The courses at Faculdade São Leopoldo Mandic are based on the concepts of adult learning, collaborative learning, project-based and research-based learning, community-centered and health system-centered education, training for quality of life, sustainability and innovation; and apply them in accordance with scientific evidence in health education and with the principles and values of institutional resilience.
Adult learning aims to reinforce participation and horizontality in the educator-learner relationship and in the action-research process. It is based on the premise that both educator and learner are beings in continuous evolution.
For Vygotsky, the process of learning and developing personal and professional identity should value the previous experiences of those involved. Malcolm Knowles, on the other hand, considers that adults want to know why they need to learn certain things; that they learn when they recognize the need to learn; that learning is enhanced when activities are guided by real-life situations; and that the intellectual resources and relevant experiences of each person constitute points of reference for new learning, requiring qualified and constant feedback so that they acquire and improve skills (Knowles 1968; Ausubel 1990).
Autonomy, initiative, creativity, and responsibility, according to Paulo Freire, are guiding values in the learning process that results in individual transformation and a commitment to changing reality. Furthermore, considering adult education, the São Leopoldo Mandic Faculty considers the concept of meaningful learning, defined by David Ausubel as the cognitive interaction that occurs between new, specifically relevant and potentially meaningful knowledge and some prior knowledge existing in the learner's cognitive structure, to be fundamental. Therefore, for meaningful learning to occur, two conditions are necessary: that the learner attributes meaning to the new knowledge, mobilizing their predisposition to learn; and that this knowledge interacts with some prior knowledge. In this sense, the student's experiences are the starting point of their learning.
The pedagogical approach of the courses at Faculdade São Leopoldo Mandic is based on the socio-cognitive theory of education, or social learning, which enhances identity formation, values the role of the social environment in the training of health professionals, and the teacher as a mediator between the subject, the object of study, and other colleagues. As Vygotsky argues, the pedagogical experience is related to the sociocultural context of the learner and is a product of social interaction mediated by language. Learning occurs in relation to others, both interconnected through their culture, objects, symbols, and language.
John Dewey argues that learning should be guided by and for experience, resulting in the solution of a real problem. Dewey proposes the "learning to learn" model and advocates for the development of the learner's critical thinking skills.
Paulo Freire states that learning results from a cognitive, political, ethical, historical, cultural, and social process, established in the dialogical and dialectical relationship between the learner and the teacher. Education is transformative for both, the learner and the teacher. The one who educates, in educating, is also transformed.
All the educators mentioned here defend the idea that learning happens through interaction and dialogue in the pursuit of a synthesis established from a critical view of reality.
The concept of collaborative learning applies when two or more people learn together, in a student-centered teaching method. It emphasizes the learner's role in a group that must collaboratively solve a problem, build new knowledge, or develop a project, sharing responsibilities and ideas. Due to its interactionist nature, collaborative learning is based on the acquisition and development of the four fundamental skills of 21st-century teaching, advocated by the Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari in his work 21 Lessons for the 21st Century: Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking, and Collaboration.
Scientific evidence demonstrates the positive impact of collaborative learning in the healthcare field.
Project-based learning emerges from the perspective of offering teaching with active and collaborative methods that prioritize the development of the student's autonomy and critical thinking, as well as their management, collaborative work, and communication skills (DeRuisseau, 2016). This teaching modality also focuses on developing students' creativity and entrepreneurship in activities that result in changes in the reality of the community and the regional health system.
In community-centered education, the teaching of health professions takes place not only in hospital settings or clinics, but also incorporates the community as a setting for the teaching-learning process. This educational approach brings students closer to the health reality of the population and its most prevalent problems. Medical and dental training guidelines in Brazil and worldwide dictate that teaching should also be carried out in the community, based on the practice of a general practitioner, working alongside an interprofessional team.
The courses are also committed to individual and collective quality of life, supporting, producing and implementing innovations. They utilize principles of environmental education, which encompasses processes through which individuals and communities construct social values, knowledge, skills and attitudes aimed at environmental conservation, with a view to its use, quality of life and sustainability (National Environmental Education Policy – Law No. 9795/1999).
Environmental education, based on our pedagogical proposal, aims to identify problems and seek solutions, developing critical thinking, decision-making skills, leadership, communication and collaborative work, and the production and implementation of innovation – skills expected of a professional upon completion of their undergraduate or postgraduate studies.
In addition to the above, our purpose will always be to collectively develop the ability to always learn, to communicate openly, to face challenges with creativity, optimism and flexibility, cultivating values of respect, generosity, gratitude and honesty.
