What Is Didactic Teaching?
(Plus How It's Different From Pedagogy)
Teachers can use teaching methodologies to inform how they
teach their students. Didactic teaching, which is one of the two
main teaching disciplines, is a structured and teacher-focused
method centered on teachers delivering lessons to students. If
you work as a teacher, it's valuable to understand what didactic
teaching is and how it differs from pedagogy so that you can
use the best teaching approach for you and your students. In
this article, we define didactic teaching, discuss didactic
teaching approaches and list the major differences between
didactics and pedagogy.
What is didactic teaching?
Didactic teaching is a teaching method that focuses on teachers giving lessons to
students. Typically, teachers who use didactic teaching create structured lessons that
focus on lectures. Teachers can use different teaching methods depending on the
needs of their students, their personal preferences and other factors. Didactic
teaching is often well-suited for teaching basic subjects and instructing students who
thrive with structured directions.
What is a didactic teaching approach?
A didactic teaching approach involves a teacher directly instructing a student through
planned lessons and lectures. Didactic teaching is characterized by:
Structured lesson plans: One of the top characteristics of
didactic teaching is structured lesson plans. Teachers who use
the didactic teaching approach keep their lessons clearly
organized to present information to students directly.
Specific learning objectives: Teachers who use the didactic
teaching approach usually set specific learning objectives for
their students. They design lesson plans and assign coursework
to help their students achieve these objectives.
Periodic performance evaluations: In the didactic teaching
approach, teachers also complete periodic performance
evaluations to gauge their students' progress toward achieving
their learning objectives. Performance evaluations can also allow
teachers to measure their students' understanding of what
they're learning.
Lectures from the teacher to the student: Didactic teaching
also emphasizes lectures given by the teacher to the student.
Often, students learn from lectures by taking notes and asking
questions.
Group discussions: In the didactic teaching approach, group
discussions often follow a lecture or reading. Teachers can guide
discussions by asking open-ended questions about the lesson
and encouraging their students to think critically.
Consistent learning schedules: Another key aspect of the
didactic teaching approach is consistent learning schedules.
Typically, classroom schedules that follow the didactic teaching
approach change little from day to day.
Differences between didactics and pedagogy
Didactics and pedagogy are the two main teaching methods. While pedagogical
approaches can incorporate didactical methods, there are important differences
between the two types of teaching. Some of the major differences between didactics
and pedagogy include:
Teacher-centered vs. learner-centered
One key difference between didactics and pedagogy is whether they focus on the
teacher or the learner. Didactics tends to be teacher-centered. For example, a
common didactical strategy is a teacher presenting a lecture directly to their students.
Pedagogy, however, is learner-centered and involves coming up with teaching
strategies that focus on how specific students learn in different ways.
How vs. why
Another difference between didactics and pedagogy is that didactics tends to pay
more attention to how to educate students, while pedagogy includes thinking about
why to educate students. Teachers who use pedagogical approaches, therefore,
typically emphasize the philosophies and theories that drive their teaching.
Content vs. strategy
Didactics and pedagogy also differ in terms of whether they emphasize curriculum
content or teaching strategies. Typically, teachers who use the didactic teaching
approach focus more on the content of their curriculum, while teachers who use the
pedagogical teaching approach pay more attention to how they can use different
tools and strategies to teach their students.
Knowledge-oriented vs. process-oriented
Another key difference between the two learning methods is that didactics is
knowledge-oriented, while pedagogy is process-oriented. Teachers who use the
didactical approach focus on directly transferring their knowledge to their
students. Teachers who use the pedagogical approach, however, focus more on
the art and process of teaching.
Specific teaching strategies
Didactical and pedagogical teachers can also use different specific teaching
strategies. Some basic didactical teaching strategies can include:
Demonstration: Demonstration is a teaching strategy in which
the teacher demonstrates a concept. The demonstration method
can be especially effective when combined with visual aspects like
writing on a whiteboard.
Explanation: Explanation is a strategy in which the teacher
explains the concept, and it can occur independently or along
with demonstration to enhance learning.
Observation: Observation is a method in which students make
observations to learn more about topics. Students can observe at
teacher's demonstration to help them better understand a
concept.
Problems: Teachers can create problems for their students to
solve to help them learn their curriculum. Completing problems
can help students learn how to do math and understand other
concepts.
Exercises: Teachers can help their students learn new skills and
knowledge by assigning them exercises to complete. Like
problems, exercises can allow students to practice concepts to
strengthen their understanding.
Some specific pedagogical teaching strategies include:
Classroom collaboration: Classroom collaboration is a teaching
strategy that involves fostering communication and collaboration
among students. Often, teachers divide students into small
groups to enhance their collaboration.
Hands-on learning: Hands-on learning is a strategy that
emphasizes learning things by practicing doing them. Hands-on
learning can be especially effective for students who learn
kinesthetically, and it can be combined with readings and
lectures.
Classroom technology: Many teachers who use the pedagogical
approach make use of classroom technology. Classroom
technology can include tablets, laptops and other devices.
Teachers can use classroom technology to deepen their students'
engagement.
Visualization: Visualization is a teaching strategy that
encourages students to visualize the abstract concepts that
they're learning about through field trips, experiments and other
tactics.
Modeling: The modeling strategy, like the demonstration
strategy, involves a teacher showing a concept and students
learning by observing and practicing. Teachers can combine the
modeling strategy with other strategies, including hands-on
learning and classroom collaboration.
