۱- Introduction

۲- Methodological Procedures

۳- Presentation and Discussion of Results

۴- Conclusions

References

Introduction

In an attempt to respond to the demands of today’s world, teachers have been abandoning the traditional model of content memorization and verification, seeking to train critical and reflexive professionals, capable of solving problems. On the educator’s side, we expect competency-oriented skills and the ability of enabling the students to participate actively in the learning process (Hoffmann & Koifman, 2013). Prosser, Trigwell and Taylor (1994) defined two major types of approaches to teaching: Conceptual Change/Student-Focused” (CCSF) and “Information Transmission/Teacher-Focused” (ITTF). The approaches to teaching are constituted by an intention (conception) and a strategy (Prosser & Trigwell, 2000). In a perspective of knowledge transmission, teaching is typically associated with a content approach, in which students are regarded as passive receivers of knowledge. In that context, learning consists of remembering and reproducing the right answers or solutions, and/or memorizing facts. In contrast, teaching viewed as knowledge facilitation is typically linked to a learning approach to teaching (Kember & Kwan, 2000). In this kind of approach, the aim is to change and challenge the students’ concepts with respect to learning, and the latter is seen as a process in which students construct their own understanding. The focus is on insight, critical thinking and knowledge application. It was based on this complex relationship between teaching approaches focused on the students and deep learning that we elaborated the following research question: “Which are the strategic teaching orientations that promote conceptual change in the higher education student?”