Talking about educational behavior represents, that in many situations, it must be taken into account that a daily task involves significant challenges, so it is essential to use appropriate strategies (Benítez, Mendoza & Ramírez, 2019). One of them is didactic intervention, which in general terms, can be defined as any action performed by a teacher to enable his/her students to learn what is to be taught (Montagud, n.d.; Rodríguez, 2020). However, according to Montagud (n.d.), there are some aspects that should be emphasized regarding the strategies commonly involved.
What is a Didactic Intervention?
In a broad sense, didactic intervention is understood as a series of actions with a purpose, whose aim is to achieve the educational goals determined by society (Montagud, n.d.). According to Benítez, Mendoza & Ramírez (2019), it implies a process of continuous self-evaluation, in which, it is necessary to make known the activities that were adequate and those that were not suitable, in order to make the necessary adjustments to strengthen these activities.
The didactic intervention consists of a series of phases designed to promote the learning of the didactic units specified in the school curriculum (Montagud, n.d.). According to Rodriguez (2020), the first phase is the diagnostic phase, where the needs of the students, their previous experience in the subject, their skills, knowledge, strengths and weaknesses are examined; the second phase is the planning phase of the activities to be carried out, where it is clarified in detail what is intended to be done next; the third is the intervention phase itself, where all the strategies identified in the previous stage are put into practice, so that knowledge acquisition takes place; finally, in the evaluation phase, the teaching team assesses the results obtained and proposes improvements for future interventions.
The forms of didactic intervention are very different, since they depend on several epistemological, didactic, contextual factors, among others, that influence the work and performance of teachers (Benítez, Mendoza & Ramírez, 2019). For example, in the traditional educational system, students are considered simple receivers of information (Rodríguez, 2020). In this case, according to Rodríguez (2020), interventions focus on reducing distractions, making the material interesting to encourage attention, and disseminating knowledge in an orderly and precise manner.
In contrast, in more modern environments, it is thought that it is the students who actively cultivate their knowledge (Rodriguez, 2020). Based on this paradigm, in correspondence with Rodriguez (2020), a good intervention tries to increase curiosity and participation, promote independence, and guide students when they get stuck in their discovery process.
Characteristics
This type of intervention has several characteristics. The first is that didactic interventions are intentional, since they are directed to a specific need or difficulty (Montagud, n.d.). Likewise, they are specific and formal, since they have a determined duration of sessions. Finally, according to Montagud (s.f.), they are designed in such a way that students' progress can be monitored.
Although each didactic intervention has a specific objective, established according to the needs of the students and the demands of the curriculum, depending on the pace of learning, the strategy applied can be changed (Montagud, n.d.). In other words, the didactic intervention has a certain degree of flexibility. According to Montagud (n.d.), this can manifest itself in different ways, such as adding more weekly reading sessions or a more in-depth discussion of what is taught in class.
Is it an Adaptation?
Intervention is sometimes confused with adaptation; however, it is important to emphasize that a didactic intervention is not an adaptation (Montagud, n.d.). Adaptation is a change in the classroom that provides equal learning opportunities for students (Lee, n.d.). This does not mean that students with difficulties are left behind, but rather that, in the didactic intervention, the whole is motivated to acquire the same knowledge and, if necessary, to encounter difficulties (Montagud, n.d.). According to Montagud (n.d.), the application of didactic interventions can allow students with difficulties to catch up with the rest of the students, provided that this demand can be met without the need for adaptive means.
Usually, in an adaptive context, the student receives some kind of special support, either in the form of resources or directly by taking him/her to a special classroom (Montagud, n.d.). For example, an accommodation would be to provide a student, who is severely visually impaired, with a printed book with larger print and special glasses so that he/she can read the books that other students are reading (Montagud, n.d.). However, according to Lee (n.d.), this adaptation may not help improve reading skills, but it allows the student to access the content of the book.
This does not mean that didactic interventions cannot be made with people with disabilities or that they cannot be taught the same subjects as other children in the class (Montagud, n.d.). What is emphasized, according to Montagud (n.d.), is that adaptation means translating classroom content in a way that is closer to the student's level, while didactic interventions are intended for the student to obtain the same level of knowledge as other students.
