Pedagogical Design for Meaningful Learning: Epistemic Writing, Learning Strategies, and Tutorial Actions

Abstract

This paper presents and analyzes a pedagogical-didactic device developed by the teaching team of the Teorías del Aprendizaje (Theories of Learning) course at the National University of Tucumán. The device pursues three interrelated objectives: to promote meaningful learning of disciplinary knowledge, to foster the development of learning strategies among students, and to strengthen professional competencies.
The device is structured around tasks involving the analysis of real cases related to educational trajectories at various levels of the educational system, as well as narrative records of classroom practices. These are proposed as tasks of epistemic writing, or writing to learn (Serrano, 2014), and are supported by draft revisions, group tutorials, and plenary discussions. Additionally, learning strategies are systematically addressed (Monereo, 1998), promoting the use of cognitive procedures in task resolution, metacognitive activities in class, and clarification of evaluation criteria.
The device is conceived as a practice with epistemic potential (Castelló, 2006), insofar as it enables students to become strategic learners, authors, and knowledge producers, contributing to the development of reflective professionals. It is through the articulation between epistemic writing and learning strategies that such educational processes become possible.