Traditional and contemporary pedagogical approaches

1. Traditional pedagogical approaches

2. Modern pedagogical approach

New educational models require a change in the entire so-called traditional learning and teaching process and the organization of a modern educational environment that will be based on modern educational theory. Bransford et al. define three basic forms of organization of the teaching process that can be applied in an electronic educational environment: Student-oriented, knowledge-oriented and evaluation-oriented education (Figure 1). By combining these three forms, we create an ideal educational environment for the creation of active and professional individuals, or so-called 21st century citizens who are ready for life in a knowledge society (Banek Zorica, 2014).

Student-oriented environment

This term is used to describe an environment that pays special attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs that students bring to the educational setting. This concept seeks to uncover students' opinions and attitudes towards a particular issue, while sensitively discussing their possible "misconceptions", offering them insight into different situations that they need to think about and draw certain conclusions. In this way, it seeks to enable them to adapt their ideas and build on the conceptual and cultural knowledge they bring with them to the educational setting.

Student-centered environments involve teachers who are aware that students construct their own meanings and draw on their beliefs, understandings, and cultural practices to make their teaching. If teaching is about building connections between the subject and the student, in this form of teaching teachers strive to take both sides into account. Teachers strive to gain insight into what students know and what their interests and passions are: what each student knows, what is important to them, what they can do, and what they want to do. They then focus on connecting these prior experiences with new insights and understandings of the problem.

Knowledge-oriented environment

A knowledge-oriented environment aims to develop learners into knowledgeable individuals by teaching in ways that promote deep understanding and the transfer of knowledge. An expert’s ability to think and solve problems does not depend solely on a general set of “thinking skills” or strategies; rather, it requires well-organized knowledge that supports planning and strategic thinking. This approach is closely linked to learner-centered environments, particularly in situations where teaching builds on learners’ prior knowledge and initial understanding of a specific subject or concept. If the knowledge that learners bring to different educational situations is not taken into account, it becomes difficult to predict what they will understand from new information (Banek Zorica, 2014).

Knowledge-oriented environments also emphasize the types of information and activities that help students develop a meaningful understanding of specific disciplines. If students are not provided with all the key information related to a particular problem or topic, their understanding may be incomplete or misguided. In addition to presenting facts, it is essential to foster an understanding of problems and events by examining them from multiple perspectives in order to draw valid and well-founded conclusions.

Many traditional curriculum models tend to produce fragmented knowledge and isolated skills rather than organizing them into coherent wholes. Such models often fail to support the gradual and structured refinement of students’ informal ideas through the adoption of the concepts and procedures characteristic of a particular discipline.

The activities used in knowledge-oriented learning environments are designed to enable students to explore, explain, extend, and evaluate their own learning. Ideas are most effectively adopted when students recognize the need to apply them, as this allows them to see the relevance of knowledge and better understand what they have learned. One of the key challenges of knowledge-oriented environments is achieving a balance between activities that support conceptual understanding and those that promote the automation of skills necessary for effective performance.

Contemporary theories of education emphasize active student engagement and are supported by research into brain functioning. Studies have shown that learning activities bring about changes in neural structures, not by chance, but through the formation and reorganization of new neural connections. In these dynamic processes, both social and environmental factors play a significant role. As a result, modern teaching increasingly draws on theoretical approaches such as constructivism and connectivism (Špiranec & Banek Zorica, 2008).

Examples of modern approaches to teaching at HEI (not referring to actual courses!)

Examples of modern approaches to teaching in higher education reflect a shift from the passive acquisition of knowledge toward active learning and student participation. For example, in the Marketing course at a Faculty of Economics and Business, students may work in small groups on market research projects and develop their own marketing campaigns, which they then present to their peers. In the Engineering Project course at a Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, students may address real-world problems through teamwork, using specialized software tools and receiving guidance from instructors. Similarly, in the Language Teaching Methodology course at a Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, students may participate in simulated teaching sessions, record their performances, and analyze them through joint discussion and feedback, thereby developing reflective and professional competences.

