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Definition of didactic

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We Will Teach You the Origin of Didactic

Didaktikós is a Greek word that means "apt at teaching." It comes from didáskein , meaning "to teach." Something didactic does just that: it teaches or instructs. Didactic conveyed that neutral meaning when it was first borrowed in the 17th century, and still does; a didactic piece of writing is one that is meant to be instructive as well as artistic. Parables are generally didactic because they aim to teach a moral lesson. Didactic now sometimes has negative connotations, too, however. Something described as "didactic" is often overburdened with instruction to the point of being dull. Or it might be pompously instructive or moralistic.

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Examples of didactic in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'didactic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

borrowed from New Latin didacticus, borrowed from Greek didaktikós "apt at teaching," from didaktós "taught, learned" (verbal adjective of didáskein , aorist edídaxa "to teach, instruct," factitive derivative of daênai "to learn") + -ikos -ic entry 1 ; daênai going back to Indo-European *dens-, *dn̥s- "become knowledgeable or skillful," whence also Avestan dīdaiŋ́hē "(I) learn, experience" and, in nominal derivatives, Sanskrit dáṃsaḥ "marvelous power," dasráḥ "accomplishing wonderful deeds," and perhaps Greek dḗnea "plans, intentions"

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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“Didactic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/didactic. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.

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Didactics, Didactic Models and Learning

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• Karl-Heinz Arnold 2  

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15 Citations

Classroom teaching and learning ; Curriculum development ; Designing lessons ; General education ; Lesson planning

The word didactics comes from the Greek word “διδάσκειν” (didáskein), which means teaching . The scientific term didactics (sometimes also spelled “Didaktik” as in German) stems from the German tradition of theorizing classroom learning and teaching. It is a singular noun spelled in the plural form, indicating that connotations to the somewhat pejorative English word “didactic” (text overburdened with instructive matter or oversimplifying way of teaching) are not intended. Didactics serves as a major theory in teacher education and syllabus development, especially in the German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, as well as in Finland (didaktiikka) and in Russia (didaktika). With a slightly different meaning, it is also employed in France (didactique comparée) and Spain (didáctica general) as well as in the Dutch (algemene didactiek) and Africaans...

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Aebli, H. (1998). Zwölf Grundformen des Lehrens. Eine allgemeine Didaktik auf kognitionspsychologischer Grundlage [Twelve basic forms of teaching. An approach to General Didactics founded on Cognitive Psychology; 1st ed.: 1983] (10th ed.). Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta.

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Arnold, K.-H. (2007). Generalisierungsstrukturen der kategorialen Bildung aus der Perspektive der Lehr-Lernforschung [Generalizing structures of Categorical Education: The view of empirical research on learning and instruction]. In B. Koch-Priewe, F. Stübig, & K.-H. Arnold (Eds.), Das Potenzial der Allgemeinen Didaktik (pp. 28–42). Weinheim: Beltz.

Arnold, K. H., Koch-Priewe, B. (2011). The merging and the future of the classical German traditions in General Didactics: A comprehensive framework for lesson planning. In B. Hudson, M. A. Meyer (Eds.), Beyond fragmentation: Didactics, learning and teaching in Europe (pp. 252–264). Opladen: Budrich.

Deng, Z., & Luke, A. (2008). Subject matter: Defining and theorizing school subjects. In F. M. Connelly, M. F. He, & J. Phillion (Eds.), The Sage handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 66–87). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Klafki, W. (1959). Das pädagogische Problem des Elementaren und die Theorie der kategorialen Bildung [The pedagogical problem of the elementary and the theory of categorical eduction] . Weinheim: Beltz.

Klafki, W. (1985). Grundlinien kritisch-konstruktiver Didaktik [Basic aspects of the Critical-Constructive Approach to General Didactics]. In W. Klafki (Ed.), Neue Studien zur Bildungstheorie und Didaktik (pp. 31–86). Weinheim: Beltz.

Klafki, W. (1991). Exemplar approach. In A. Lewy (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of curriculum (pp. 181–182). Oxford: Pergamon.

Klafki, W. (1994). Grundzüge eines neuen Allgemeinbildungskonzepts. Im Zentrum: Epochaltypische Schlüsselprobleme [Essential features of a new concept of general education. In focus: epoch-making key problems]. In W. Klafki (Ed.), Neue Studien zur Bildungstheorie und Didaktik. Zeitgemäße Allgemeinbildung und kritisch-konstruktive Didaktik (4th rev. ed., pp. 43–82). Weinheim: Beltz.

Klafki, W. (1980/1994). Zur Unterrichtsplanung im Sinne kritisch-konstruktiver Didaktik [Lesson planning in the critical-constructive approach to general didactics; first published: 1980]. In W. Klafki (Ed.), Neue Studien zur Bildungstheorie und Didaktik (4th ed., pp. 251–284). Weinheim: Beltz.

Koch-Priewe, B. (2000). Zur Aktualität und Relevanz der Allgemeinen Didaktik in der LehrerInnenausbildung [The relevance of General Didactics to teacher education]. In M. Bayer, F. Bohnsack, B. Koch-Priewe, & J. Wildt (Eds.), Lehrerin und Lehrer werden ohne Kompetenz? Professionalisierung durch eine andere Lehrerbildung (pp. 148–170). Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt.

Mager, R. F. (1962). Preparing objectives for programmed instruction . San Francisco: Fearon.

Messner, R., & Reusser, K. (2006). Aeblis Didaktik auf psychologischer Grundlage im Kontext der zeitgenössischen Didaktik [Aebli's psychologically based approach to General Didactics in the context of contemporary theories on Didactics]. In M. Baer, M. Fuchs, P. Füglister, K. Reusser, & H. Wyss (Eds.), Didaktik auf psychologischer Grundlage (pp. 52–73). Bern: h.e.p. Verlag.

Meyer, M. A. (2007). Didactics, sense making, and educational experience. European Educational Research Journal, 6 (2), 161–173.

Möller, C. (1973). Technik der Lernplanung. Methoden und Prinzipien der Lernzielerstellung [Techniques of planning learning. Methods and principles of preparing learning objectives] (4th ed.). Weinheim: Beltz.

Oser, F. K., & Baeriswyl, F. J. (2001). Choreographies of teaching: Bridging instruction to learning. In V. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (4th ed., pp. 1031–1065). Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

Schulz, W. (1965). Unterricht – Analyse und Planung [Analysis and planning of lessons]. In P. Heimann, G. Otto, & W. Schulz (Eds.), Unterricht – Analyse und Planung (pp. 13–47). Hannover: Schroedel.

Schulz, W. (1980). Ein Hamburger Modell der Unterrichtsplanung. Seine Funktion in der Alltagspraxis [The Hamburg model of lesson planning: Its functioning in everyday teaching]. In B. Adl-Amini (Ed.), Didaktische Modelle und Unterrichtsplanung [Models of general didactics and lesson planning] (pp. 49–87). Weinheim: Juventa.

Weniger, E. (1930/2000). Didaktik as a theory of education [1st ed.: Theorie der Bildungsinhalte und des Lehrplans. Weinheim: Beltz, 1930]. In I. Westbury, S. Hopmann, & K. Riquarts (Eds.), Teaching as a reflective practice. The German Didaktik tradition (pp. 111–126). Mahwah: Erlbaum.

Westbury, I., Hopmann, S., & Riquarts, K. (Eds.). (2000). Teaching as a reflective practice. The German Didaktik tradition. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Willmann, O. (1889/1967). Didaktik als Bildungslehre nach ihren Beziehungen zur Socialforschung und zur Geschichte der Bildung [Didactics as a theory of education according to its relations to social research and to the history of education; 1st ed.: Braunschweig: Vieweg, 1889]. (7th ed.). Freiburg: Herder.

Uljens, M. (1997). School didactics and learning. A school didactic model framing an analysis of pedagogical implications of learning theory . Hove: Psychology Press.

Further Reading

Hopmann, S., & Keitel, C. (1995). Editorial: The German Didaktik tradition. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 27 (1), 1–2.

Hudson, B., Buchberger, F., Kansanen, P., & Seel, H. (Eds.). (1999). Didaktik/Fachdidaktik as science(−s) of the teaching profession? (TNTEE Publications Vol. 2, No. 1; available under http://tntee.umu.se/publications/publication2_1.html , 2010-12_14, accessed 14 Dec 2010). Umeå: TNTEE, University of Umeå.

Kansanen, P. (2002). Didactics and its relation to educational psychology: Problems in translating a key concept across research communities. International Review of Education, 48 (6), 427–441.

Klafki, W. (1995). Didactic analysis as the core of preparation of instruction. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 27 (1), 13–30.

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Department of Applied Educational Science, Institute of Education, University of Hildesheim, Marienburger Platz 22, 31141, Hildesheim, Germany

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Faculty of Economics and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Education, University of Freiburg, 79085, Freiburg, Germany

Norbert M. Seel

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Arnold, KH. (2012). Didactics, Didactic Models and Learning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1833

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Unlocking Education: Exploring the Power of Didactic Teaching Method

Understanding Didactic Teaching

Didactic teaching, a traditional yet highly effective pedagogical approach, emphasizes the direct transmission of knowledge from teacher to student. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the intricacies of didactic teaching, exploring its principles, methodologies, and benefits in the realm of education.

What is Didactic Teaching?

Definition:.

Didactic teaching refers to a structured instructional method where the teacher assumes a central role in imparting knowledge to students through lectures, demonstrations, and direct instruction.

Characteristics of Didactic Teaching:

• Teacher-centered approach
• Emphasis on factual knowledge
• Structured and organized lesson delivery
• Clear learning objectives and outcomes

Strategies for Implementing Didactic Teaching

1. structured lesson plans:.

• Develop detailed lesson plans outlining key concepts, objectives, and instructional strategies to guide the teaching process effectively.

