Conception of knowledge based on assumptions of Historical-Cultural Theory

Abstract

A great value is assigned to learning scientific concepts in both Historical-Cultural and Developmental Teaching theories to improve individuals’ development. Nevertheless, school education, which is based on the assumptions of these theories, can be restricted to the most obvious aspect of teaching these concepts without understanding the reasons for this value, and would not be able to obtain the announced training potential from them. Thus, this study presents the result of an investigation that pursued, in the historical origin of these theories, the reason for the emphasis given to scientific concepts. It was identified that the reason for this enhancement lies in the perspective of the integral background assumed by these theories and in the conception of knowledge, a characteristic of the dialectical materialist logic, on which they are underpinned. The act of knowledge according to this logic concerns about abstraction, generalization, analysis and synthesis as thought processes. Thus, knowing is not restricted to the verbalization of content, but to the unity of thought and word, which results in the development of the human psychism. Scientific concepts are also associated to a specific kind of thinking, theoretical thinking, which is developed due to the learning of these concepts linked to their own thought processes. At last, it is concluded that, according to the pedagogical area, valuing the teaching of scientific concepts there must be an overview of the theory. This fact allows the teacher to resize the way of thinking and acting with concepts in teaching situations, as well as bringing students' learning closer to the theoretically exposed training potential.