3. Constructivism

The modern pedagogical approach is based on the understanding of education as an active, dynamic and reflective process that relies on scientifically based learning theories. While the traditional teaching model was based on behaviorist principles that emphasized the transfer and reproduction of knowledge, modern approaches are developing under the influence of constructivist and post-constructivist theoretical frameworks. Theories such as constructivism, connectivism and social constructivism emphasize the importance of the active role of students in the learning process, independent discovery of meaning and creation of new knowledge through experience, collaboration and reflection. These concepts direct modern teaching towards the development of critical thinking, self-regulated learning and the ability to connect different sources of knowledge, especially in a digital and online context. The teacher takes on the role of a mentor and facilitator who shapes a stimulating educational environment, directs the processes of research and reflection and encourages students to actively participate and take responsibility for their own progress. Modern teaching strategies such as problem-based and project-based learning are developed on the theoretical foundations of constructivism and connectivism, which connect theoretical knowledge with practical situations and enable the development of competences necessary for lifelong learning and professional activity.

Although different directions have been developed over time within the constructivist paradigm, which is attributed to thinkers such as J. Dewey, J. Piaget, L. Vygotski and J. Bruner, it as a whole nurtures the idea of the student as an individual who expands and elaborates his knowledge in a constructive process - constructive insofar as new information is integrated into existing knowledge. In doing so, not only has the existing structure of knowledge changed, but also the new information acquires additional qualities through this "fitting".

In other words, learning is described within such starting points as a constant process of expanding and (re)organizing one's own knowledge. Constructivism introduces a new quality into theories of learning and cognition that have traditionally been dominated by the communicative metaphor. It implied that some body of knowledge, located outside the individual and contained, for example, in a textbook or lecture, was to be transferred to the student. If such communication was not successful, the error was attributed to the message (e.g. the way in which the knowledge of a particular message was organized), the source of the message (inadequacy of the textbook) or the recipient (e.g. the level of the student's prior knowledge). A new and alternative interpretation of the learning process, namely constructivism, interprets that teaching is not a process in which knowledge is communicated, but a constant and active process of knowledge construction.

Thus, the basic principles of constructivism predict that knowledge is not received passively through the senses or communication, but is constructed by an active, thinking object. Knowledge is an organized experiential world of the subject, not an objective ontological reality; it is individual, flexible and constantly changing. From this definition arise recommendations for the design of educational processes that, instead of the traditional paradigm of teaching, i.e. the mediation of knowledge, require the learner to question, verify, reject or modify his or her constructs of reality.

The aim is for students to select and process information as independently as possible, create hypotheses and make decisions. Within the framework of such perception, they independently discover principles and laws in the content they are learning. The teacher's role changes: he or she should first introduce students to a new area and help them discover how they can acquire new knowledge most easily and effectively, and over time, make them independent so that they learn how to learn on their own (learning to learn). According to constructivist principles, learning should involve students' independent work on problems related to the material they need to master, i.e. they should solve more complex tasks related to the real world, use case analyses, work on projects, etc.

Examples of the constructivist approach in teaching

Example 1. – Study of medicine: problem-based learning (PBL)

A small team of students is given a description of a patient and, by activating prior knowledge, formulates what they know and what they need to investigate. This is followed by independent and team study of sources, creation of a concept map and discussion with guided questioning. It ends with a short reflection on how the new knowledge was constructed and how to apply it in a clinical decision.

Example 2. – Study of computing: project-based learning (PjBL)

Students design and develop an IoT (Internet of Things) prototype for a real user. They iteratively test the solution, keep a learning journal, plan work on the kanban board and regularly perform peer evaluation. Knowledge is created through design, trial and error, and public product demonstration.

Example 3. - Study of the social-humanistic direction: social annotation and inquiry

In a digital environment, students jointly record and comment on primary sources (eg text, map, artifact) and compare perspectives and jointly define success criteria. From these notes, they develop interpretations and mini-case studies, which they then present, and revise based on feedback. The emphasis is on joint construction of meaning and metacognition.