2. Engaging Lectures:

• Deliver dynamic and engaging lectures, incorporating multimedia resources, visuals, and real-life examples to enhance student understanding and retention.

3. Interactive Discussions:

• Foster active participation and critical thinking through structured discussions, debates, and Q&A sessions, encouraging students to analyze, question, and articulate their thoughts.

4. Hands-On Demonstrations:

• Supplement theoretical concepts with hands-on demonstrations, experiments, or practical activities to reinforce learning and facilitate deeper comprehension.

5. Formative Assessment:

• Incorporate regular formative assessments, quizzes, and exercises to gauge student progress, identify areas of improvement, and provide timely feedback for continuous learning.

Benefits of Didactic Teaching

1. clarity and structure:.

• Provides clear structure and organization, allowing students to follow a logical sequence of learning objectives and content delivery.

2. Knowledge Transmission:

• Facilitates the efficient transmission of factual knowledge and essential concepts from teacher to student, ensuring a solid foundation of understanding.

3. Active Learning:

• Encourages active engagement and participation, promoting critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and independent learning.

4. Teacher Expertise:

• Capitalizes on the expertise and experience of the teacher, who serves as a knowledgeable guide and facilitator of learning.

5. Time Efficiency:

• Optimizes instructional time by delivering focused, targeted lessons, minimizing distractions, and maximizing student learning outcomes.

Exploring the Evolution of Didactic Teaching

Historical origins:.

• Didactic teaching has its roots in ancient educational practices, where scholars and mentors imparted knowledge to apprentices through direct instruction and oral traditions.
• Throughout history, didactic teaching has been a cornerstone of formal education, shaping the transmission of knowledge in various cultures and civilizations.

Modern Applications:

• In contemporary educational contexts, didactic teaching continues to play a significant role, albeit alongside other instructional methods such as inquiry-based learning and project-based learning.
• Educators often integrate elements of didactic teaching into their lesson plans to provide students with a well-rounded educational experience that balances direct instruction with interactive and experiential learning opportunities.

Effective Didactic Teaching Strategies

Differentiated instruction:.

• Recognizing the diverse needs and learning styles of students, effective didactic teachers employ differentiated instruction techniques to tailor their teaching approach to individual students’ strengths, interests, and abilities.
• This personalized approach ensures that all students have the opportunity to engage with the material at their own pace and level of comprehension, fostering inclusivity and academic success.

Scaffolded Learning:

• Scaffolded learning involves providing students with support and guidance as they navigate challenging concepts or tasks, gradually removing assistance as their understanding and proficiency increase.
• By breaking down complex topics into manageable steps and providing scaffolds such as graphic organizers, guided practice, and feedback, teachers empower students to build their knowledge and skills independently.

Integrating Technology into Didactic Teaching

Digital resources:.

• The integration of technology into didactic teaching offers an array of digital resources and tools that enhance the learning experience for students.
• Educational apps, online simulations, multimedia presentations, and virtual field trips are just a few examples of how technology can augment traditional didactic instruction and engage students in dynamic and interactive learning experiences.

Blended Learning Models:

• Blended learning models combine traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning platforms and digital resources, allowing for greater flexibility and customization in the learning process.
• By leveraging the benefits of both in-person and virtual instruction, educators can optimize didactic teaching methods to meet the diverse needs and preferences of students in today’s digital age.

The Role of Assessment in Didactic Teaching

Formative assessment:.

• Formative assessment techniques, such as quizzes, exit tickets, and classroom discussions, provide valuable feedback to both teachers and students throughout the learning process.
• By regularly assessing student understanding and progress, educators can adjust their teaching strategies , address misconceptions, and provide timely support to ensure student success.

Summative Assessment:

• Summative assessments, such as tests, projects, and presentations, evaluate student learning and mastery of content at the end of a unit or course.
• These assessments serve as benchmarks for measuring student achievement and informing instructional decisions, helping teachers gauge the effectiveness of their didactic teaching methods and adjust their approach as needed.

Embracing Multimodal Instruction

Visual aids:.

• Incorporating visual aids such as charts, diagrams, and infographics can enhance didactic teaching by providing students with visual representations of abstract concepts and reinforcing their understanding through visual learning.

Kinesthetic Activities:

• Kinesthetic activities, such as hands-on experiments, role-playing exercises, and interactive simulations, engage students in active learning experiences that promote deeper comprehension and retention of material.

Audiovisual Resources:

• Leveraging audiovisual resources such as educational videos, podcasts, and virtual reality experiences can captivate students’ attention and appeal to auditory and visual learners, enriching the didactic teaching process with multimedia content.

Fostering Critical Thinking and Creativity

Inquiry-based learning:.

• Didactic teaching can be complemented by inquiry-based learning approaches that encourage students to ask questions, explore topics independently, and develop critical thinking skills through inquiry and discovery.

Creative Expression:

• Providing opportunities for creative expression, such as art projects, writing assignments, and collaborative presentations, allows students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts in innovative and imaginative ways, fostering creativity and self-expression.

Cultivating a Positive Learning Environment

Classroom culture:.

• Establishing a positive classroom culture characterized by respect, collaboration, and inclusivity is essential for creating an environment conducive to learning and fostering meaningful interactions between students and teachers.

Supportive Relationships:

• Building supportive relationships with students based on trust, empathy, and encouragement enables educators to effectively address individual needs, provide personalized support, and cultivate a sense of belonging and academic success.

Promoting Lifelong Learning Skills

Metacognitive strategies:.

• Teaching metacognitive strategies such as goal setting, self-assessment, and reflection empowers students to take ownership of their learning, develop self-regulation skills, and become lifelong learners capable of adapting to new challenges and opportunities.

Information Literacy:

• Equipping students with information literacy skills, including the ability to critically evaluate sources, conduct research, and synthesize information, prepares them to navigate an increasingly complex and information-rich world with confidence and discernment.

Conclusion: Empowering Students Through Didactic Teaching

In conclusion, didactic teaching encompasses a diverse range of instructional strategies, techniques, and principles aimed at empowering students to learn, grow, and succeed academically and personally. By embracing multimodal instruction, fostering critical thinking and creativity, cultivating a positive learning environment, and promoting lifelong learning skills, educators can harness the power of didactic teaching to inspire curiosity, ignite passion, and unlock the full potential of every student. Learn more information from EasySchooling.co .

FAQs About Didactic Teaching

1. what is the role of the teacher in didactic teaching.

• In didactic teaching, the teacher assumes a central role as the primary source of knowledge and guidance, delivering structured lessons and facilitating student learning.

2. How does didactic teaching differ from other teaching methods?

• Didactic teaching differs from other methods, such as inquiry-based or student-centered approaches, by placing greater emphasis on direct instruction and knowledge transmission from teacher to student.

3. Can didactic teaching be adapted for different subjects and grade levels?

• Yes, didactic teaching can be adapted and tailored to suit various subjects, grade levels, and learning objectives, providing flexibility and versatility in instructional delivery.

4. What are some effective strategies for implementing didactic teaching?

• Effective strategies for implementing didactic teaching include structured lesson planning, engaging lectures, interactive discussions, hands-on demonstrations, and formative assessment techniques.

5. How does didactic teaching promote student engagement and learning?

• Didactic teaching promotes student engagement and learning by providing clear structure and organization, facilitating active participation, and fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

6. Is didactic teaching suitable for all students?

• While didactic teaching can be effective for many students, educators should consider individual learning styles, preferences, and needs, adapting instructional strategies as necessary to ensure inclusivity and accessibility.

7. What are the potential challenges of didactic teaching?

• Some potential challenges of didactic teaching may include student passivity, limited opportunities for student-centered learning, and the need to balance direct instruction with interactive activities to maintain student engagement.

8. How can technology enhance didactic teaching?

• Technology can enhance didactic teaching by providing multimedia resources, interactive learning platforms, and digital tools for content delivery, assessment, and student collaboration, enriching the learning experience and promoting digital literacy.

9. What are the key principles of effective didactic teaching?

• Key principles of effective didactic teaching include clarity of communication, alignment with learning objectives, differentiation to meet diverse student needs, active engagement, and ongoing assessment and feedback.

10. How can didactic teaching contribute to student success and achievement?

• Didactic teaching can contribute to student success and achievement by laying a solid foundation of knowledge, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and equipping students with the essential tools for lifelong learning and academic success.

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Meaning of didactic in English

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• asynchronous
• chief academic officer
• miseducation
• multi-course
• non-conditioned
• self-instructional
• sex education
• show/teach someone the ropes idiom
• socialization

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Didactic Teaching: Everything You Need to Know

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This is a method of teaching whereby the teacher doles out content and expects that students find their way around learning it. Typically, educators who utilize didactic teaching develop structured lessons that concentrate on lectures. Educators can use different teaching methods based on the needs of their pupils, their personal preferences, and other aspects. This teaching method is often well-suited for teaching fundamental subjects and instructing pupils who thrive with structured directions.

This teaching method is characterized by the following:

Particular learning objectives: Generally, educators, who utilize the didactic teaching method, set particular learning objectives for their pupils. They assign coursework and design lesson plans to help the pupils achieve these objectives.

Structured lesson plans: One of the key characteristics of didactic teaching method is structured lesson plans. Educators who use this approach keep their lessons completely organized to present course materials to students directly.

Periodic performance evaluations: In this method, teachers conduct periodic performance evaluations to assess their pupils’ progress toward achieving their learning goals. Performance evaluations can also help educators review their pupils’ comprehension of what they’re learning.

Group discussions: In this teaching method, group discussions often follow a reading or lecture. Educators can guide discussions by presenting open-ended questions related to the lesson to their students and inspiring them to think critically.

Lectures from the educator to the pupil: Didactic teaching emphasizes lectures given by the instructor to the student. Often, pupils learn from lectures by asking questions and taking notes.

