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The importance of significant learning at Casvi International American School is growing. This new discipline promotes the assimilation of competencies from a constructivist perspective. Meaningful learning encompasses three dimensions: emotional, motivational and cognitive. But why is meaningful learning so important?
Significant learning is a process through which learners gather information and then select, organize and relate it to previously acquired knowledge and experiences. It implies that each person gives this new knowledge a unique meaning, as each person has lived his or her own experiences.
This new form of learning is based on Ausubel’s theory. This theory differentiates three types of meaningful learning: representational, conceptual and prepositional.
Significant learning can be put into practice in the classroom, but it is important that the teacher takes into account several factors such as:
-Bearing in mind the prior knowledge of each student.
-Organize the material in a logical and hierarchical way.
-Considering motivation as a fundamental factor in arousing the student’s interest in learning.
The objective of Ausubel’s theory was to establish a before and after in the way of teaching and learning. Therefore, the method has the following characteristics:
– It connects new learning with previous learning.
– It promotes the student’s interest because he/she is predisposed to learn.
– It encourages participation.
– It generates a greater connection between the teacher and the student. It is a reciprocal learning because there is feedback between source and sender.
– It takes into account the social and cultural context. Learning is influenced by the different interpretations that can be given depending on the context.
– It favors a more lasting retention of information.
– It allows the learner to acquire new knowledge related to what has already been learned in a meaningful way.
– The new knowledge is placed in the known long-term memory, since it is related to previous knowledge.
– It is a personal learning because the significance of learning depends on the cognitive resources of each student
“In order to achieve learning, there must be adequate material, the learner’s cognitive structures and, above all, motivation”.
International Baccalaureate methodology and significant learning have among their characteristics that of motivating students. In addition, both methods can coexist because they seek not only that the student retains the information, but that he/she does it in an active way.
Another common characteristic is that in both cases students observe, search for information, select it and try to find a solution to the problem. Thus, learning takes place in an autonomous and independent way in which the teacher should be more than a transmitter, a mediator.
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