pedagogical model. In this article we will review the history and characteristics of this educational system, as well as its main advantages and disadvantages.

• Related article: "The 18 types of education: history, characteristics and classification"

What is the traditional pedagogical model?

Also know as traditional teaching model or traditional educational model, the traditional pedagogical model is characterized by the marked difference in roles between the student and the teacher. In this type of educational system, the student is a passive receiver of information, while the entire burden of the educational process falls on the teacher, who must be an expert in the field.

Despite its age, it reached its peak at the time of the Industrial Revolution, where the traditional pedagogical model

stood out for its easy application and for allowing the possibility of standardizing knowledge, so that a single teacher could be in charge of the education of a large number of students.

These were some of the reasons why this system acquired such fame that it became the reference educational model, which remains to this day and is the one that remains implemented in the vast majority of educational centers worldwide, regardless of grade academic.

Despite its popularity in times past, the traditional pedagogical model is not without criticism. With the passage of time, both students and the teaching bodies themselves claim that it has become obsolete; being considered as a predictable model, little stimulating and that needs an urgent adaptation to the new times.

Development and historical journey

The pedagogical model in which a scholar or expert in a series of knowledge transmitted his knowledge to a series of selected students dates back to the ancient academies of the High Middle Ages.

Throughout this historical stage, knowledge was restricted only to the Christian community, specifically the monks. So this educational system was characterized by having a strong religious and moral foundation.

For a long period of time, educational traditions were limited to the religious class and it was not until the 18th century that a first educational revolution took place.

This revolution came from the hand of the one who, until today, has been considered the father of modern education: John Amos Comenius. This Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian created a new educational reform that soon expand throughout Europe and that aroused the interest of all governments in education through its town.

As a result of this revolution, numerous theories, systems and teaching methods arose so, With the objective of grouping, unifying and generalizing these ideas, the first chair of pedagogy; developed by the University of Halle in Germany, in the year 1770.

Among the theorists of this time are Joseph Lancaster, creator of the monitorial or mutual movement of teaching and Johan Heinrich Pestalozzi who applied the ideals of the enlightened movement to pedagogy.

Finally, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, governments saw in the traditional pedagogical method an opportunity to transmit both education and the values ​​that considered suitable for a large number of people at the same time, so many schools and educational centers were created that facilitated the expansion of an education universal.

As we mentioned before, the ease of application of this system and the possibility of offering education to a large part of the population turned the traditional education model as a reference system, which led to its standardization and application in the vast majority of schools.

This standardization that occurred at the end of the 19th century still remains to this day, being the most practiced educational system in the world.

What are its main characteristics?

As described at the beginning of the article, The main characteristic of the traditional pedagogical model is that it is based on the transmission and reception of information and knowledge..

According to this model, the best method of education is the one in which the teacher transmits his knowledge directly to their students, who constitute a passive element in the process of learning.

In the traditional pedagogical model, the weight of the transmission of education falls mainly on the figure of the teacher, who must generate their own teaching strategies and expose to the student their knowledge of him.

However, there are other features that distinguish the traditional pedagogical model. These include:

• The teacher should not only be an expert in the field of it, but also has to be able to transmit the information effectively.
• The role of the students is to try to understand and memorize the information.
• The student's main learning tool is the memory.
• The way in which students establish knowledge is through practice and repetition.
• Self-discipline is the main requirement for students.
• Exams and evaluative tests allow the teacher to know if the students have acquired the knowledge.

Pros and cons of this system

With the passage of time and research within the field of pedagogy, It has been discovered that in the traditional pedagogical model there are not all advantages, but also has some defects that ask to be modified, as well as the adaptation of this system to the new times.

Among the advantages and disadvantages of this educational model we find:

1. Advantage

• It enables the transmission of knowledge to a large number of people at the same time, without the need for many educational resources.
• It generates self-discipline and favors the development of personal effort.
• It is the most effective way of transmitting pure data such as dates and numerical data.
• It does not require a process of adaptation to teaching by either the student or the teacher.
• It favors memory processes.

2. Drawbacks

• It focuses only on memorizing information and not so much on understanding it.
• Evaluation methods generate frustration and stress in the students.
• The memorization of data is usually not advantageous for the development of skills necessary to face the real world.
• Students' curiosity and creativity are not stimulated.
• It encourages comparison and competition between students, rather than collaboration and cooperation, which has a negative effect on self-esteem.
• It has been shown that most of the knowledge acquired through this method ends up being forgotten with the passage of time.