Consistent learning schedules: Another key aspect of this teaching method is consistent learning schedules. Typically, classroom schedules that use the didactic teaching method vary slightly from day to day.

Pedagogy and didactics are the two key teaching approaches. While pedagogical methods can include didactical approaches, there’re crucial differences between these two teaching methods. One major difference between pedagogy and didactics is whether the methods concentrate on the student or the teacher. A common didactical teaching strategy is the instructor giving a lecture directly to the pupils. Pedagogy is learner-centered and includes using teaching methods that focus on how particular students learn in different methods. 

Another difference between pedagogy and didactics is that didactic tends to focus more on educating pupils. The pedagogy involves considering why to educate students. Therefore, teachers who utilize pedagogical approaches typically emphasize the theories and philosophies that drive their teaching. Pedagogy and didactics also differ in terms of whether the method emphasizes teaching strategies or curriculum content. Typically, educators who utilize the didactic approach focus more on the curriculum’s content, while educators who follow the pedagogical approach focus more on using different strategies and tools to teach the students.

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[dy-dak-tik]

Instructive; designed to impart information, advice, or some doctrine of morality or philosophy. Much of the most ancient surviving literature is didactic, containing genealogies, proverbial wisdom, and religious instruction. Most European literary works of the Middle Ages have a strong didactic element, usually expounding doctrines of the Church. Practical advice has often been presented in verse, as in the Georgics (37–30bce) of Virgil, which give advice on farming, and in the imitative georgics of the 18th century. Since the ascendancy of Romanticism and Aestheticism in the 19th century, didactic writing has been viewed unfavourably as foreign to true art, so that the term didacticism refers (usually pejoratively) to the use of literary means to a doctrinal end. Some imaginative works still contain practical information, however: Robert Pinsky's verse sequence ‘Tennis’ (1975) offers practical tips on service, backhand shots, and other relevant skills. The boundaries of didactic literature are open to dispute, since both the presence and the prominence of doctrinal content are subject to differing interpretations. In the broadest sense, most allegories and satires implying a moral or political view may be regarded as didactic, along with many other kinds of work in which the theme embodies some philosophical or other belief of the author. A stricter definition would confine the term to those works that explicitly tell readers what they should do. See also propagandism.

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What? Didactic teaching remains the pedagogical mainstay of many traditional classrooms and traditional teachers. It is the pedagogy of instruction and immutable facts, of authority and telling, and of right and wrong answers – it is teacher-centred and values learners who sit still and listen quietly and attentively, passively accepting the teacher as the knower and expert, both the source of knowledge and judge-jury of knowing. Students who succeed in this setting have learned to memorise and repeat the ‘important points’ of the lesson with little gloss or interpretation, mimicking the words of the teacher. Students unable to sit still or who interrupt the lesson are banished to a corner or from the room altogether – perhaps with chagrin or relief, or some complex combination of the two – these learners do not belong in the learning or to the didactic milieu. Such learners may be categorised as deficit or dull – unable to concentrate or more systematically diagnosed with a learning disorder or disability. The socio-spatial arrangement of the didactic classroom is a blackboard or whiteboard at the front of the room with children seated at desks in rows and facing the front. Kalantzis and Cope offer:

Being didactic means to spell things out explicitly but perhaps a little too laboriously, or to present a view of what’s true or right or moral but in a way that might at times seem dogmatic. So, the teacher tells and the learner listens. Didactic teaching turns on what the teacher says rather than what the learner does. The balance of agency weighs heavily towards the teacher. The teacher is in command of knowledge. His or her mission is to transmit this knowledge to learners, and learners, it is hoped, dutifully absorb the knowledge laid before them by the teacher.

The concept of the didactic teacher and the didactic ideal of passive and compliant students is exemplified in David Milgrim’s Cows Can’t Fly, an early-years picture book. The story is of a little boy whose hand drawn picture of two cows flying through the air inspires a herd of cows to take flight. Milgrim draws the teacher, Ms. Crumb standing beside her blackboard pointing with a stick at the lesson on the board. Chalked, double-spaced and underscored in upper case is the word G R A V I T Y with three large arrows, pointing down at a chalk drawn cow. The word G R A V I T Y dominates the blackboard.

Next to the chalk drawn cow is the label ‘massive object’ with an arrow pointing sideways at the cow. The combination of the elements in this graphic tableau leave the reader with no room for doubt as to the teacher’s view. A powerful sense of didactic authority is achieved by the way in which Ms. Crumb, her pointer and her blackboard dominate the composition, almost filling the double page spread.

The children are depicted as a row of partially seen heads at the bottom of the page looking up at the teacher, as small-seated-children everywhere must do with their adult teachers. Milgrim’s teacher is dismissive of the idea that cows can fly. She is shown examining her fingernails and grimacing, pointing at the blackboard with her stick. We are told in the text “Ms. Crumb said cows were far too fat; that facts were facts, and that was that.” However Milgrim completely undermines the teacher’s self assuredness and sense of didactic authority with a small flying cow seen through the window behind her. The image captures in an essential way the disdain with which figures of didactic authority treat ideas that are not consistent with the textbook or canon. The dominant figure of the teacher and her blackboard are beyond the challenge of the submissive seated child. This tableau captures in exaggerated caricature the didactic teacher.

Why? Didactic teaching is not really consistent with the pedagogy of Learning by Design. A range of pedagogies – knowledge processes – are proposed for learning facts, concepts and theories – pedagogies which promote more active learning and greater agency for the learner.

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Didactic Teaching Method

The dictionary meaning of didactic is “intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive,” which summarises to “inclined to teach or moralize excessively.” The adjective didactic is derived from the Greek ‘didaktikos’ (didactics), which means skillful in training. If something is designed or intended to teach people something we can call it didactic.

Parables are generally didactic because they aim to teach a moral lesson.

The tale of the crow and the pitcher is a didactic story

Didactics is a teacher-centered method of instruction in which teachers deliver and students receive lessons, best suited to brief delivery of factual information. Didactic teaching is one of the two main teaching methods (the other is dialectics). Didactics conveyed a neutral meaning when it was first borrowed in the 17th century, and it still does; a didactic piece of writing is meant to be instructive as well as artistic.

The Meaning of Didactics

The term “didactics” refers to the science of teaching (concerning aims, subject matter, methods, and frameworks) within a specific field. Didactics is based on multiple theories of teaching, and in a wider sense, the theory and practical application of teaching and learning methods. Textbooks and “how-to” guides or tutorials are all examples of “didacticism” since their ultimate purpose is to instruct and educate.

Didactic Teaching

Didactic teaching is a method of teaching that focuses on the teacher who imparts the necessary theoretical knowledge to the students. In this teaching method, teachers create structured lessons by focusing on lectures. This type of teaching is generally suitable for teaching elementary subjects and showing students how to get the most out of learning through structured guidelines.

How does the Didactic Method Work?

The theory of didactic teaching emphasizes basic knowledge. Students get knowledge from planned lectures. It also refers to the foundation or starting point of the lesson plan, where the only objective is knowledge. Teachers or educators play an official role in guiding students to learn.

Didactic triangle

The didactic triangle is a graphical model that describes the desirable design of the teaching and learning process in the didactic teaching method. It focuses primarily on the teaching and learning process. The didactic triangle has three entities - teacher, student, and teaching content, forming the vertices or nodes of the triangle. It illustrates the classical method used to formulate teaching and learning concepts - especially in the field of formal education.

Source: Research Gate

The above-mentioned figure is the "didactic triangle". The three vertices of the triangle represent the didactic teaching situation:

• The knowledge aspect or content to be taught
• The teacher
• The student

In this triangle, the three sides indicate paired significance:

• The teacher-content side is related to the didactic extension
• The student-content side is related to pedagogical appropriation
• The teacher-student side is related to didactic interaction

In what is called a teaching situation, the knowledge, or materials are given to the teacher to teach the students.

Didactic Teaching Approach

In the didactic method, teachers make use of scheduled lessons and lectures to teach students directly by demonstrating the concepts. Students understand the concepts demonstrated and explained by the teacher. Problem-solving exercises complement education.

The didactic teaching method has the following features.

• Structured Lessons : The teacher does organize lesson plans to inform students directly through using instructional teaching.
• Teacher-centered teaching : In the didactic teaching method, more importance is given to the lecture given by the teacher to the student. Most of the time, students take notes, ask questions and learn from lectures.
• Sustainable Education Design: An important aspect of the doctrinal education system is the continuous learning plan. In general, the class schedule does not change much from day to day according to the pedagogical teaching method.
• Setting Learning Objectives : Teachers in the didactic teaching method set definite learning objectives for students. They create lesson plans and lectures to help their students learn the curriculum and ensure that students can achieve their learning objectives.
• Recurrent Performance Evaluatio n: To help achieve students' academic goals, teachers conduct regular assessments to assess their students' progress and assess students' comprehension of the subject.
• Group Discussion : In the didactic teaching approach, group discussion sessions consisting of lectures and readings are conducted. Teachers conduct discussions, where they encourage students by asking open questions related to the lessons learned, allowing the student to think seriously about the subject. Overall, the group discussion results in collaborative learning.

Why the didactic method is different from the dialectical method? Didactic teaching methods are often compared to Dialectical and Socratic methods. The term can also be used to refer to a particular doctrinal method, for example, constructivist theory.

The dialectical method is used to the discourse between two or more people who have different opinions on a subject but want to establish the truth through logical reasoning.  Once you are comfortable asking your students questions, you may want to improve your understanding of dialectical instructions. Use questions to check your student's comprehension in two levels- ironic and maieutic. In an ironic state, you examine the imperfections of his thoughts, perhaps weakening his confidence. In the meiotic phase, teachers are actively examining the thought process of students. Finally, a more accurate understanding of the facts is obtained. This method is easy to use, but in another way, it is extremely difficult.

