Given the growing trend towards the renewal of teaching practices in education, the idea of “activating” students has become a key concept in this discussion. In this way, the text sets out a reflection on what has in fact been based on this concept, putting the issue in context from the ever-increasing demands for more education in time. Educational systems capable of accommodating contemporary emergencies, in particular by means of reconfigurations that take account of: research and scientific theories in the field of learning studies; the demands of the productive world and of work; and the demands for complex social issues. Thus, the concept of deeper learning is presented as an example of attempting to transpose into pedagogical practice the demands for education that is intended to promote what is commonly known as ‘active learning’, above all a learning process that is more closely linked to the cotidal reality. Building on this objective, some concepts and terms are discussed that help to contextualise the discussion more broadly, focusing on the field of education, such as: “knowledge society”, “learning society” and “21st century skills”.