Relationship between teaching approaches and social condition of students: A key problem in the current educational debate

Abstract

 In the last decades, Latin America has been increasingly concerned with inequality and the consequent educational segregation. Various policies were adopted to ensure educational inclusion and they had positive effects. However, the latter do not prevent children from low-income sectors to still face considerable difficulties. In this paper, some reflections on this problem are proposed, which are mainly focused on didactic proposals for elementary school in Argentina. Based on the classic distinction between ‘visible and invisible’ pedagogies, the exposition is supported by three statements. First, it is necessary to question the idea that the adopted didactic approach is neutral in relation to the social condition of students. Second, it is worth considering a large body of international evidence that supports the advantages of direct instruction over ‘student-centered’ or ‘exploratory’ approaches to teaching. Finally, it is necessary to review the assumption that, given the supposed neutrality of didactic approaches, the access to the benefits of good quality teaching depends on compensating for possible deficits –for example, in ‘cultural capital’–.