The table below lists the distinguishing features for didactic versus dialectical methods:

Both teaching methods, rooted in classical teaching, are involved in questioning ideas. Teachers can use different teaching methods depending on the needs of their students, their personal preferences, and other factors inspiring learning. However, the didactic method is very effective when the student wants to understand an idea or interpret a work of creation.

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What is the Difference between Didactics and Pedagogy?

In simple terms, didactics is synonymous with teaching and instruction. And yet at the same time, a didactic approach involves a very structured and informed approach to teaching. But how does the term “didactics” differ from “pedagogy”?

What is the difference between didactics and pedagogy? While didactics is a discipline that is essentially concerned with the science of teaching and instruction for any given field of study, pedagogy is focused more specifically on the strategies, methods and various techniques associated with teaching and instruction. Pedagogy also refers to the ability of a teacher to match theoretical foundations or concepts with practical methods of knowledge transfer in education on language-related problems, while responding and adapting to the learning strategies of their students. Finally, didactics is teacher-centered and based on the sum of theoretical knowledge and practical experience . In comparison, pedagogy is learner-centred, since the teaching must be adapted to respond to the complexity of student needs.

Therefore, “didactics” is a more generalized term referring to the theory and practical applications behind the science of instruction . It can also be viewed as the foundation or principal steps and stages involved in the act of teaching, within a specific field. In the field of science, we speak of research, for instance, pertaining to the didactics of biology and medicine, for instance. In this context, the didactics of knowledge transfer often take place through teaching in a traditional setting (amphitheatre) at the onset, but most importantly through practical “hands on” sessions (practicum, laboratory or hospital settings) to prepare for professional insertion. 

And yet, you may still be wondering how this definition of “didactics” differs from the term “pedagogy”. As you will see, the term “didactics” differs greatly from “pedagogy” in many significant ways. Before we answer this question, we must first consider the philosophical underpinnings of the German didactic tradition to better understand the origin of the word.

Didactics from a German perspective

From a teacher-centred approach and based on a philosophical foundation, Meyer (2007) explains that “the German didactic tradition focuses on teaching aims, subject matter, methods and the organisational frame of teaching and learning ” ( Meyer, M.A., 2007. “Didactics, Sense Making, and Educational Experience” in European Educational Research Journal, 6:26, 161-173. doi: 10.2304/eerj.2007.6.2.161 ). He cites Hericks ( Hericks, U. (2006) Professionalisierung als Entwicklungsaufgabe. Rekonstruktionen zur Berufseingangsphase von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. ) who proposes that didactics is a discipline meant to assist teachers in their “voyage” from pre-service teaching to professionalism. With seasoned professional experience, teachers can evolve into teaching and learning experts who recognize the “emancipation” of their students through the act of knowledge transfer. This view supports the notion that the ultimate objective of the teacher is not only to teach students in a given subject but also and most importantly, to equip them with the necessary learning strategies so that they continue to learn independently and in the wider sense.

The Meaning of Didactics

What is the meaning of didactics? As mentioned earlier, “didactics” refers to the science of teaching (in relation to aims, subject matter, methods, and frameworks) within a specific field. Didactics is based on multiple theories of teaching, and in a wider sense, theory and the practical application of teaching and learning methods .

Textbooks and “do it yourself” (DIY) tutorials on YouTube or “how-to” books are all examples of “didacticism” since their ultimate purpose is to instruct and educate . Some would argue that the word ‘didactic’ can have both a positive and negative connotation. For example, someone who possesses a “didactic” personality is an individual who is naturally inclined to teach and instruct.

The word didactic can be associated with a positive or negative connotation . For example, a proud grandmother who shares her cultural recipes with her curious, entrepreneurial, and adventurous grandchildren is an example of a positive context. However, the following illustration will show how the word “didactic” can be associated with a rather subtle and negative connotation.

The massive production of 17th-century French fairy and folk tales and the 18th-century English nursery rhymes, such as the famous tales of Mother Goose, was meant to teach society in more than one way. This type of literature was written specifically for children (and adults alike), with a clear didactic intent. However, it was often somewhat underhanded in that it was also created to teach children (and again, adults) a stern lesson about societal behaviour, norms and moral values.

Didactic Method or Approach

What is a didactic method or approach? A didactic method is a teaching method that adheres to a scientific approach or educational style. The approach or method is often researched or studied and adopted by the teacher in order to engage the student and ultimately stimulate a virtuous learning process and transfer of knowledge in any given field of study.

For example in language didactics, the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach to language teaching is a very common approach used in European language classrooms ( Léon-Henri Di Pardo, D. CLIL in the Business English Classroom: From Language Learning to the Development of Professional Communication and Metacognitive Skills, University of Paris IV – La Sorbonne (Paris, France), 2015. ELTWorldOnline.com. Special Issue on CLIL. ).

A modern and innovative didactic approach to distance teaching and learning is the open learning and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Everyone has access to them and people can learn by themselves, in an unstructured manner. With unlimited access from across the globe, students are free to choose from various topics and domains of interest. And in addition, at some academic institutions, students can earn certificates and diplomas as they work through the online courses.

Didactic methods and their underlying principal theories focus on the baseline knowledge students possess, as well as their needs. These methods seek to improve upon this level and assist the teacher in conveying information, in the best possible way. A didactic method or approach is thus the very foundation or starting point in a lesson plan , where the overall goal is knowledge transfer, and as the Germans say, emancipation . The teacher, instructor or educator functions in this role as the authoritative figure, but also as both a guide and a resource for the students. Depending upon the chosen didactic approach, the teacher may adopt various roles in the classroom from the principal instructor, to mediator or observer ( source ).

Pedagogy and Pedagogues

Pedagogy is more related to the correlation between the teaching material (resources) or theoretical information (methods) and the intellectual capacity of students, as well as their individual needs. Think of pedagogy as being transversal in nature and pertaining to the method and practice of teaching and instruction, in particular in terms of the ability to match theoretical concepts (didactics of teaching and instruction) with practical methods (pedagogy) of knowledge transfer in education. This can be true for any given field of study. 

A teacher is considered a bona fide “pedagogue” when they are capable of making a perfect match and succeeding in the act of knowledge transfer inside or outside the classroom . In the best-case scenario, students who are actively partaking and advancing in the learning experience are the end result of a successful instructor’s pedagogy. And yet, if students are having trouble understanding the lesson, this does not automatically mean that the teacher is a terrible pedagogue. There may be other factors involved, such as a student who is ill or tired, or students who are distracted or not able to hear the teacher or see the blackboard, etc.

On the contrary, with experience and time, teachers often naturally develop many metacognitive skills (critical and analytical thinking) with regard to their ability to recognize student lapses in the transfer of knowledge. With reflective teaching practices , they learn to automatically troubleshoot their lessons and adapt their pedagogical approach before, during and after a lesson. Therefore, pedagogy deals with the teacher’s cognizant act of teaching in the classroom, while adopting the best-suited supports (whiteboards or slide presentations) and resources (video and books) to better serve their students.

Related Questions

What is a “pedagogue”.

A pedagogue refers to someone who is capable of making a perfect match and succeeding in the act of knowledge transfer. A natural pedagogue will use every opportunity to share their knowledge and education to aid, assist or enlighten others. They will do this by adapting their teaching methods to the intellectual capacity, the learning strategies and the individual needs of their students or learners.

What is the difference between “didactics” and “pedagogy”? 

Didactics refers to the science of teaching and instruction for any given field of study. Based on theoretical foundations, a didactic approach involves a very structured and informed approach to teaching and instruction. For more on the origin of the word “didactics”(see German reference above).

Pedagogy is transversal in nature and pertains to the correlation between methods and practices of teaching and instruction, in particular in terms of the ability to match theoretical concepts with practical methods of knowledge transfer in education.

What is “applied linguistics”?

Applied linguistics is a vast interdisciplinary field that identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to real-life problems related to language and communication (verbal or non-verbal). In terms of language studies, for example, linguists can be focused on the practical applications of teaching, translation, and speech therapy.

Dana Di Pardo Leon-Henri

Dana Di Pardo Léon-Henri is a senior researching lecturer with ELLIADD (EA 4661), currently teaching English for Special or Specific Purposes (ESP) at the University of Bourgogne Franche Comté at the UFR SLHS in Besançon, France. Her research is focused on ESP and LSP Language Teaching, foreign language learning and teaching, pedagogy, didactics, evaluation, artificial intelligence and language teaching, language policy and professional skills development at the higher education level.

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When people are didactic , they're teaching or instructing. This word is often used negatively for when someone is acting too much like a teacher.

When you're didactic, you're trying to teach something. Just about everything teachers do is didactic: the same is true of coaches and mentors. Didactic is often used in a negative way. If you heard that a movie is overly didactic, that's probably not good. Most people want to see a story and be entertained when going to the movies, and if it feels like the movie is just telling you what to think, that's didactic in a bad way.

• adjective instructive (especially excessively) synonyms: didactical informative , instructive serving to instruct or enlighten or inform

didactic / pedantic

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Looking to build your vocabulary? Then practice this list of 300 "hard words" — the kind that used to be tested on the SAT before 2016. If you're a high school student prepping for the SAT, check out Vocabulary.com's Roadmap to the SAT , which focuses on the vocabulary you'll need to ace today's SAT test.

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What Is Didactic Teaching?

Didactic teaching asserts the role of the teacher as that of the expert, with the students being receptors of the teacher’s knowledge and experience. Lessons are primarily lecture based, with this method most often used for the presentation of factual information. With didactic teaching, it is the student’s job to take notes and listen, answering and giving responses when required.

