Abstract
<jats:p>The traditional model of education, in which the educator serves as the primary source of information and the student acts as a passive recipient, is gradually losing its relevance. Within this model, independent work, both extracurricular and classroom-based, often consisted mainly of mechanical activities such as reading textbooks, taking lecture notes, and memorizing classifications. Although this approach ensured acquisition of a certain amount of theoretical knowledge, it proved insufficient for the development of the key professional competencies required in modern medicine. The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the advantages and limitations of several pedagogical models applicable to teaching pathomorphology, namely the “Flipped Classroom”, “Problem-Based Learning”, and the “Case Method”, based on the best practices of domestic and international educators as well as the authors’ own teaching experience. The analysis demonstrated that all of these educational models, compared with traditional teaching approaches, shift the student’s role from passive recipient to active participant in the learning process. Students acquire skills in information analysis, critical thinking, and problem solving, which promotes an integrative understanding of the mechanisms underlying pathological processes and facilitates the development of preliminary differential diagnostic skills necessary for the formation of both general and professional competencies. At the same time, the role of the teacher undergoes substantial transformation. Instead of merely reproducing textbook material, the teacher becomes an architect of the educational environment, acting as a mentor, facilitator, and coordinator of the learning process. This, in turn, requires the acquisition of new pedagogical competencies. It is important to emphasize that these pedagogical models are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they represent a spectrum of educational approaches ranging from structured to more open forms of learning. Therefore, their combination and adaptation depending on the specific educational objectives, course topics, and teaching conditions appears both possible and pedagogically justified. Thus, the gradual transition from passive, reproductive forms of independent student work to active student-centered approaches, such as the “Flipped Classroom”, “Case Method”, and “Problem-Based Learning” is not merely a contemporary educational trend but an essential requirement of modern medical education aimed at developing the clinical competencies of future physicians.</jats:p>