Model United Nations in education has become a consolidated pedagogical strategy that promotes active and reflective learning in the classroom. After exploring the pedagogical approach and teaching practices associated with Model United Nations (MUN), this second part of the article focuses specifically on the meaningful learning this methodology fosters among students.
To achieve this, the analysis draws on learning theories, empirical research, and concrete educational experiences. In this context, it examines how this methodology supports the development of cognitive, emotional, and social competencies.
These competencies are essential in today’s educational landscape. At the same time, the article analyzes how MUN enables students to assume a leading role in their own learning process. As a result, learning becomes long-lasting, applicable, and closely connected to students’ real-life contexts.
Introduction
According to Martínez (2019), learning is a continuous process that extends throughout life. This process allows individuals to acquire skills, abilities, and values necessary to live with dignity, make decisions, and improve their quality of life. In this sense, learning is nourished by factors such as experience, attention, study, instruction, reasoning, and observation (ETECÉ, 2022). These elements are central to understanding the scope of Model United Nations in education.
Likewise, the constructivist theory guiding this research argues that learning does not focus solely on final knowledge. Instead, it emphasizes the development of metacognition. This process allows individuals to analyze different perspectives on a problem or situation within its context. Furthermore, it facilitates the evaluation of the most appropriate course of action (Villanova et al., 2011). This approach aligns closely with the learning dynamics promoted by this educational methodology.
In line with this constructivist perspective, learning is understood as a process through which individuals, based on experience, come to understand situations and problems within their context. Human beings learn continuously. To do so, they assimilate, memorize, and adapt knowledge, either consciously or implicitly. Learning becomes meaningful when new knowledge is linked to prior knowledge. In this way, it gains meaning, relevance, and usefulness. This process is clearly reflected in educational experiences connected to Model United Nations in education.
Characteristics of Meaningful Learning
Learning is a complex and multifaceted process. It involves several essential characteristics. These characteristics are clearly reflected in Model United Nations in education.
First, learning can encompass any area the learner wishes to explore. This highlights the importance of experience. It also underscores the crucial role of trial and error in formative processes associated with MUN.
Moreover, learning allows individuals to restructure prior knowledge. This restructuring produces significant changes in behavior. At the same time, learning functions as an adaptive mechanism in which cognitive processes play a key role. These processes determine whether study strategies and methods align with individual needs and learning styles.
However, not all individuals possess the same learning capacities. This reality encourages the creation of defined guidelines that facilitate learning. This aspect is especially relevant in active methodologies such as MUN.
Model United Nations in Education as a Meaningful Learning Strategy
Within this framework, Model United Nations in education is presented as a meaningful learning process in which the student assumes a leading role. Meanwhile, the teacher acts as a facilitator.
This type of learning fosters multiple competencies. These include critical thinking, linguistic skills, and sociocultural and emotional abilities. In turn, these competencies translate into subdimensions such as collaborative work, self-regulated learning, and constructive learning. All of them are directly linked to the dynamics of this methodology.
Indicators of this learning process include behavioral changes, reflection on current issues, argumentation skills, and problem-solving abilities. Additionally, students demonstrate autonomy, empathy, and leadership. These elements are recurrent in the implementation of MUN in educational contexts.
Empirical Evidence of Learning in Model United Nations in Education
Empirical research on Model United Nations in education highlights its positive impact on student learning. For example, Ramírez (2022) emphasizes that learning is enhanced when students exceed the objectives established during debates in MUN committees.
Similarly, Gutiérrez and Zirion (2018) argue that learning is constructed through negotiation and cooperative work. This approach positions students as active protagonists in their own educational process within this methodology.
Furthermore, Molina et al. (2023) point out that through MUN, students strengthen skills such as assertive public speaking and leadership. At the same time, they learn about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This reinforces the interdisciplinary nature of Model United Nations in education.
Conclusion
Teachers and school leaders at the primary, secondary, and undergraduate levels are encouraged to promote student protagonism in the classroom. This can be achieved by facilitating participation in MUN-related activities as a teaching–learning strategy.
This approach encourages active student participation. It also strengthens skills such as argumentation, research, leadership, and collaborative work. However, the research highlights the importance of avoiding superficial or decontextualized implementation. Instead, it emphasizes the need for reflective and pedagogically grounded application within Model United Nations in education.