The didactic approach to learning was practiced often throughout early human history. Passing down knowledge from father to son required the son to listen and practice the skills demonstrated by the father. Early education consisted of much rote recall of facts and absorption of knowledge.

Didactic instruction is a more passive model of learning than the Socratic model. In the Socratic model, lessons are more inquiry-based. Students question and evaluate, with the teacher being a co-learner. Tasks are more problem-based, with discussion, dialogue and problem solving being prevalent in the Socratic classroom.

Though seemingly at odds with each other, both approaches to teaching often co-exist within modern classrooms. Many teachers utilize a two-pronged approach, teaching a portion of the class period using the didactic approach and spending another portion of class time using the Socratic approach. The content of the curriculum and needs of the learner are important when determining which teaching delivery method to use.

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Glossary of Pedagogical Terms

Resource overview.

A quick reference and guide to pedagogical terms.

In this list you will find definitions for commonly used pedagogical terms. This list and the associated references and resources provide an overview of foundational concepts, teaching strategies, classroom structures, and philosophies. This page is meant as a quick reference and initial guide to these topics that may both answer a question and spark your curiosity to explore more deeply.

Active Learning : A teaching and learning approach that “engages students in the process of learning through activities and/or discussion in class, as opposed to passively listening to an expert. It emphasizes higher-order thinking and often involves group work.” (Freeman et.al. 2014)

Asynchronous Instruction:  Asynchronous instruction is the idea that students learn similar material at different times and locations. The term is often associated with online learning where students complete readings, assignments, or activities at their own pace and at their own chosen time.  This approach is particularly useful when students are spread across different time zones or may have limited access to technology.

Authentic Assessment:  Assessments in which student learners demonstrate learning by applying their knowledge to authentic, complex, real-world tasks or simulations. Proponents of authentic assessment argue that these types of knowledge checks “help students rehearse for the complex ambiguities of the ‘game’ of adult and professional life” (Wiggins, 1990, p.1).

Further Resources:

• Authentic Assessment . Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Indiana University Bloomington.
• Wiggins, G. (1998). Ensuring authentic performance.  Educative assessment: Designing assessments to inform and improve student performance . Jossey-Bass, p. 21-42.

Backwards Design:  A course design process that starts with instructors identifying student learning goals and then designing course content and assessments to help students achieve these goals. Rather than starting with exams or set textbooks backwards design argues that “one starts with the end—the desired results (goals or standards) and then derives the curriculum from the evidence of learning (performances) called for by the standard and the teaching needed to equip students to perform” (Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J., 1998)

Blended or Hybrid Course:   Blended or hybrid courses are “classes in which some percentage of seat time has been reduced and replaced with online content and activities” (Darby & Lang 2019, p.xxix). These courses continue to meet in-person for some percentage of the class time but content, activities, assessments, and other ways for students to engage with content are delivered online. It is important to note that these courses are intentionally designed to utilize both in-person and online class time to achieve effective student learning.

• Ko, S. and Rossen, S., (2017)  Teaching Online A Practical Guide , Routledge

Bloom’s Taxonomy:  Bloom’s Taxonomy is a cognitive framework of learning behaviors organized hierarchically in six categories: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. Bloom’s taxonomy is often used as a helpful tool to create learning objectives that help define and measure the learning experience for both student and instructor. (Anderson, 2001, Bloom, 1956, Krathwohl, 2002)

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs):  “An approach designed to help teachers find out what students are learning in the classroom and how well they are learning it. This approach is learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and firmly rooted in good practice”. Through using a CAT the instructor is able to gather formative feedback on students learning to inform future teaching. (Angelo & Cross 1993)

Classroom Climate:  “The intellectual, social, emotional, and physical environments in which our students learn” (Ambrose et al., 2010, p. 170). Course climate is determined by factors like faculty-student interaction, the tone the instructor sets, course demographics, student-student interactions, and the range of perspectives represented in course content.

Cognitive Load:  Cognitive load refers to the demands and limitations on working memory storage given the limited amount of information processing that can occur simultaneously in the verbal and the visual processing channels of the brain. (Mayer & Moreno 2003, Schnotz & Kürschner 2007)

Collaborative Learning : an umbrella term that covers many different methods in which students work together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. Collaborative learning is founded in the concept that learning and knowledge building is social and requires active engagement from students.  (Smith & MacGregor 1992)

Constructivism:  A theory of learning popularized in the twentieth century that argues that knowledge is actively constructed rather than passively absorbed by learners. Constructivists contend that when learners acquire new knowledge, it is through a dynamic process in which the learner recreates existing mental models, situating this new information in terms of what they already know. Social constructivists additionally recognize the role of social interaction (co-construction) and communication as key forces in learning. Foundational constructivists include John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky, Jerome Bruner, and Jean Piaget. Constructivist pedagogical strategies are grounded in constructivist theory and often include opportunities for experiential learning, active exploration, student interaction, and reflection. Courses designed around this principle emphasize connections among course concepts and themes and support students in forming relationships between this new knowledge and what they already know.  See also zone of proximal development  and  student-centered teaching .

• Bruner, J.S. (1974).  Toward a theory of instruction . Harvard UP.
• Eyler, J. (2018). “Sociality”  How humans learn: The science and stories behind effective college teaching . West Virginia P.

Vygotsky, L. (1978).  Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes . Harvard UP.

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy:  A pedagogical framework where instructors center students’ cultural identities as an important aspect of learning. Those committed to this framework deliberately work to make connections between course content and students’ lived experiences in order to prompt student involvement and motivation. Culturally responsive course design includes cooperative, student-centered instruction and diverse course readings from a variety of voices and perspectives, particularly those voices which may fall outside of traditional collegiate canons (Landson-Billings 2006).

• Burnham, K. (2019)  Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies . Northeastern University Graduate Programs Blog
• Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). “But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy.”  Theory into Practice 34 (3), 159-165.

  Experiential Learning:  Experiential learning is a process by which students develop knowledge and skills from direct experience, usually outside a traditional academic setting.  Examples include: internships, study abroad, community-based learning, service learning, and research opportunities. The concept was introduced by David Kolb in 1984 and combines both a cognitive and behavioral approach to learning (Kolb 1984).

Further Resource:

• Tran, M. (2016).  Making a Case for Experiential Learning . Pearson.

Fixed Mindset:  Mindset refers to the beliefs and attitudes held by a person and can affect their learning outcomes and achievement. Individuals with a fixed mindset (also referred to as entity theory) are outcomes-focused, don’t view intellectual ability as being malleable, and give up quickly on learning a new skill when learning becomes more challenging and difficult (Dweck, 2008, Dweck & Master 2008, Rattan et. Al. 2012, Yeager 2012).  See also growth mindset.

  Flipped Classroom:  A flipped classroom is a teaching approach where students a first exposed to content before coming to a class session and then spend class time engaging more deeply with the ideas and concepts (Brame, 2013). This model encourages the use of active learning during in-person class sessions to allow students to explore concepts, solve problems, and discuss ideas with each other and the instructor.

Formative Assessment:  Formative assessment is the process of providing feedback to students during the learning process.  These are often low stakes activities that allow the instructor to check student work and provide feedback.  An instructor writing comments and suggestions on a draft version of a paper is an example of formative assessment (Weimer 2013).

Growth Mindset:  Mindset refers to the beliefs and attitudes held by a person and can affect their learning outcomes and achievement.  Individuals with a growth mindset (also referred to as incremental theory) are process-focused, assess their performance relative to mastery of the material, and believe that intellectual ability is malleable.  Having a growth mindset involves sustained effort toward learning new knowledge and reflection on past failures so that one can increase their knowledge and ability (Dweck, 2008, Dweck & Master 2008, Rattan et. Al. 2012, Yeager 2012).  See also fixed mindset.

  Hidden Curriculum:  The hidden curriculum is a collection of unwritten norms, values, rules, and expectations that one must have awareness of in order to successfully navigate educational settings, but which remain unknown to those who have not been socialized into the dominant discourse (Smith, 2015, p.9). The hidden curriculum includes an understanding of school structures,resources, financial aid systems, and institutional rules, along with an awareness of cultural expectations for participating in class and communicating with peers and instructors. See also  social belonging  and  transparent assignments .

• Ostrove, J. & Long, S. (2007). “Social class and belonging: Implications for college adjustment.”  The review of higher education 30 (4).
• Hidden Curriculum . The Glossary of Education Reform.

Inclusive Teaching:  a mode of teaching that intentionally designs course content and curricula to engage with students of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and lived experiences. The ultimate goal of inclusive teaching is to create a learning environment where all students feel valued and supported to succeed.

• Inclusive Teaching Strategies . Center for Teaching Innovation, Cornell University.
• Making excellence inclusive . Association of American Colleges and Universities. (n.d.)
• Strategies for Inclusive Teaching . Center for Teaching and Learning, Washington University in St. Louis.   

Inquiry-Based Learning:  Inquiry-based learning is an umbrella term that includes pedagogical strategies such as problem-based learning and case-based learning that prioritize students exploring, thinking, asking, and answering content questions with peers to acquire new knowledge through a carefully designed activity.  Such activities build in opportunities for students to authentically engage in and apply the scientific process as scientists rather than following a predetermined protocol (LaForce et.al., 2017, Yew & Goh 2016).  See also problem-based learning, project-based learning.

  Learning Management System (LMS):  A Learning Management System is a platform that enables instructors to organize and distribute course materials in a digital format.  While features may vary, a typical LMS allows instructors to communicate with students, share readings, create and collect assignments, assess student work and post grades.  An LMS may be used to compliment a face-to-face course or for an entirely online course. Popular platforms include Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle.

Learning Objective/Learning Goal/Learning Outcome:  statements that articulate the knowledge and skills you want students to acquire by the end of the course or after completing a particular unit or assignment. Learning objectives help instructors to shape course content and assessments as well as increase transparency for students by clearly communicating expectations.

