Theories of Learning and Innovation in Didactics

Learning is a particularly important mechanism for the development of every subject and can be defined as a process that allows for the acquisition of new concepts and information, a behavioral modification that supports the change. Throughout history, different perspectives have attempted to describe and define such a complex mechanism: from those more focused on localized and specific aspects of learning, through Cognitivism that considered learning as a procedural, constructive and elaboration process, up to Bateson's deutero-learning that defined it as a global, relational and contextual path. The heterogeneity that characterizes the learning process and its modalities, together with the heterogeneity of the social and relational contexts in which subjects grow and develop, requires new ways of thinking and teaching that can meet the characteristics and peculiarities of every person. Contexts like family and school must respect these differential learning modalities by aiming at new forms of teaching which should not be limited to convey knowledge as mere accumulation of information. In didactics, the flipped classroom has led to consider the importance and complexity of the learning processes, in all its shades and nuances, leaving the student free to learn according to his own rhythms and ways, respecting everybody's needs and moving away from the traditional model of teaching.