Didactic strategies: definition, characteristics and application

Despite the research and advances made in the field of teaching and learning, in recent years the techniques and resources used within the classroom have changed relatively little if we compare them with the teaching procedures traditional.

However, this fact is beginning to change and change is becoming apparent, among many other things, with the appearance of didactic strategies. Throughout this article we will talk about their characteristics, as well as their form of application, their utilities and their benefits.

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What are teaching strategies?

The concept of didactic strategies refers to the set of actions that the teaching staff carry out, in a planned manner, to achieve the achievement of learning objectives specific.

More specifically, didactic strategies imply the elaboration, by the teacher, of a procedure or learning system whose main characteristics are that it constitutes an organized and formalized program and that it is oriented to the achievement of specific objectives and previously established.

As mentioned above, so that these procedures can be applied on a day-to-day basis within the academic environment, It is necessary for the educator to plan and schedule this procedure. For this, he must choose and refine the techniques that he considers most appropriate and effective when it comes to achieving an effective teaching-learning process.

For this, in addition to planning the procedures, the teacher must also carry out a reflection work in which the should take into account the full range of possibilities that exist within the teaching-learning processes, to Then, make a decision in relation to the techniques and activities that can be used to achieve the objectives. Established goals.

These techniques or ways of proceeding within the school environment may be especially useful for the transmission of particularly complex information or knowledge, as well as for teachings considered more arduous or complicated, such as some mathematical procedures or the beginning of reading.

Finally, these strategies appear in response to traditional teaching methods. The reason is that these newer systems, in addition to compensating for the shortcomings of traditional teaching procedures, tend to be more stimulating and motivating for students, which increases their level of attention and helps improve academic results.

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How are they applied in education?

At the beginning of the article, we already mentioned that one of the main characteristics of didactic strategies is that they require prior planning and organization. In order for these strategies to be applied in the classroom, the teacher must take into account the following aspects:

• Establish the specific objectives to be achieved within a specific subject, discipline or learning.
• Possess the necessary knowledge for the transmission of information.
• Anticipate and prepare all those materials or objects that will be necessary for teaching.
• Emphasize the important aspects of the information to be conveyed.
• Promote the association of theoretical knowledge with its practical aspects.
• Promote student autonomy when generating their own learning strategies.
• The educator must be aware that her role is only to facilitate learning and serve as a guide in the acquisition of learning strategies.
• Carry out periodic evaluations to monitor student progress.

In addition, it must be considered that these didactic strategies They start from a constructivist vision of teaching. This also means that, in addition to developing the construction of learning, the techniques and strategies used must be modified in relation to the progress of the students.

In the same way, when establishing the objectives, the educator must start from the student's knowledge base; so a prior evaluation of these can be especially useful.

The use of this type of didactic strategies enhances the acquisition of knowledge and skills previously considered important or objectives. However, despite this planning, the educator must pay attention to whether these are being fulfilled or achieved.

To do this, these techniques must be equally innovative and different from those used traditionally. The tools and activities carried out within the didactic strategies They should be attractive and interesting for the students., thus making sure that they keep their attention throughout the class.

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What benefits does it bring?

The use of didactic strategies in the day-to-day classroomIt has numerous benefits when it comes to achieving much more effective learning. At first, these techniques favor a greater involvement, both of the teacher and the student, in the processes of teaching-learning, also generating interaction dynamics in which the teacher and the group of students work together in the construction of learning.

This way, students take an active role, developing a sense of responsibility against your learning. In addition, the development of student autonomy favors the creation of their own learning strategies, the which can also be applied to other similar areas, generating in him feelings of self-sufficiency and usefulness.

Finally, if a correct development of the didactic strategies is carried out, the educator will be able to optimize the acquisition of the knowledge, favoring the learning of the students of those skills or competences that have been pre-established as important.