• Articulate Your Learning Objectives . Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University

Metacognition:  Metacognition involves metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation.  Metacognitive knowledge is defined as thinking or having an awareness of one’s cognitive processes.  Metacognitive regulation is the active monitoring of one’s cognition through planning (identifying appropriate learning strategies), monitoring (forming an awareness of one’s task performance) and evaluating (assessing and refining one’s learning through reflection) (Lai, 2011, Tanner, 2012).

Motivation:  An individual’s “personal investment” in reaching a desired state or outcome as “seen in the direction, intensity, persistence, and quality of what is done and expressed” (Maeher, M.L. & Meyer, H.A., 1997, p. 373). Research suggests that motivation plays a vital role in directing and sustaining student learning. The most motivated students see value in the task, believe that they can accomplish the task, and feel that they are in a supportive environment (Ambrose et al, 2010, p. 80).

• Lazowski, R.A. & Hulleman, C.S. (2016). “Motivation interventions in education: A meta-analytic review.”  Review of Educational Research 86 (2) 602-640.

Object-Based Learning (OBL):  Object-based learning (OBL) is a teaching method whereby students engage with authentic or replica material objects in their learning in order to gain discipline-specific knowledge or to practice observational or practical skills that can be applied in various fields. “Objects” can include a number of different material items often housed in museums: specimens, works of art, architectural forms, relics, manuscripts and rare books, archival documents, or artifacts of various kinds. Research on OBL suggests that “objects can inspire, inform, fascinate and motivate learners at all stages of their education” (Jamieson, 2017, p. 12).

• Chatterjee, H. J. (2016).  Engaging the senses: Object-based learning in higher education . Routledge.

Pedagogy:  Pedagogy is the method, practice and study of effective teaching. In order to be effective, instructors must have both subject-based knowledge and pedagogic knowledge and skills (Barkley & Major, 2016).

Problem-Based Learning:   A form of student-centered teaching that focuses on having students work through open-ended problems to explore course material. Students are asked to define the problem as part of the process, research content outside of class time and iterate solutions to arrive at their final response (Nilson, L.B., 2016)

Project-Based Learning:  A form of student-centered teaching that engages students with course content as they work through a complex project. These projects are typically real-world scenarios and multifaceted. Project-based learning encourages interdisciplinary conversations and groups work.

• What is PBL?.  Buck Institute for Education: PBL Works.

Retrieval Practice:  Retrieval practice involves retrieving new knowledge from memory in order for durable retention in long-term memory.  The process is supported by experiments which explore student’s recall of new material.  Retrieval practice can take the form of frequent, low-stakes quizzes, or students may employ methods like flashcards for self-testing (Brown et.al. 2014,  retrievalpractice.org ).

  Scaffolding:  A process by which instructors build on a student’s previous experience or knowledge by adding in specific timely support structures in the form of activities or assignments for students to master new knowledge or skills and achieve learning goals (Greening, 1998, Hmelo-Silver et.al. 2007).  See also Zone of Proximal Development.

  Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL):  an approach to college-level teaching that frames teaching as a form of scholarly inquiry. Through engaging in SoTL instructors examine their students’ learning to innovate and engage in knowledge-sharing with colleagues (Huber 2013). Instructors who engage in SoTL as part of their teaching are encouraged to reflect on personal assumptions and curiosities about how their students learn. Then consider how to test the validity of these ideas. Examples of SoTL projects include exploring the impact of implementing a single active learning strategy, considering the impact of reflection on student learning, determining the impact of a complete course restructure (Poole 2018).

Social Belonging:  Social belonging is a state when students feel welcomed and included into a community where they can engage freely and foster positive relationships with others (Walton & Cohen, 2011).

  Summative Assessment:  Summative assessment is the process of measuring a student’s learning at the conclusion of a course (or a portion of the course). Summative assessments are typically associated with grades and can take the form of quizzes, exams or papers.

Stereotype Threat:  Stereotypes are negative generalizations about groups of people.  When students are subtly or overtly made aware (primed) of these stereotypes while performing challenging academic tasks in domains that are important to them, students begin to underperform in these tasks.  Anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype creates additional cognitive load that reduces the capacity of working memory in the brain (Aronson et.al. 1999, Steele & Aronson 1995).

Student-centered teaching : Instructor-center teaching refers to instructors teaching content solely through a passive approach such as lecturing while students listen and take notes with minimal interaction with other students.  Student-centered teaching, however, consists of instructors using a wide range of pedagogical approaches for students to learn and actively engage with the course content by having students construct knowledge with peers through collaboration, discussion, group projects, and problem solving (Felder & Brent 1996, Freeman et.al. 2007, Handelsman et.al. 2007).  See also inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning, constructivism, zone of proximal development.

  Student Engagement:  Student engagement describes the ways in which students take part in the learning process and the development of their own knowledge. An increase in student engagement is thought to be linked to an increase in student learning. Student engagement is often tied to active learning techniques and student motivation (McVitty 2015).

• Student Engagement . The Glossary of Education Reform.

Synchronous instruction:  Synchronous instruction is the idea that students learn material at the same time.  Examples of synchronous instruction might include lectures, discussions or collaborative activities. When applied to remote learning, students must be online at the same time.  This approach can be disadvantageous if students are spread across different time zones or have limited access to technology.

  Teaching Development Plan (TDP):  a written document that helps instructors focus on teaching specific career goals. A TDP encourages instructors to set goals, and periodically reflect on both progress and barriers faced while working towards these goals.

Threshold Concept:  Thresholds are crucial barriers in the learning process where students often get “stuck”. These ideas are essential to understanding a particular discipline and progress in the discipline can be blocked until that barrier to understanding has been overcome. Examples of discipline-based threshold concepts include deep time in geology or the idea of constructed narrative in history (Meyer & Land 2006, Pace 2017).

Transfer:  A cognitive process by which a learner takes what they’ve learned in one context and successfully applies it to another. Transfer is often broken down into “near transfer” (transfer of knowledge to a similar task or context) and “far transfer” (transfer of knowledge to novel tasks or contexts). Given that a central purpose of education is for students to take what they have learned into other classes and then into their lives beyond school, this has long been a critical area of study in educational and educational psychology research (Perkins & Salomon 2012).

• Transfer of Knowledge to New Contexts . Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University
• Building Knowledge Through Transfer . Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research, Northeastern University.

Transparent Assignment Design:  An inclusive teaching practice first proposed by Mary-Ann Winkelmes and her instructional development and research team at UNLV, transparent assignments help students understand the purpose of the assessment, clearly describe the task and how it should be accomplished, and plainly define criteria for success. Assignment transparency has been shown to significantly boost student success in terms of academic confidence, sense of belonging, and metacognitive awareness of skill development (Winkelmes et al. 2016).  See also social belonging  and  hidden curriculum.

• Hutchins, P., Winkelmes, M. “Transparency in Leaching and Learning”.  PDF of Powerpoint slides.
• Winkelmes, M. et al. (2015). “Benefits (some unexpected) of transparently designed assignments.”  National Teaching & Learning Forum 24 (4), 4-6.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):  Universal Design for Learning is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.  Designing a course according to UDL principles is centered on the key concepts of: engagement, representation, and action & expression.  These are sometimes summarized as the Why, What and How of learning (Murawski & Scott 2019, Tobin 2018,  CAST .org).

  Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD):  This developmental zone stands between what the learner can already do on their own and what they cannot yet do. It is the range in which a learner is able to move from point A to point B with assistance from peers or an instructor; in other words, the zone in which learning takes place. The concept was originally described in the work of Soviet psychologist and social constructivist, Lev Vygotsky (Vygotsky 1978).  See also constructivism  and  scaffolding .

Ambrose, S. et al. (2010).  How learning works: Seven research-based principles for  smart teaching . Jossey-Bass.

Anderson LW, Krathwohl DR. (2001).  A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: a revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives . Longmans.

Angelo, T. A. & Cross, K.P. (1993).  Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers.  2nd Ed. Jossey Bass

Aronson, J., Lustina, M. J., Good, C., Keough, K., Steele, C. M., & Brown, J. (1999). When White Men Can’t Do Math: Necessary and Sufficient Factors in Stereotype Threat.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology . 35, 29-46.

Barkley, E.F. and C.H. Major (2016).  Learning Assessment Techniques: a handbook for college faculty.   Jossey Bass.

Bloom BS. (1956).  Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals.  Longmans.

Brame, C., (2013). Flipping the classroom. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved 6/11/20 from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/.

Brown, Peter C., H.L Roediger, M.A. McDaniel (2014).  Make it stick: the science of successful learning.  Harvard University Press.

Darby, F., Lang, J.M. (2019).  Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes . Jossey-Bass

Dweck, C. (2008).  Mindsets and math/science achievement . Carnegie Foundation.

Dweck, C. S., & Master, A. (2008). “Self-theories motivate self-regulated learning”. In Schunk, D. H. Zimmerman, B. J. (Eds.),  Motivation and self-regulated learning: Theory, research, and applications  (pp. 31–51). Taylor & Francis.

Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (1996). Navigating the bumpy road to student-centered instruction.  College teaching ,  44 (2), 43-47.

Freeman, S., O’Connor, E., Parks, J. W., Cunningham, M., Hurley, D., Haka, D., Dirks, C. & Wenderoth, M. P. (2007). Prescribed active learning increases performance in introductory biology.  CBE—Life Sciences Education ,  6 (2), 132-139.

Greening, T. (1998) Scaffolding for Success in Problem-Based Learning,  Medical Education Online , 3(1), 4297

Handelsman, J., Miller, S., & Pfund, C. (2007).  Scientific teaching . Macmillan.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in problem-based and inquiry learning: a response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark 2006.  Educational psychologist ,  42 (2), 99-107.

