Verbalism is the tendency to base reasoning on words rather than concepts. In this way, when reasoning, more relevance is given to the terms than to the ideas themselves.
The incorrect use of words and the lack of correspondence between them and what is expressed are signs of verbalism. When someone abuses words, or even uses them without knowing their meaning, he leaves concepts in the background. The origin of verbalism is found in the link between thought and verbal expression. When this relationship is weak, the person does not think accurately and, in turn, does not use words as he should. Verbalism, in this context, is a failure that is reflected in expressing oneself.
In the educational field, verbalism is a pedagogical procedure that privileges verbal memory, that is, the storage of information in the form of words read or heard. Thus, verbalism is not guided by facts or experiences as a vehicle for learning. Verbalism becomes a problem in education when students memorize words without fully understanding their meaning. This means that they cannot contextualize the terms, establish relationships or generate new knowledge from them. This is why many educators emphasize the importance of making students understand processes, rather than trying to get them to memorize facts. Verbalism is not enough for the construction of knowledge and can even be an obstacle.