4. Connectivism

5. Socioconstructivist approach

The socio-constructivist approach, dominant in the educational systems of Scandinavian countries, especially Finland, considers learning to be an active process that occurs in interaction with other people. Lonka (2020) points out that participation in cultural practices and joint activities shapes our cognitive activity in numerous ways. Context is not only situational but also depends on culturally and historically developed traditions. Cognitive development is very much dependent on the specific type of cultural environment in which it can be realized.

It was developed in response to the limitations of previous learning theories that neglected the social and cultural context of educational practices. It starts with the epistemological assumption that knowledge is not transmitted as a fait accompli from teacher to student, but is actively constructed in interaction with others, within specific sociocultural conditions. Starting from constructivist foundations, this approach further emphasizes the dialogic nature of learning in which language, social communication and cultural patterns of action are key factors in shaping cognitive development. Knowledge, in this framework, is not a fixed and universal category, but rather contextual, dynamic and socially conditioned.

This approach requires the transformation of the teacher's traditional role as a source of information into that of a facilitator and organizer of a collaborative environment in which learners are encouraged to solve problems together, construct a shared conceptual framework, and reflect on their own experiences. The learner is seen as an active participant in the community, and learning is seen as a process that is achieved through participation in authentic activities. In this way, knowledge becomes the result of joint construction, not just individual cognition.

6. Problem-based and project-based learning

In his book, Lonka (2020) emphasizes the need to move away from the current traditional teaching methods by actively engaging students through group discussions, interesting cases and similar activities. He identifies two forms of learning, which are outlined below.

Problem-based learning typically begins with an authentic or engaging case that students are unable to solve using their existing knowledge. This gap encourages them to acquire new knowledge through independent inquiry and investigation. In this process, students learn relevant facts as well as principles of reasoning related to the case. Problem-based learning is widely used in medicine and the health sciences, and research indicates that it fosters deep learning and the development of clinical thinking.

Project-based learning, which is commonly applied in vocational education, focuses on learning aligned with workplace requirements. In this approach, projects are often carried out in companies or other real-world settings outside educational institutions.

These two approaches to learning and the associated teaching strategies will be discussed in greater detail in the following sections.

7. Conclusion

From the perspective of a university teacher, traditional teaching offers clear control over the content, pace, and structure of lectures; however, it also positions the teacher as the primary source of knowledge and limits opportunities for individualized and interactive learning. Modern approaches, particularly in digital environments, require teachers to be more flexible, adaptable, and committed to the continuous development of their pedagogical practices and technological competencies.

From the student’s perspective, traditional teaching provides the security of a well-defined structure and clearly articulated expectations, but it often results in a passive role in the learning process. In contrast, modern approaches emphasize students’ active participation and the development of critical thinking and collaborative skills, with digital environments creating new opportunities for inquiry, communication, and creativity. By integrating the strengths of traditional clarity with modern, participatory models in digital contexts, teaching can be designed to be both well structured and highly conducive to active learning.

8. Bibliography

Banek Zorica, M. (2014). E-učenje temeljeno na objektima učenja. U J. Lasić-Lazić (Ur.), Informacijska tehnologija u obrazovanju. (str. 33-59). Zagreb: Zavod za informacijske studije Odsjeka za informacijske i komunikacijske znanosti Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu.

Lonka, K. (2020). Fenomenalno učenje iz Finske. Zagreb: Naklada Ljevak.

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age, International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2. Dohvaćeno iz http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Poučavanje

Špiranec, S. i Banek Zorica, M. (2008)  Informacijska pismenost : teorijski okvir i polazišta. Zagreb: Zavod za informacijske studije Odsjeka za informacijske i komunikacijske znanosti Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu.

Radočaj-Jerković, A. i Škojo, T. (2021). Analiza primjene nastavnih strategija u visokoškolskoj nastavi umjetničkog područja. Metodički ogledi, 28(1), 243-269. https://doi.org/10.21464/mo.28.1.13.