Huber, M. (2013).  What is the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning?  Stanford Teaching Commons. Retrieved on 6/11/2020 from  https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-talk/what-scholarship-teaching-and-learning-mary-huber

LaForce, M., Noble, E., & Blackwell, C. (2017). Problem-based learning (PBL) and student interest in STEM careers: The roles of motivation and ability beliefs.  Education Sciences ,  7 (4), 92.

Lai, E.R. (2011). Metacognition: A Literature Review.  Pearson’s Research Reports.  Retrieved on 6/11/2020  from  https://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/Metacognition_Literature_Review_Final.pdf

Jamieson, A. (2017). “Object-based learning: A new way of teaching arts west.”  University of Melbourne Collections 20  (June).

Krathwohl, D. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy: An overview.  Theory Into Practice , 41(4), 212-218.

Kolb, D. A. (1984).  Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development.  Prentice-Hall.

Landson-Billings, G. (2006). “Yes, but how do we do it? Practicing culturally relevant pedagogy.”  White teachers/Diverse classrooms: A guide to building inclusive schools, promoting high expectations, and eliminating racism , p. 29-41 Stylus Publishing.

Maehr, M.L. & Meyer, H.A. (1997). “Understanding motivation and schooling: Where we’ve been, where we are, and where we need to go.”  Educational Psychology Review,  9(4) 358-375.

Mayer, R.E. & Moreno, R. (2003) Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning,  Educational Psychologist , 38(1), 43-52.

Meyer, J and R. Land (2006).  Overcoming barriers to student understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge . Routledge.

Murawski, W. and K.L. Scott (2019).  What really works with Universal Design for Learning.  Corwin.

Nilson, L.B. (2016).  Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors 4 th  ed.  Jossey-Bass.

Pace, D. (2017).  Decoding the Disciplines: seven steps to increased student learning . Indiana University Press

Perkins, D.N. & Salomon. (2012). “Knowledge to go: A motivational and dispositional view of transfer.”  Educational Psychologist,  47(3), 248-258.

Poole, G. (2018). “Using Intuition, Anecdote, and Observation: Rich Sources of SoTL Projects” in  SoTL in Action: Illuminating Critical Moments of Practice  edited by Chick, N.L. Sylus Publishing.

Rattan, A., Good, C., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). “It’s ok—not everyone can be good at math”: Instructors with an entity theory comfort (and demotivate) students.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , 48(3), 731-737.

Schnotz, W., & Kürschner, C. (2007). A reconsideration of cognitive load theory.  Educational psychology review , 19(4), 469-508.

Smith, B. (2015).  Mentoring at-risk students through the hidden curriculum of higher education.  Lexington Books.

Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans.  Journal of personality and social psychology , 69(5), 797.

Tanner, K. D. (2012). Promoting student metacognition.  CBE—Life Sciences Education , 11(2), 113-120.

Tobin, T.J. (2018)  Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education.  West Virginia University Press.

Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students.  Science , 331(6023), 1447-1451.

Weimer, M. (2013).  Learner-centered teaching: five key changes to practice.  John Wiley & Sons.

Wiggins, G. (1990) “The case for authentic assessment”  Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation,  2 ( 2).

Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (1998). “What is Backward Design?” from  Understanding by Design . Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

  Winkelmes, M. et al. (2016). “A teaching intervention that increases underserved college students’ success.”  Peer Review  (Winter/Spring).

Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed.  Educational Psychologist , 47 (4), 302–314.

Yew, E. H., & Goh, K. (2016). Problem-based learning: An overview of its process and impact on learning.  Health Professions Education , 2(2), 75-79.

NC Educators : please take a moment to share your needs and perspectives with us by completing the North Carolina Educator Information Survey

teacher-centered method of instruction in which teachers deliver and students receive lessons, best suited to brief delivery of factual information.

Didactic instruction is one of three parts of the Paideia approach. Appropriate use requires careful planning and organization, a clear focus, and brevity.

Opponents of didactic instruction argue that it assumes active teachers and passive students, inhibits student development by fostering superficial learning of basic facts, and makes students dependent instead of teaching them skills for independent problem solving.

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Tropical Storm Shanshan Drenches Southern Japan, Disrupting Train and Air Travel

The storm weakened after making landfall as a typhoon, still posed the risk of landslides and floods as it moved at a crawling speed.

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By Hisako Ueno Yan Zhuang and John Yoon

Hisako Ueno reported from Okayama, Japan.

Tropical storm Shanshan was drenching southern Japan with record rainfall early Friday, a day after making landfall as a typhoon and flooding towns, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes, disrupting travel and forcing more than four million evacuations.

The storm, the strongest to hit Japan this year, had maximum sustained winds of up to 46 miles per hour and gusts of 51 m.p.h. early on Friday, according to the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center , which downgraded Shanshan from a typhoon to a tropical storm Thursday evening.

Shanshan had peaked at a strength equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall as a typhoon around 8 a.m. Thursday on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s main islands, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It was forecast to move north through Kyushu before shifting east on Friday and Saturday, moving further inland and losing strength.

The storm was weakening as it moved slowly inland, but the authorities issued warnings for landslides and floods in many parts of southwestern Japan. More than 4.1 million people were under evacuation orders nationwide on Thursday, Japan’s Cabinet Office said.

“This is one of the biggest typhoons in recent years, for a prefecture that experiences many typhoons every year,” Kensei Tomisako, a disaster response official in Satsumasendai, said in an interview.

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Chemistry Education Research and Practice

A lack of impact of pedagogy (peer-led team learning compared with didactic instruction) on long-term student knowledge of chemical equilibrium.

* Corresponding authors

a University of South Florida, Chemistry, Tampa, Florida, USA E-mail: [email protected]

b Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit Universitesi, Secondary Science and Mathematics Education, Zonguldak, Turkey

c University of New Hampshire, Chemistry, Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Peer-led team learning is a socially mediated pedagogy where trained peer leaders, students who have completed a course, return to lead students in groups within a targeted course. The effect of peer-led team learning to improve student success in chemistry has been extensively documented but it is unclear if it is just as effective at facilitating retention of knowledge across time. This paper describes two studies designed to examine this possibility, each focusing on the impact of peer-led team learning in second-semester general chemistry on students’ long-term knowledge of chemical equilibrium. The first study measured student knowledge at three time points for one year following enrollment in general chemistry. The second study measured student knowledge while enrolled in analytical chemistry. Both studies used a repeated measures design and found no demonstrable effect of pedagogy on the long-term retention of knowledge. This finding indicates that concepts students hold in first-year chemistry remain long-standing throughout their undergraduate training, conceptual understanding of equilibrium shows ample room for improvement across both pedagogies, and peer-led team learning supports knowledge retention comparable to didactic instruction.

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J. D. Young, B. Demirdöğen, C. F. Bauer and S. E. Lewis, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. , 2024, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D3RP00148B

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Jewish advocacy groups allege antisemitism behind Santa Ana’s ethnic studies rollout

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An ethnic studies curriculum at Santa Ana Unified School District is headed for a court battle in an ongoing lawsuit that alleges courses were developed in secret and “infected” with antisemitism.

Before a scheduled Sept. 19 hearing, the Anti-Defamation League, Brandeis Center and American Jewish Committee point to the term the “Jewish Question” appearing on an ethnic studies steering committee agenda in making their case.

Attorneys also obtained text messages that appear to show senior district officials discussing a strategy of the school board to hold votes on Jewish holidays, like Passover, to approve ethnic studies classes without protest from the Jewish community.

“The policy-making committee that was established saw Jews as an obstacle to exclude in the process,” said James Pasch, the ADL’s senior director for national litigation. “Due to that exclusion, the end result was the creation of anti-Jewish, anti-Israel classes being implemented into the curriculum.”

Whose stories do we tell? Israeli-Palestinian tensions polarize an Orange County school district

An Orange County school district’s efforts to introduce lessons on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have ignited emotional discourse among Jewish and Arab American community groups.

Oct. 13, 2023

Similar pitched battles framed the original attempt to draft an ethnic studies model curriculum at the state level in 2019. The draft faced criticisms, including charges of antisemitism, and was significantly revised before Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 101 into law, requiring the state’s students to take a semester of ethnic studies as a graduation requirement for the class of 2030.

But the state allowed school districts flexibility in developing ethnic studies curriculum.

In April 2023, the Santa Ana school board approved World Histories and World Geography ethnic studies classes that later drew protest from pro-Israel groups. Pro-Palestinian activists packed a school board meeting last year to defend the classes, one of which included lessons critical of the Israeli government in its course outline.

The lawsuit that followed claimed those lessons overstepped the bounds of legitimate criticism and unfairly demonized Israel as a uniquely evil settler colonial enterprise. It also alleged the district’s steering committee developed ethnic studies classes, including the pair approved last year, in private to avoid a replay of the fight that happened over the state’s model curriculum.

Groups took legal action after deeming a series of meetings between district officials and the Jewish Federation of Orange County as “lip service.”

“We are disappointed that the district remains unrepentant regarding its violations of state law and the deeply offensive statements made by district officials,” Pasch said. “Our evidence is based primarily on the district’s own records.”

Four years ago, Santa Ana Unified positioned itself at the vanguard of ethnic studies instruction in Orange County. The district’s teachers have taught such courses as electives for years. But on June 9, 2020, the school board voted to make ethnic studies a graduation requirement by the class of 2026, four years before the state’s own requirement.

The resolution also directed the district’s superintendent to establish a task force consisting of school board members, administrators, teachers, staff, parents and students to develop an action plan by the following month on how best to implement the new graduation requirement.

The suit alleges that the task force morphed into a steering committee dominated by board members Rigo Rodriguez and Carolyn Torres, so as to avoid a “watered-down” ethnic studies curriculum.

It further claimed that the steering committee met regularly, took meeting minutes and voted on items but violated the Brown Act by never meeting in public.

