Toward a new paradigm of education

This work has as starting point the concept of paradigm proposed by E. Morin: principal categories that guide the intelligibility and logical thinking. The great paradigm of the western hemisphere (prevailing paradigm) is characterized by its effects of disjunction, reduction, simplification, and exclusion. The effects of the paradigm in the medical practice, in the scientific work, and in education are analyzed. The epistemological premises of neopositivism, heir of the prevailing paradigm, and of critical of experience are confronted. It emphasizes the opposite roles that each epistemological tendency gives to the ideas and facts in knowledge. The disjunction between the creation and use of knowledge, typical of the school institution, originates the passive perspective of education. The idea of knowledge as elaboration of the learner in knowledge situation, originates the participative perspective of education. The characteristics of both perspectives of education in relation to the role of theory and practice, the role of the professor and student, and the main purposes are contrasted. It is briefly analyzed how the different educational schools appeared in the XX century do not represent true alternatives to the paradigm, except P. Freire's proposals. The more relevant aspects of the participative perspective of education are emphasized: habit of reflective thinking about the vital experience, exercise of criticism and self-criticism, development of points of view about problem situations of experience and of methodological and practical abilities. Different considerations are made about what the participative perspective of education implies in the pretension to overcome the effects of disjunction, reduction and simplification of the ruling paradigm.