The emergence of the constructivist paradigm in distance education. Its contributions to the renewal of education proposals

Abstract

This paper analyzes the implications of constructivism in distance education proposals. The new technologies - microcomputing - and access to personal microcomputers brought operativity to the teaching and learning processes, legitimizing the ideology of construction in our societies., The search for a theoretical anchorage within the constructivist paradigm that positions the teacher’s view toward learning, goal achievement and the means to achieve these goals, surpassing associationist learning theories, becomes relevant, in the attempt to make proposals for education with the distance-learning modality. The emergence of the constructivist paradigm, as well as the explanatory impact that it provides to education, favor the renewal of proposals for distance learning. From this paradigm, which contrasts the basic ideas of associationism, it is argued that learning is a committed process, active and full of meaning. Consequently, it is necessary that teachers know and carefully consider the concepts underlying their decisions, in order to set clear objectives, as well as to develop and justify their teaching. The teaching process that accompanies and promotes, requires constant adjustments in relation to changes in students' thinking. The aim of this paper is to highlight the constructivist assumptions that help to renew the proposals of distance learning.