David Loy, legal director for the First Amendment Coalition, said that such bodies warrant a careful look at the open meeting law.

“If the superintendent, without involving the school board, creates a task force to advise the superintendent, that’s not necessarily covered by the Brown Act,” he opined. “If, in fact, the school board directed the superintendent to create this body to advise on curriculum, and if it, in fact, did that consistently over time, then yes, there’s a very substantial Brown Act concern there.”

The suit alleges that the steering committee became an arena for antisemitism itself with one member dismissing another as having “a colonized Jewish mind” in text messages over them raising the issue of antisemitism during a meeting. Another staffer complained about “thinly veiled antisemitism” from a committee leader.

O.C. supervisors end county partnership with anti-hate nonprofit amid Gaza War rift

Supervisors voted to replace support staff for the O.C. Human Relations Commission with county employees during discussions of the county’s budget.

June 26, 2024

In addition to questions about government transparency, the debate over the ethnic studies classes that emerged from the steering committee and antisemitism continue ahead of the September court date.

In referring to the World Histories and World Geography ethnic studies classes approved last year, the suit alleges that the course outlines contain “false and damaging narratives” about Israel and Jewish people and cites the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in support.

Earlier this year, Congress passed a bill that would have the U.S. Department of Education adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal antidiscrimination laws.

Shira Klein, a Chapman University history professor, independently evaluated the district’s courses last year and didn’t find that they reflected or promoted bias or bigotry. As a scholar, she finds the IHRA definition “deeply flawed,” as a majority of its contemporary examples surround criticisms against the state of Israel.

“Hundreds of scholars of antisemitism, the Holocaust and genocide, and the Middle East took a stand against it in the well-known Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism,” she said. “Even Kenneth Stern, the main drafter of the IHRA definition, now opposes it. Antisemitism is the hatred of Jews as Jews. Criticism of Israel, however harsh, is not in and of itself antisemitic.”

Books listed in course outlines have also come under sharp criticism.

Michael Mann, an emeritus professor of sociology at UCLA, has defended his book “The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing,” as it appeared as a teacher reference for World Histories.

A significant portion of his book is dedicated to the Holocaust, but the latest court filing against Santa Ana Unified criticized the scholarly work for its brief characterization of Israel as the main contemporary example of a “settler conqueror” case.

“I stand by what I wrote,” Mann said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times last year. “My book instances the Israel case as a settler conquest case, which is an accurate label used by numerous Israeli historians and social scientists — in fact I reference one of them, Oren Yiftachel.”

As students have returned to Santa Ana Unified classrooms, World Histories is currently being offered as an ethnic studies class that counts towards the graduation requirement.

But amid the acrimony, the district put the World Geography ethnic studies class on hold.

Jewish advocacy groups taking legal action are asking the court to invalidate any ethnic studies classes that were approved, in part, through the steering committee.

When initially contacted by TimesOC, a spokesperson said ongoing litigation prevented district officials from commenting.

But the following day, Santa Ana Unified issued a statement in response to the suit’s allegations that its ethnic studies classes were passed in violation of the Brown Act and are illegally biased against Israel and the Jewish community.

“The district denies these claims and will present counter arguments and facts to the court for consideration and is optimistic that the court will ultimately find in favor of the district,” the statement read.

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Gabriel San Román is a feature writer for TimesOC. He previously worked at OC Weekly – as a reporter, podcast producer and columnist – until the newspaper’s closing in late 2019. In 2023, San Román was part of the breaking news reporting team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of the Lunar New Year mass shooting in Monterey Park. He may or may not be the tallest Mexican in O.C.

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GCSE results day 2024: Everything you need to know including the number grading system

Thousands of students across the country will soon be finding out their GCSE results and thinking about the next steps in their education.   

Here we explain everything you need to know about the big day, from when results day is, to the current 9-1 grading scale, to what your options are if your results aren’t what you’re expecting.  

When is GCSE results day 2024?  

GCSE results day will be taking place on Thursday the 22 August.     

The results will be made available to schools on Wednesday and available to pick up from your school by 8am on Thursday morning.  

Schools will issue their own instructions on how and when to collect your results.   

When did we change to a number grading scale?  

The shift to the numerical grading system was introduced in England in 2017 firstly in English language, English literature, and maths.  

By 2020 all subjects were shifted to number grades. This means anyone with GCSE results from 2017-2020 will have a combination of both letters and numbers.  

The numerical grading system was to signal more challenging GCSEs and to better differentiate between students’ abilities - particularly at higher grades between the A *-C grades. There only used to be 4 grades between A* and C, now with the numerical grading scale there are 6.  

What do the number grades mean?  

The grades are ranked from 1, the lowest, to 9, the highest.  

The grades don’t exactly translate, but the two grading scales meet at three points as illustrated below.  

The bottom of grade 7 is aligned with the bottom of grade A, while the bottom of grade 4 is aligned to the bottom of grade C.    

Meanwhile, the bottom of grade 1 is aligned to the bottom of grade G.  

What to do if your results weren’t what you were expecting?  

If your results weren’t what you were expecting, firstly don’t panic. You have options.  

First things first, speak to your school or college – they could be flexible on entry requirements if you’ve just missed your grades.   

They’ll also be able to give you the best tailored advice on whether re-sitting while studying for your next qualifications is a possibility.   

If you’re really unhappy with your results you can enter to resit all GCSE subjects in summer 2025. You can also take autumn exams in GCSE English language and maths.  

Speak to your sixth form or college to decide when it’s the best time for you to resit a GCSE exam.  

Look for other courses with different grade requirements     

Entry requirements vary depending on the college and course. Ask your school for advice, and call your college or another one in your area to see if there’s a space on a course you’re interested in.    

Consider an apprenticeship    

Apprenticeships combine a practical training job with study too. They’re open to you if you’re 16 or over, living in England, and not in full time education.  

As an apprentice you’ll be a paid employee, have the opportunity to work alongside experienced staff, gain job-specific skills, and get time set aside for training and study related to your role.   

You can find out more about how to apply here .  

Talk to a National Careers Service (NCS) adviser    

The National Career Service is a free resource that can help you with your career planning. Give them a call to discuss potential routes into higher education, further education, or the workplace.   

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TOUR Championship: How it works, FedExCup Starting Strokes and FedExCup payouts

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The TOUR Championship will once again feature a staggered start beginning in Round 1 at East Lake Golf Club. Scottie Scheffler leads the FedExCup and begins the week once again at the top of the leaderboard looking to win the FedExCup for the first time and the bonus of $25 million.

The FedExCup points leader after the first two Playoffs events will begin the TOUR Championship at 10-under par. The No. 2 player will start at 8-under. The No. 3 player starts at 7-under; the No. 4 player starts at 6-under; the No. 5 player starts at 5-under. Players 6-10 start at 4-under; players 11-15 start at 3-under; players 16-20 start at 2-under; players 21-25 start at 1-under; and players 26-30 start at even par.

At the TOUR Championship, the player with the lowest stroke total over 72 holes when combined with his FedExCup Starting Strokes will be crowned the FedExCup champion, be credited with an official victory at the TOUR Championship, earn a bonus of $25 million and a five-year PGA TOUR exemption.

Here's how the final 30 players in the FedExCup standings who qualified through the BMW Championship will begin the TOUR Championship.

Note: Scroll to bottom for full FedExCup bonus money payouts for all 30 players.

FedExCup bonus

Mark Cuban is asking Elon Musk to post X's algorithm source code

• Mark Cuban thinks Elon Musk should open up X's algorithm for user feedback.
• "Unless of course you want to define it by yourself, which is of course your right," Cuban said.
• The "Shark Tank" star previously accused Musk of tweaking the algorithm to his own preferences.

Elon Musk wants X's algorithm to spotlight " more banger content from (currently) small X accounts ," but Mark Cuban says Musk can do one better.

"Can you post the expected algorithm source code, before you implement them? So users can give feedback?" Cuban wrote in an X post to Musk on Sunday.

"Or at least details on how you will determine Reputation, Relevancy and Similarity? Again, so users can offer general feedback? Unless of course you want to define it by yourself, which is of course your right," Cuban added.

@elonmusk Can you post the expected algorithm source code, before you implement them ? So users can give feedback ? Or at least details on how you will determine Reputation, Relevancy and Similarity ? Again, so users can offer general feedback ? Unless of course you want to… https://t.co/MVKZdLKsOG — Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 25, 2024

This wouldn't be the first time the "Shark Tank" star has questioned X's algorithm.

Earlier this month, Cuban told Jon Stewart in an interview on "The Daily Show," which aired on August 12, that Musk might have tuned X's algorithm to his own preferences.

"When you write an algorithm — I haven't written a lot, it's been a while — but when you write one, you get to set the parameters of what you want to see happen. And he certainly has done that to the things he likes," Cuban said, though he didn't provide evidence of Musk manipulating the algorithm.

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Entrepreneur @mcuban and @jonstewart discuss X's global influence and the power it has given Elon Musk pic.twitter.com/o33mMxNsPo — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) August 13, 2024

Cuban's remarks triggered a response from Musk, who said just days later in an X post that his platform's algorithm is open-source, unlike other platforms.

"And if you interact and argue with 'right wing' accounts, which Cuban does a lot, the algorithm will assume that's what you want to do and give you more of it lmao," Musk said of Cuban, who is known to respond to a wide variety of accounts on X.

But that wasn't it for Musk, who went on to call Cuban a giant turd in human form in a subsequent post .

Cuban, for his part, responded to the insult with a series of heart hands emojis .

When several X users asked why he was zeroing in on Musk's platform instead of other social networks, Cuban responded : "Which other platforms have their CEO post about politics and personally insult their users?"

Representatives for Cuban and Musk didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

Watch: Musk visits border, calls for Trump-style wall

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