DIDACTIC PLANNING: CHARACTERISTICS, ELEMENTS, TYPES, EXAMPLE - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The educational planning or educational programming is the process through which the teacher takes a series of decisions and performs a set of operations to implement the program institutionally established concretely and specifically in educational activities.

In this way, the institutionally delineated program is not applied in a closed way, but rather serves as a reference while adapting to the context and particular reality, taking into account the objectives, the characteristics of the students and the contents, among other factors..

In curricular planning, the activities to be carried out and the strategies to achieve the objectives in an intentional and organized way are clearly and specifically described, so it becomes a way to guide the processes that will be carried out in the classroom.

The educational systems of each country are established in a different way, both in structure and in function: in each country, aspects such as the flexibility allowed, the scope, the minimum necessary elements, among other factors, will vary. For this reason, it is important to consider the legal bases associated with didactic planning in the corresponding country.

characteristics

The didactic plans must have a series of characteristics so that they can fulfill their objectives:

-The objectives and the techniques to carry them must be in writing and must be presented in a structured way.

-They must always start from the institutional training program or framework.

-It should be done in a coordinated way with the other teachers, so as to reduce the uncertainty as everyone knows what they are working towards and how they will get there.

-It is an instrument that must be flexible, since not everything can be foreseen, and it must be open to any improvement that can be made.

-It must be adapted to the specific context, so it must be customized according to current reality.

-It must be realistic, so that its application can be viable.

Elements of a didactic planning

Didactic planning seeks to answer a series of questions, such as:

-What competencies should students acquire?

-What should I do so that they can acquire them?

-How should I plan them?

-How to evaluate if my activities have fulfilled the purposes?

Therefore, to answer these questions, a didactic planning must have at least the following points:

Objectives and contents

The objectives refer to the planned achievements of the educational process; that is, what the student must achieve from the teaching-learning experiences that were planned.

For example, an objective may be "to know one's own body and its motor possibilities, extending this knowledge to the body of others." It is recommended that it be written in the infinitive.

The contents are the objects of the teaching-learning process; that is to say, the set of concepts, procedures, abilities, skills and attitudes that will allow the proposed objectives to be achieved.

For example, a content related to the previous objective can be a block called “the body and its motor skills”.

Tasks and activities

The didactic activities are practical actions that are planned in order for students to achieve the competencies and acquire the knowledge that we have described as necessary to meet the objectives.

Learning Assessment

The evaluation has the purpose of determining if what has been proposed is working (or has worked) for the achievement of the objectives. In this way, it must be described what is going to be evaluated, how it is going to be evaluated and when the evaluations are to be carried out.

Other sections

In addition to the previous sections, the didactic plans may have other points. This will depend on each educational institution or will be limited by what is required in each educational system.

For example, you can ask for other points to be made explicit such as legislative justification that serves as a precedent, the way in which planning takes into account attention to diversity, a contextualization of planning based on the school and sociocultural reality, among others..

Didactic planning in preschool

Although didactic planning depends on the educational system of each country and how each one defines what preschool education (or early childhood education) is, this stage has certain points that may be common in different contexts.

On the one hand, preschool education is the one prior to the beginning of primary education; that is, it occurs approximately between 0 and 6 years of age.

For preschool, didactic planning should describe the objectives, content, tasks and evaluation.

The objectives are aimed at affective development, movement, communication and language, habits of body control (food, toilet training), patterns of coexistence and personal autonomy.

To achieve this, the contents will be organized through meaningful experiences and games in a climate of affection and trust.

- Example of didactic planning in preschool

objective

Learn to value the importance of personal hygiene and the danger of poor grooming.

Contents

It will be divided into two parts: 1) Explanation of how bacteria act 2) cleaning of hands and face.

Chores

Like the content, it will be divided into two parts. In the first part, you will have a plate with specks of "virus" (you can serve black pepper or another species). The child is instructed to insert her finger into the plate.

The result will be that the "viruses" stick to you. Then the child will repeat the action with a finger full of soap. The result will be that the "viruses" avoid the finger.

In the second part, the children will be explained how to wash their hands and face correctly. Here is an explanatory video adapted for young children.

Evaluation

Children should wash their hands and face as the teacher has taught them. To evaluate it, the teacher will give it more or less grade depending on whether they have done the steps correctly.

Didactic planning in primary

Beginning in primary education, children will begin to formally see subjects that will almost always be related to the acquisition of different basic competencies.

Primary education is aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 13 approximately. These competences may vary according to the disposition of each educational system, but in general the skills and knowledge are related to:

-Language skills.

-Mathematical skills.

-Competences related to technology.

Therefore, didactic planning will be based on the basic elements (objectives, content, activities and evaluation) and these sections will be aimed at promoting interest and habit related to reading, writing and mathematics among students.

Didactic planning in secondary

Secondary education corresponds to the last stage in schools (although in some countries they are subdivided), so it usually includes the ages between 14 and 18 years approximately.

Like the rest of the stages, the didactic planning must explicitly describe the objectives, the contents, the activities to be carried out and the evaluation methodology.

At this stage, didactic planning should be aimed at facilitating the transition between primary and secondary studies. In addition, the basic skills learned during primary school must be strengthened and consolidated.

In secondary education, competences take on a more practical dimension, which are aimed at personal development and autonomy in future adult life.

References

1. Cañizares Márques, JM and Carbonero Celis, C. (2016). Didactic programming LOMCE physical education: guide for its realization and defense (teaching oppositions). Seville: Wanceulen Editorial Deportiva, SL
2. Exposito Bautista, J. (2010). Physical Education in Primary: The Teaching Programming in the LOE Seville: Wanceulen Editorial Deportiva, SL
3. García, Melitón, I. and Valencia-Martínez, M. (2014). Notions and practices of didactic planning from the competence approach of teacher educators. Ra Ximhai Magazine, 10 (5), pp. 15-24.
4. Meo, G. (2010) Curriculum Planning for All Learners: Applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to a High School Reading Comprehension Program. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 52 (2), pp. 21-30.
5. Martín Biezma, C. (2012). Teaching children's education. Madrid: Macmillian Iberia.
6. Zabalza, M. (2010). Curriculum design and development. Madrid: Narcea Editions.