Traditional and contemporary pedagogical approaches

Traditional teaching is based on a model of knowledge transfer from teacher to student, with the teacher occupying a central, authoritative role in the educational process. This approach has shaped educational systems around the world for centuries, and its structure and methodology are still present, especially in institutional and formally organized forms of education.

The traditional model assumes frontal teaching as the dominant form of delivery, with the teacher managing the process, transmitting information and directing the learning process. The student, on the other hand, takes on the passive role of a recipient of knowledge. He or she is expected to listen, write down and reproduce the content. Knowledge is perceived as an objective, ready-made fact that is transmitted verbally, most often in the form of a lecture. Teaching is structured, with an emphasis on discipline and standardized evaluation procedures such as oral and written exams.

The methods used in traditionally organized classes include lectures, dictations and memorization of facts. The evaluation of what has been learned is focused on the accuracy of the reproduction of what was taught and what was learned.

We can say that the foundation of traditional teaching was laid by J. A. Komensky (Didactica magna) who formulated the principles of universal teaching and the school system. This approach was dominant in the development of state school systems in the 19th and 20th centuries, and later in the organization of higher education. Its influence is still visible in the way curricula are structured, the time organization of teaching, and evaluation mechanisms.

In the higher education context, traditional approaches are particularly present in the form of lecture courses, where the teacher presents and students take notes and later reproduce the content in exams. Although many study programs have included seminars, exercises and project assignments, the structure of the teaching often remains hierarchical, with limited space for student interaction and reflective learning. Such an approach is particularly visible in large lecture halls, in courses in basic scientific disciplines.

When we talk about the traditional approach, we should also talk about the modern view of the teaching process. The table below shows the difference between the traditional and modern views of the teaching process, and a more detailed comparison will be presented in other units of the e-course.

Table 1. The difference between the traditional and modern view of the teaching process

The role of the teacher

In a traditional educational environment, it is the teacher who provides information, explains, conducts formal lectures, dominates the teaching space, decides on everything and does everything for the students. The teacher is the primary source of information, and he "delivers" knowledge to students.

Although the traditional teaching method may have its advantages, such as efficiency in transferring large amounts of information or simplicity of teaching organization, there are still more negative sides. Primarily, this is the passive role of students. Since the teacher is the one who gives “ready-made” conclusions, students are only passive observers of what the teacher assigns to them. This reduces the level of engagement, creativity, reflexivity and critical thinking. Although this approach can be useful in introductory or theoretical courses aimed at acquiring basic terminology, historical overview or technical facts, there is a possibility that this approach can reduce motivation and thus superficial learning.

Examples of traditional teaching approaches at HEI (not referring to real courses!)

Examples of traditional teaching at the higher education level can be identified in various study programs. For example, at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, within the History study program, frontal lectures in the course Modern European History are often conducted in a way that the teacher presents the material, and students note down key information. At the Faculty of Law, a typical form of traditional teaching is oral exams in the courses Criminal Law or Civil Law, where students are expected to reproduce exact definitions, articles and provisions. At the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, an example of traditional teaching can be exercises in the course Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering that are performed according to pre-set tasks and instructions from the teacher, without room for a more creative or research-based approach.

Sources for the table: Sveučilište u Zadru. (2018). Priručnik za izradu ishoda učenja Sveučilišta u Zadru.