How Should a Didactic Intervention be Developed?
Objectives
When applying didactic interventions, the first thing to do is to define, delimit and formulate the goals to be achieved (Montagud, n.d.). The objective is the purpose that teachers set for themselves and that controls the activities of both students and teachers (López, 2004). According to Montagud (n.d.), these should be of a general nature, i.e., extrapolated to the rest of life, and dynamic, in other words, focused on the contents taught in the classroom and oriented to pass exams, know how to do homework, relate the knowledge acquired with nature and the city.
In an educational context, objectives are those behaviors that all students are expected to exhibit as a consequence of certain teaching activities (Montagud, n.d.). These behaviors must be observed and evaluated. The term "behavior" should be understood in the broadest sense, which includes all patterns of intellectual, expressive, operative and moral behavior related to the content provided in the classroom (Montagud, n.d.). According to López (2004), the use of this term does not imply the acceptance of a particular psychological theory, because the open nuances of "behavior" or "conduct" are only descriptive terms.
On the other hand, teaching activities should be subordinated to the objectives and, at the same time, learning progress should not be ignored in order to discover possible problems in the classroom (Montagud, n.d.). That is why, in correspondence with Montagud (n.d.), it is so important to understand that these didactic interventions must admit a certain degree of flexibility when applying the teaching activities, since the students' level can always be overestimated or needs may arise that require reconsidering the initial objectives.
Contents
Secondly, there is the content, its structure, organization and sequencing (López, 2004). Basically, the content is a tool used by teachers to achieve the objectives foreseen in each didactic unit, which constitutes a given subject (Montagud, n.d.). To this end, teachers must ask themselves a series of questions to ensure that what they are going to teach is related to the goals they want their students to achieve: What to teach, why to teach it, when to teach it, how to teach it, and how to teach it (Montagud, n.d.).
On the other hand, there are several principles that can be followed when choosing subject content (Montagud, n.d.). However, one thing that is fundamental and essential is that no matter how much you teach in the classroom, students will not learn absolutely everything that is explained. According to Montagud (n.d.), there will always be something that costs more, so priority should be given to content that is more relevant and easily related to personal life.
In addition to selecting content based on objectives, several criteria can be applied when selecting content (Montagud, n.d.). According to López (2004), the first criterion is structure, which answers the question: What should students be taught and what should they learn? The second criterion is organization, where it is mentioned that the content is organized according to the three main categories of knowledge, which would be the procedural, conceptual and attitudinal areas. Finally, according to López (2004), sequencing is mentioned, which refers to the expected organization of elements and activities that interfere with the teaching process.
References
Benítez, L., Mendoza, N., & Ramírez, M. (2019). LA INTERVENCIÓN DIDÁCTICA DEL DOCENTE EN FORMACIÓN EN LA ESCUELA SECUNDARIA. UNA COMPETENCIA PARA PLANIFICAR Y EVALUAR EL APRENDIZAJE. Conisen.mx. Recuperado 8 March 2021, a partir de http://www.conisen.mx/memorias2019/memorias/1/P025.pdf
Lee, A. (s.f.) Intervención educativa: Lo que necesita saber. Understood.org. Recuperado 10 March 2021, a partir de https://www.understood.org/es-mx/learning-thinking-differences/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/instructional-intervention-what-you-need-to-know
López, M. (2004). LA INTERVENCIÓN DIDÁCTICA. LOS RECURSOS EN EDUCACIÓN FÍSICA. E-spacio.uned.es. Recuperado 8 March 2021, a partir de http://e-spacio.uned.es/fez/eserv/bibliuned:20293/intervencion_didactica.pdf
Montagud, N. (s.f.) Intervención didáctica: qué es y cómo se crea. Psicologiaymente.com. Recuperado 7 March 2021, a partir de https://psicologiaymente.com/desarrollo/intervencion-didactica
Rodríguez, A. (2020). Intervencion didactica: características, estrategias, ejemplos. Lifeder. Recuperado 8 March 2021, a partir de https://www.lifeder.com/intervencion-didactica/
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