Didactics

Didactics is a field of pedagogy that deals with theories, ideas, principles and
instructions directed at successful conduction of educational process. Pedagogy
as a science researches upbringing and education on a much higher theoretical
level than didactics, which is in largely directed. Didactics uses theoretical
models developed in philosophy, psychology and sociology, as well as different
pedagogical theories and tenets, and especially theoretical models of teaching
and learning. Because of different starting positions and tenets, didactical
concepts can be in disagreement or contradictory.

Older didactical concepts were directed towards teaching and the teacher, while
newer concepts concentrate more on the student and the learning process.
Successful teaching requires knowledge of student characteristics and learning
methods, to which teaching approaches and methods have to be adapted.

Instruction and teaching are also observed from the aspect of communication
and as a social process in which students, teacher and wider social
environment participate, and in which they use certain communication media
which transfer certain educational content and enable social interaction and
exchange of information among the participants of instruction.

Pedagogy includes upbringing and education during childhood and

adolescence, as well as adult education or andragogy. Didactics is related to
the part of pedagogy which deals with the educational process in school and
extra-curricular institutions.

Didactics is usually divided into the part which deals with general patterns,
conditions and consequences of educational process, and a special section
which usually studies the following areas:
- goals and mission of education;
- dynamics of educational process;
- social forms and conditions of educational process;
- communication medium in education;
- educational climate;
- communication in educational process.

Didactics is also divided into the so called special didactics or teaching

methods, among which fall the teaching methods of specific instructional areas.
A lot of attention has been paid lately to didactics of e-education which relies
on application possibilities of internet technologies and suitable models of
instructional design. Earlier roots of e-education didactics have been
programmed learning and computer based instruction.

Tips & tricks: For effective design of online education you should study
different didactical concepts and choose the instructional design approach
which is synchronized with (a) educational organization goals, as well as the
goals of instructor/teacher; (b) needs and characteristics of students; (c)
available resources; (d) social environment and customs; (e) contemporary
technological trends in distance education.